Combustion section with a primary combustor and a set of secondary combustors

Abstract

A turbine engine with a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement along an engine centerline. The combustion section includes a primary combustor liner including an inner liner and an outer liner. A dome wall and a primary dome inlet are located in the dome wall. The outer liner defines at least one opening downstream from the primary dome inlet. A primary combustion chamber and a set of secondary combustors are fluidly coupled to the primary combustion chamber at the at least one opening.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A combustion section for a turbine engine, the combustion section comprising:
 a primary combustor liner including an inner liner and an outer liner;   a dome wall extending between the inner liner and the outer liner;   a primary dome inlet located in the dome wall and defining a first centerline, wherein the outer liner defines at least one opening downstream from the primary dome inlet;   a primary combustor having a primary combustion chamber defined at least in part by the inner liner, the outer liner, and the dome wall;   a set of secondary combustors including at least one secondary combustion chamber fluidly coupled to the primary combustion chamber at the at least one opening; and   at least one dilution opening located in the inner liner and defining a dilution centerline intersecting the first centerline to define a dilution angle β opening away from the primary dome inlet and ranging from 25° to 165°.   
     
     
         2 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , further comprising a mini dome wall radially spaced from the outer liner and further defining the at least one secondary combustion chamber and a mini dome inlet located in the mini dome wall and fluidly coupled to the at least one secondary combustion chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The combustion section of  claim 2 , further comprising a primary fuel injector fluidly coupled to the primary dome inlet and a mini fuel injector fluidly coupled to the mini dome inlet. 
     
     
         4 . The combustion section of  claim 3 , wherein the mini dome inlet defines a second centerline that intersects the first centerline to define a primary combustor angle α opening away from the primary dome inlet and ranging from 25° to 165°. 
     
     
         5 . The combustion section of  claim 4 , wherein the primary combustor angle α is equal to 90°. 
     
     
         6 . The combustion section of  claim 4 , wherein the dilution centerline and the second centerline are unaligned. 
     
     
         7 . The combustion section of  claim 6 , wherein the dilution centerline is downstream of the second centerline. 
     
     
         8 . The combustion section of  claim 6 , wherein the dilution centerline is upstream of the second centerline. 
     
     
         9 . The combustion section of  claim 4  wherein the at least one secondary combustion chamber is directed toward the primary dome inlet and the primary combustor angle α is less than 90°. 
     
     
         10 . The combustion section of  claim 4  wherein the at least one secondary combustion chamber is directed away from the primary dome inlet and the primary combustor angle α is greater than 90°. 
     
     
         11 . The combustion section of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one secondary combustion chamber and the at least one dilution opening are located directly opposite of each other. 
     
     
         12 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , wherein a radial line extending from an engine centerline of the turbine engine intersects with a geometric center of the at least one dilution opening in a transverse plane and the radial line and the dilution centerline overlap and are aligned. 
     
     
         13 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , wherein a radial line extending from an engine centerline of the turbine engine intersects with a geometric center of the at least one dilution opening in a transverse plane and the radial line and the dilution centerline are angled with respect to each other to form a tangential angle θ ranging from −180° to 180°. 
     
     
         14 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one secondary combustion chamber is a plurality of secondary combustion chambers circumferentially arranged about the outer liner, and the at least one dilution opening is a plurality of dilution openings circumferentially arranged about the inner liner. 
     
     
         15 . The combustion section of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of dilution openings are circumferentially staggered with respect to a plurality of secondary combustion chambers. 
     
     
         16 . The combustion section of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of dilution openings are staggered mid-way between sequential secondary combustion chambers. 
     
     
         17 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one dilution opening comprises a dilution component. 
     
     
         18 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , wherein the set of secondary combustors comprise an aft face and the at least one dilution opening defines a diameter (D) and comprises a forward face spaced from the aft face an axial distance from −10D to +20D. 
     
     
         19 . The combustion section of  claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust wall extending into the primary combustor and bordering the at least one opening to define at least a portion of a secondary combustor outlet. 
     
     
         20 . A turbine engine, comprising:
 a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement along an engine centerline, the combustion section comprising:   a primary combustor liner including an inner liner and an outer liner;   a dome wall extending between the inner liner and the outer liner;   a primary dome inlet located in the dome wall and defining a first centerline, wherein the outer liner defines at least one opening downstream from the primary dome inlet;   a primary combustor having a primary combustion chamber defined at least in part by the inner liner, the outer liner, and the dome wall;   a set of secondary combustors including at least one secondary combustion chamber fluidly coupled to the primary combustion chamber at the at least one opening; and   at least one dilution opening located in the inner liner and defining a dilution centerline intersecting the first centerline to define a dilution angle β opening away from the primary dome inlet and ranging from 25° to 165°.