Constant volume combustor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pressure wave apparatus, comprising:
- a rotatable rotor having a plurality of passageways therethrough, said rotor having a direction of rotation;
pair of exit ports disposed in fluid communication with said rotor and adapted to receive fluid exiting from said plurality of passageways, one of said pair of exit ports is a combusted gas exit port for passing a substantially combusted gas from said plurality of passageways and the other of said pair of exit ports is a buffer gas exit port for passing a buffer gas from said plurality of passageways;
a pair of inlet ports disposed in fluid communication with said rotor and adapted to introduce fluid to said plurality of passageways, one of said pair of inlet ports is a working fluid inlet port for passing a working fluid into said plurality of passageways and the other of said pair of inlet ports is a buffer gas inlet port for receiving the buffer gas from said buffer gas exit port and passing the buffer gas into said plurality of passageways, said buffer gas exit port is adjacent to and sequentially prior to said buffer gas inlet port; and
a fuel deliverer adapted to deliver a fuel within said buffer gas inlet port adjacent the rotatable rotor, wherein said fuel deliverer delivers fuel into a first portion of said buffer gas inlet port and not into a second portion of said buffer gas inlet port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pressure wave apparatus utilizing the principles of pulsed detonation and wave rotor technologies. The apparatus includes inlet and outlet ports that interface with a plurality of fluid flow passageways on a rotor. A buffer gas is routed through some of the inlet and outlet ports and into and out of the plurality of fluid flow passageways. One of the inlet ports is a buffer gas inlet port that when placed in registry with a fluid flow passageway allows the flow of buffer gas into the respective passageway. Fuel is delivered into the buffer gas proximate the buffer gas inlet port so that only a portion of the buffer gas inlet port receives any fuel.
47 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A pressure wave apparatus, comprising:
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a rotatable rotor having a plurality of passageways therethrough, said rotor having a direction of rotation; pair of exit ports disposed in fluid communication with said rotor and adapted to receive fluid exiting from said plurality of passageways, one of said pair of exit ports is a combusted gas exit port for passing a substantially combusted gas from said plurality of passageways and the other of said pair of exit ports is a buffer gas exit port for passing a buffer gas from said plurality of passageways; a pair of inlet ports disposed in fluid communication with said rotor and adapted to introduce fluid to said plurality of passageways, one of said pair of inlet ports is a working fluid inlet port for passing a working fluid into said plurality of passageways and the other of said pair of inlet ports is a buffer gas inlet port for receiving the buffer gas from said buffer gas exit port and passing the buffer gas into said plurality of passageways, said buffer gas exit port is adjacent to and sequentially prior to said buffer gas inlet port; and a fuel deliverer adapted to deliver a fuel within said buffer gas inlet port adjacent the rotatable rotor, wherein said fuel deliverer delivers fuel into a first portion of said buffer gas inlet port and not into a second portion of said buffer gas inlet port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method, comprising;
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providing a gas turbine engine including a compressor, a constant volume combustor including a wave rotor, and a turbine, the wave rotor including a passageway having a first end and a second end; rotating the wave rotor; introducing a quantity of working fluid into the passageway through the first end of the passageway; delivering a quantity of fuel into the passageway through the first end of the passageway; detonating the fuel and a portion of the working fluid within the passageway to create a combusted gas; creating waves within the passageway to compress a portion of the working fluid within the passageway to define a buffer gas; discharging a first portion of the buffer gas from the passageway through the first end of the passageway and rerouting the first portion of the buffer gas from said discharge back into the passageway through the first end of the passageway; discharging a portion of the combusted gas from the passageway through the second end of the passageway to the turbine; and expanding the portion of the combusted gas within the turbine.
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Specification