Combustor assembly

Abstract

A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly including: combustor wall defining combustion chamber and including opening periphery, the opening periphery defining first opening; sealing element including annular body, annular body extending around sealing element axis and extending through first opening, sealing element further including flange extending radially outward from annular body, flange slidingly coupling sealing element and combustor wall and forming seal or first partial seal between sealing element and combustor wall, annular body including outer and inner surface, inner surface defining second opening configured to receive fuel nozzle, wherein first total clearance between outer surface and opening periphery in first direction is greater than second total clearance between outer surface and opening periphery in second direction perpendicular to first direction such that sealing element is able to slide relative to combustor wall by greater extent in first direction than in second direction.

1 . A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising:
 a combustor wall defining a combustion chamber and comprising an opening periphery, the opening periphery defining a first opening;   a sealing element comprising an annular body, the annular body extending around a sealing element axis and extending through the first opening, the sealing element further comprising a flange extending radially outward from the annular body with respect to the axis to a distal surface, the flange slidingly coupling the sealing element and the combustor wall and forming a seal or partial seal between the sealing element and the combustor wall, the annular body comprising an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a second opening configured to receive a fuel nozzle,   wherein a first total clearance between the outer surface and the opening periphery in a first direction between the outer surface and the opening periphery in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction such that the sealing element is able to slide relative to the combustor wall by a greater extent in the first direction than in the second direction.   
     
     
         2 . The combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a maximum dimension of the first opening in the first direction is greater than a maximum dimension of the first opening in the second direction. 
     
     
         3 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second total clearance is greater than zero along a continuous range of positions extending along the first direction. 
     
     
         4 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a radius of curvature of the opening periphery at all points around the opening periphery is greater than a radius of curvature of the outer surface at all points around the outer surface. 
     
     
         5 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second total clearance is constant along a continuous range of positions extending along the first direction. 
     
     
         6 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the opening periphery is obround. 
     
     
         7 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the opening periphery is elliptical. 
     
     
         8 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional profile of the outer surface on a plane perpendicular to the sealing element axis is circular. 
     
     
         9 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the combustor wall forms part of a combustor liner that extends around the sealing element axis, and wherein a maximum dimension of the first opening extends radially with respect to the sealing element axis. 
     
     
         10 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises at least one cooling air passage, wherein the at least one cooling air passage is defined at least in part by the flange, wherein the at least one cooling air passage comprises an outlet portion having an outlet configured to deliver cooling air to the combustion chamber, wherein the outlet is defined by the distal surface. 
     
     
         11 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the outlet portion extends parallel to a surface of the combustor wall with which the seal or partial seal is formed. 
     
     
         12 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the outlet portion extends radially with respect to the sealing element axis through the flange. 
     
     
         13 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein a radial distance between the outer surface and the outlet is at least 1.5 times the maximum width of the outlet measured in a direction parallel to the sealing element axis. 
     
     
         14 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein a minimum total overlap of the flange and the combustor wall is at least twice the radial distance between the outer surface and the outlet. 
     
     
         15 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises a further flange extending radially outward from the annular body, wherein the combustor wall is partly disposed between the flange and the further flange, the further flange slidingly coupling the sealing element and the combustor wall and forming a further seal or partial seal between the sealing element and the combustor wall. 
     
     
         16 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the sealing element comprises a further flange extending radially outward from the annular body, wherein the combustor wall is partly disposed between the flange and the further flange, the further flange slidingly coupling the sealing element and the combustor wall and forming a further seal or partial seal between the sealing element and the combustor wall, and wherein the at least one cooling air passage further comprises an inlet portion, wherein the inlet portion is defined at least in part by the further flange. 
     
     
         17 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of the cooling air passages, wherein the plurality of cooling air passages are disposed circumferentially about the sealing element axis. 
     
     
         18 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a heatshield. 
     
     
         19 . The combustor assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional profile of the distal surface on a plane perpendicular to the sealing element axis is circular.