Combustor having a plurality of openings to control a vortex driver jet for a gas turbine engine

Abstract

A combustor having a plurality of openings to control a vortex driver jet within the combustor. The combustor includes an outer casing and an inner casing extending circumferentially about a longitudinal combustor centerline axis, an outer liner spaced apart from the outer casing to define therebetween an outer flow passage and an inner liner spaced apart from the inner casing to define therebetween an inner flow passage, a dome structure, the outer liner and the inner liner defining a combustion chamber, a plurality of outer openings provided in the outer casing and a plurality of inner openings provided in the inner casing. The plurality of outer openings and inner openings are configured to bleed airflow from or to introduce airflow into the outer flow passage or the inner flow passage, to control the vortex driver jet within the driver openings, to drive a vortex in the combustion chamber.

1 . A combustor having a plurality of openings to control a vortex driver jet within the combustor, the combustor comprising:
 an outer casing and an inner casing, the outer casing and the inner casing extending circumferentially about a longitudinal combustor centerline axis and extending longitudinally from an upstream end of the combustor to a downstream end of the combustor;   an outer liner spaced apart from the outer casing to define therebetween an outer flow passage and an inner liner spaced apart from the inner casing to define therebetween an inner flow passage, the inner liner and the outer liner being joined to a dome structure, the dome structure, the outer liner and the inner liner defining a combustion chamber, the outer liner or the inner liner, or both, having a plurality of driver openings configured to deliver a vortex driver jet inside the combustion chamber to drive a vortex; and   a plurality of outer openings provided in the outer casing and a plurality of inner openings provided in the inner casing,   wherein the plurality of outer openings are configured to bleed airflow from the outer flow passage through the plurality of outer openings to outside of the combustor or to introduce airflow through the plurality of outer openings into the outer flow passage, and the plurality of inner openings are configured to bleed airflow from the inner flow passage through the plurality of inner openings to outside of the combustor or to introduce airflow through the plurality of inner openings into the inner flow passage, to control the vortex driver jet within the driver openings to drive the vortex.   
     
     
         2 . The combustor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer openings are provided near an upstream end of the outer casing and the plurality of inner openings are provided are provided near an upstream end of the inner casing. 
     
     
         3 . The combustor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer openings are provided near a downstream end of the outer casing and the plurality of inner openings are provided near a downstream end of the inner casing. 
     
     
         4 . The combustor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer openings in the outer casing are distributed circumferentially around the outer casing. 
     
     
         5 . The combustor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inner openings in the inner casing are distributed circumferentially around the inner casing. 
     
     
         6 . The combustor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer openings are located upstream of the driver openings and the plurality of inner openings are located upstream of the driver openings, the plurality of outer openings and the plurality of inner openings being configured to introduce airflow through the plurality of outer openings into the outer flow passage and through the plurality of inner openings into the inner flow passage, to increase an airflow pressure within the plurality of driver openings to increase vortex driver jet momentum to strengthen the vortex. 
     
     
         7 . The combustor of  claim 1 , further comprising an outer sealed chamber coupled to the outer casing and an inner sealed chamber coupled to the inner casing, wherein a cavity of the outer sealed chamber is configured to communicate with the plurality of outer openings and a cavity of the inner sealed chamber is configured to communicate with the plurality of inner openings. 
     
     
         8 . The combustor of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of outer openings is located downstream of the driver openings and the plurality of inner openings are located downstream of the driver openings. 
     
     
         9 . The combustor of  claim 7 , further comprising a membrane provided inside the cavity of the outer sealed chamber and a membrane provided inside the cavity of the inner sealed chamber, wherein the membrane inside the cavity of the outer sealed chamber and the membrane inside the cavity of the inner sealed chamber are configured to oscillate to generate a throttling synthetic jet, to add energy to the vortex driver jet within the plurality of driver openings to enhance the vortex. 
     
     
         10 . The combustor of  claim 1 , further comprising a back pressure plate mounted at a downstream end of the combustor, wherein the back pressure plate is configured to increase pressure across the outer liner and the inner liner, to increase a pressure of airflow at the driver openings to increase vortex driver jet momentum. 
     
     
         11 . The combustor of  claim 10 , wherein the back pressure plate includes an outer annular ring and an inner annular ring, the outer annular ring is coupled to the outer casing and the inner annular ring is coupled to the inner casing. 
     
     
         12 . The combustor of  claim 11 , wherein the outer annular ring includes a first concentric outer annular ring and a second concentric outer annular ring, the first concentric outer annular ring and the second concentric outer annular ring having a plurality of holes, the first concentric outer annular ring and the second concentric outer annular ring are configured to move with respect to each other to open or to close the plurality of holes. 
     
     
         13 . The combustor of  claim 11 , wherein the inner annular ring includes a first concentric inner annular ring and a second concentric inner annular ring, the first concentric inner annular ring and the second concentric inner annular ring having a plurality of holes, and the first concentric inner annular ring and the second concentric inner annular ring are configured to move with respect to each other to open or to close the plurality of holes. 
     
     
         14 . The combustor of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of first doors configured to cover the plurality of outer openings in the outer casing and a plurality of second doors configured to cover the plurality of inner openings in the inner casing, wherein the plurality of first doors and the plurality of second doors are configured to open and to close to control airflow through the plurality of outer openings in the outer casing and through the plurality of inner openings in the inner casing. 
     
     
         15 . The combustor of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of first doors or the plurality of second doors, or both, are mounted to the outer casing and the inner casing, respectively, using hinges. 
     
     
         16 . The combustor of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of first doors or the plurality of second doors, or both, are slidably mounted to the outer casing and the inner casing, respectively. 
     
     
         17 . The combustor of  claim 14 , further comprising an actuator configured to actuate the plurality of first doors and to actuate the plurality of second doors, wherein the actuator is configured to receive one or more signals to open or to close any of the plurality of first doors and to open or to close any the plurality of second doors. 
     
     
         18 . The combustor of  claim 14 , wherein the first plurality of doors comprises a plurality of upstream doors and a plurality of downstream doors, and the second plurality of doors comprise a plurality of upstream doors and a plurality of downstream doors. 
     
     
         19 . The combustor of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of upstream doors of the first plurality of doors are opened to bleed airflow from the outer flow passage through the plurality of outer openings downstream of the driver openings and the plurality of upstream doors of the second plurality of doors are opened to bleed airflow from the inner flow passage through the plurality of inner openings downstream of the driver openings, to decrease airflow pressure at the driver openings. 
     
     
         20 . The combustor of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of upstream doors of the first plurality of doors and the plurality of upstream doors of the second plurality of doors are closed, and the plurality of downstream doors of the first plurality of doors are opened, to bleed airflow from the outer flow passage through the plurality of outer openings upstream of the driver openings, and the plurality of downstream doors of the second plurality of doors are opened to bleed airflow from the inner flow passage through the plurality of inner openings to increase airflow pressure at the driver openings.