Acoustic damping system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine

Abstract

An acoustically dampened gas turbine engine ( 10 ) having a gas turbine engine combustor ( 12 ) with an acoustic damping resonator system ( 10 ) is disclosed. The acoustic damping resonator system ( 10 ) may be formed from one or more resonators ( 16 ) formed from a resonator housing ( 18 ) positioned within the gas turbine engine combustor ( 12 ) at an outer housing ( 20 ) forming a combustor basket ( 22 ) and extending circumferentially within the combustor ( 12 ). In at least one embodiment, the resonator housing ( 18 ) may include one or more resonator chambers ( 24 ) that provide enhanced cooling with reduced risk of cracking and other damage. The resonator housing ( 18 ) may include resonator exhaust orifices ( 26 ) that are positioned closer to an area of maximum temperature within the combustor ( 12 ), thereby enabling the resonator ( 16 ) to reduce the temperature gradient within the combustor ( 12 ). The resonator housing ( 18 ) may be sized and configured to reduce stress found in conventional systems by increasing distances between resonator exhaust orifices ( 26 ) and between resonator inlet impingement orifices ( 30 ), among others.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . An acoustic damping resonator system for a combustor of a turbine engine, comprising:
 at least one resonator housing defining at least one inner channel with an inner surface and an outer surface on an opposite side of the at least one resonator housing from the inner sur-face;   at least one resonator chamber extending radially outward from the at least one resonator housing, wherein the at least one resonator chamber includes at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice in an outer wall of the at least one resonator chamber and at least one resonator exhaust orifice extending through the at least one resonator housing; and   wherein a ratio of distance between the outer wall of the at least one resonator chamber and the at least one resonator housing to a diameter of the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice is between about seven and about four.   
     
     
         18 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 17 , wherein a maximum internal resonator dimension extending linearly within the at least one resonator chamber is increased less than 12 percent while a footprint of the at least one resonator chamber has been enlarged by between 40 percent and 100 percent relative to a resonator chamber having a ratio of greater than eight of a distance between the outer wall of a resonator chamber and a resonator housing to a diameter of a resonator inlet impingement orifice. 
     
     
         19 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 18 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified parallelogram in which a longest diagonal direction has been reduced via truncated intersections. 
     
     
         20 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 18 , wherein the truncated intersections of the modified parallelogram are formed with a first corner side at a first intersection and a second corner side at a second intersection, wherein the first corner side extends between first and second sidewalls forming the modified parallelogram and wherein the second corner side extends between third and fourth sidewalls forming the modified parallelogram. 
     
     
         21 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 18 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified triangle in which at least two corners have been truncated with corner sides. 
     
     
         22 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 21 , wherein each corner of the modified triangle has been truncated with at least one corner side such that a first corner side extends between first and second sidewalls, a second corner side extends between second and third sidewalls and a third corner side extends between first and third sidewalls. 
     
     
         23 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 18 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified rectangle in which at least two corners have been truncated with corner sides. 
     
     
         24 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 23 , wherein at least two corners of the modified rectangle have been truncated with at least one corner side. 
     
     
         25 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 24 , wherein each corner of the modified rectangle have been truncated with at least one corner side such that a first corner side extends between first and second sidewalls, a second corner side extends between second and third sidewalls, a third corner side extends between third and fourth sidewalls and a fourth corner side extends between first and fourth sidewalls. 
     
     
         26 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 18 , wherein at least one corner on at least one sidewall forming the at least one resonator chamber is curved. 
     
     
         27 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the at least one resonator exhaust orifice extending through the at least one resonator housing is offset axially upstream to place the at least one resonator exhaust orifice closer to an area of maximum temperature within the combustor;   wherein the at least one resonator exhaust orifice comprises a plurality of resonator exhaust orifices that are positioned closer to an upstream wall of the at least one resonator chamber than a downstream wall of the at least one resonator chamber;   wherein the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice comprises a plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices that are offset from the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices such that at least one of the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices is radially aligned with the at least one resonator housing in which the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices are positioned such that cooling fluids flowing into the at least one resonator chamber impinge on the at least one resonator housing.   
     
     
         28 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 27 , wherein the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices are separated from each other a distance equal to at least one and one half times a diameter of a smallest diameter of the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices. 
     
     
         29 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 27 , wherein the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices form half as many rows as rows formed by the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices, and wherein the rows formed by the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices extend circumferentially and are aligned radially between rows of the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices beginning with a first upstream row of resonator exhaust orifices and moving downstream. 
     
     
         30 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 29 , wherein the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices form a first row that has one fewer orifices than a first row of resonator exhaust orifices and wherein the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices form a second row downstream from the first row of resonator inlet impingement orifices, whereby the second row of resonator inlet impingement orifices has two fewer orifices than a second row of resonator exhaust orifices. 
     
     
         31 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 27 , wherein the plurality of inlet impingement orifices are separated from each other a distance equal to at least one and one half times a diameter of a smallest diameter of the plurality of inlet impingement orifices. 
     
     
         32 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 27 , wherein the outer wall is sized in thickness such that a ratio of a length of the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice extending radially inward to a diameter of the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice is greater than one. 
     
     
         33 . An acoustic damping resonator system for a combustor of a turbine engine, comprising:
 at least one resonator housing defining at least one inner channel with an inner surface and an outer surface on an opposite side of the at least one resonator housing from the inner surface;   at least one resonator chamber extending radially outward from the at least one resonator housing, wherein the at least one resonator chamber includes at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice in an outer wall of the at least one resonator chamber and at least one resonator exhaust orifice extending through the at least one resonator housing;   wherein a ratio of distance between the outer wall of the at least one resonator chamber and the at least one resonator housing to a diameter of the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice is between about seven and about four;   wherein a maximum internal resonator dimension extending linearly within the at least one resonator chamber is increased less than 12 percent while a footprint of the at least one resonator chamber has been enlarged by between 40 percent and 100 percent relative to a resonator chamber having a ratio of greater than eight of a distance between the outer wall of a resonator chamber and a resonator housing to a diameter of a resonator inlet impingement orifice;   wherein the at least one resonator exhaust orifice comprises a plurality of resonator exhaust orifices that are positioned closer to an upstream wall of the at least one resonator chamber than a downstream wall of the at least one resonator chamber; and   wherein the at least one resonator inlet impingement orifice comprises a plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices that are offset from the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices such that at least one of the plurality of resonator inlet impingement orifices is radially aligned with the at least one resonator housing in which the plurality of resonator exhaust orifices are positioned such that cooling fluids flowing into the at least one resonator chamber impinge on the at least one resonator housing.   
     
     
         34 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 33 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified parallelogram in which a longest diagonal direction has been reduced via truncated intersections. 
     
     
         35 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 33 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified triangle in which at least two corners have been truncated with corner sides. 
     
     
         36 . The acoustic damping resonator system of  claim 33 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of outer sidewalls forming the at least one resonator chamber forms a modified rectangle in which at least two corners have been truncated with corner sides.