WO2016094035A1

WO2016094035A1 - Transition cylinder with cooling system and configured to couple a transition to a can annular combustor in a turbine engine

Info

Publication number: WO2016094035A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/060827
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charalambos POLYZOPOULOS; Richard L. THACKWAY
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft; Siemens Energy, Inc.
Priority date: 2014-12-10
Filing date: 2015-11-16
Publication date: 2016-06-16

Abstract

A connection system (10) for a combustor assembly (12) of a turbine engine (14) whereby the connection system (10) includes a transition cylinder (18) with a transition cylinder cooling system (16) is disclosed. The connection system (10) may include one or more transition cylinders (14) defining a hot gas path (20), a combustor basket receiving inlet (22) configured to receive a combustor basket (24) and a transition receiving outlet (26) configured to receive a transition (28). The transition cylinder cooling system (16) may include at least one cooling channel (30) extending at least partially circumferentially within the transition cylinder (18). The cooling channel (30) may receive cooling fluid from a source with higher pressure gas than found within the hot gas path (20). The cooling channel (30) may extend circumferentially about the transition cylinder (18) to increase residence time within the cooling channel (30) to extract larger amounts of heat from the transition cylinder (18) to reduce the likelihood of damage resulting from overheating.

Description

TRANSITION CYLINDER WITH COOLING SYSTEM AND

CONFIGURED TO COUPLE A TRANSITION TO A CAN ANNULAR COMBUSTOR IN A TURBINE ENGINE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/090,146, filed December 10, 2014, the entirety of which is incorporated herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed generally to gas turbine systems, and more particularly to systems for coupling can annular combustion baskets to downstream transitions sections gas turbine systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gas turbine engines include one or more combustors positioned downstream from a compressor and upstream from a turbine assembly. Gas turbine engines may include a plurality of can annular combustors that are individually cylindrical combustors and spaced relative to each other forming a ring. Each can annular combustor is coupled to a transition duct that directs combustion gases from the can annular combustor to the downstream turbine assembly. Some can annular combustors include exit cones to mix cooling air with combustion gases. Analysis has shown that the exit cone creates recirculation zones that extend downstream into the transition. The recirculation zones entrain hot gases from the bulk flow and redirects the gases into an upstream direction, which is in an against bulk flow direction). These recirculating hot gases flow adjacent to the outer surfaces defining the hot gas path. The entrained hot gases have caused overheating, cracking and greening of transition cylinders which couple the baskets to the transitions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A connection system for a combustor assembly of a turbine engine whereby the connection system includes a transition cylinder with incorporated transition cylinder cooling system is disclosed. The connection system may include one or more transition cylinders defining a hot gas path with a combustor basket receiving inlet configured to receive a combustor basket and a transition receiving outlet configured to receive a transition. The transition cylinder cooling system may include at least one cooling channel extending at least partially circumferentially within the transition cylinder. The cooling channel may receive cooling fluid from a source with higher pressure fluid than found within the hot gas path. The cooling channel may extend circumferentially about the transition cylinder to increase residence time within the cooling channel to extract larger amounts of heat from the transition cylinder and therefore reduce the likelihood of damage resulting from overheating.

In at least one embodiment, the connection system for a combustor assembly of a turbine engine may include one or more transition cylinders formed from at least one transition cylinder body defining a hot gas path and having a combustor basket receiving inlet and a transition receiving outlet. The connection system may include one or more transition cylinder cooling systems formed from at least one cooling channel extending at least partially in a circumferential direction in the at least one transition cylinder body. The cooling channel may extend circumferentially around the at least one transition cylinder. One or more inlet orifices may be in fluid communication with the cooling channel. The inlet orifice may extend through an outer surface of an outer wall. The outer wall may be, but is not limited to being, formed from material having a thickness less than an inner wall of the transition cylinder body. In at least one embodiment, the material may be a bendable sheet metal.

The connection system may also include one or more exhaust orifices in fluid communication with the cooling channel. The exhaust orifice may extend through an inner surface of an inner wall. The exhaust orifice may be offset in a circumferential direction from at inlet orifice in fluid communication with the cooling channel. The exhaust orifice may have a diameter less than a width of the cooling channel. In other embodiments, the exhaust orifice may be larger than the cooling channel.

In at least one embodiment, the cooling channel of the transition cylinder cooling system may include a plurality of cooling channels. The plurality of cooling channels may be aligned and extend in a circumferential direction around the transition cylinder body. The plurality of cooling channels may be positioned in an outer surface of an inner wall, whereby each of the plurality of cooling channels may include an opening at the outer surface of the inner wall. An outer wall may be positioned radially outward of the inner wall and may extend circumferentially about the inner wall, further defining each cooling channel. The inner wall may be formed from an upstream section and a downstream section coupled to the upstream section via a transition section. The upstream section may have a larger radius of curvature than the downstream section. The plurality of cooling channels may be positioned in the downstream section. The plurality of cooling channels may include one or more inlet orifices in the outer wall. The plurality of inlet orifices may be aligned with each other.

During use, a compressor compresses air and feeds the compressed air to a chamber forming the cooling fluid source and surrounding the can annular combustors. The combustor assemblies contain flames within the combustor baskets. Combustor exhaust gases flow downstream within the combustor basket and the hot gas path. The hot combustor exhaust gases heat the combustor basket, the connection system, including the transition cylinder, and the transition coupling the combustor basket to a downstream turbine assembly. The transition cylinder cooling system may receive cooling fluid, such as, but no limited to air, through the one or more inlet orifices in the outer surface of the outer wall. The cooling fluid will then flow through the one or more cooling channels whereby the cooling fluid increases in temperature, pulling heat from the transition cylinder body. In at least one embodiment, the cooling fluid may flow cylindrically in the cooling channels which provide an increased length of cooling channel than if the cooling channel were to extend in the axial direction, which is shorter. The cooling fluid may then be exhausted from the transition cylinder cooling system via one or more exhaust orifices in the inner surface of the inner wall.

An advantage of the connection system with the transition cylinder cooling system is that the transition cylinder cooling system removes heat from the transition cylinder caused by hot gas recirculation that is created in the hot gas path at radially outer wall surfaces at the intersection between a downstream end of the combustor basket and the transition cylinder. An advantage of the connection system with the transition cylinder cooling system is that the configuration of the transition cylinder cooling system provides for efficient use of cooling fluid due to increased heat extraction by orienting cooling channels circumferentially , thereby removing more heat than shorter length cooling channels, such as if cooling channels were to extend axially.

Another advantage of the connection system with the transition cylinder cooling system is that less air is used thereby increasing cooling efficiency.

These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional turbine engine having can annular combustors.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a transition cylinder of the connection system including a transition cylinder cooling system.

Figure 3 is a partial, cross-sectional perspective view of the transition cylinder of the connection system including a transition cylinder cooling system, taken at section line 3-3 in Figure 2, with the outer wall of the cooling system removed.

Figure 4 is a partial, cross-sectional perspective view of the transition cylinder of the connection system including a transition cylinder cooling system, taken at section line 3-3 in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in Figures 1 -4, a connection system 10 for a combustor assembly 12 of a turbine engine 14 whereby the connection system 10 includes a transition cylinder 18 with a transition cylinder cooling system 16 is disclosed. The connection system 10 may include one or more transition cylinders 18 defining a hot gas path 20, a combustor basket receiving inlet 22 configured to receive a combustor basket 24 and a transition receiving outlet 26 configured to receive a transition 28. The transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include one or more cooling channels 30 extending at least partially circumferentially within the transition cylinder 18. The cooling channel 30 may receive cooling fluid from a source 72 with higher pressure gas than found within the hot gas path 20. The cooling channel 30 may extend circumferentially about the transition cylinder 18 to increase residence time within the cooling channel 30 to extract larger amounts of heat from the transition cylinder 18 to reduce the likelihood of damage resulting from overheating.

In at least one embodiment, the connection system 10 may include one or more transition cylinders 18 formed from one or more transition cylinder bodies 32 defining a hot gas path 20. The transition cylinder body 32 may have a combustor basket receiving inlet 22 configured to receive a combustor basket 24 and may have a transition receiving outlet 26 configured to receive a transition 28. The connection system 10 may also include one or more transition cylinder cooling systems 16 formed from one or more cooling channels 30 extending at least partially in a circumferential direction in the transition cylinder body 32. In at least one embodiment, the transition cylinder body 32 is generally cylindrical.

The transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include one or more cooling channels 30 extending circumferentially around the transition cylinder 18. In at least one embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include a plurality of cooling channels 30. The particular configuration of the cooling channels 30, including spacing, size and number of cooling channels 30, may be determined based upon the heat load on the transition cylinder body 32 that is a result of the operation parameters of the combustor immediately upstream of the transition cylinder body 32. The cooling channels 30 may be equally spaced in the axial direction 48 or spaced in another manner. In at least one embodiment, the plurality of cooling channels 30 may be aligned and may extend in a circumferential direction 50 around the transition cylinder body 32. The plurality of cooling channels 30 may be positioned in an outer surface 52 of an inner wall 54. The cooling channels 30 may have the same or different cross-sectional shapes and sizes. The cooling channels 30 may be formed as slots extending radially inward from the outer surface 52 of the inner wall 54. Each of the plurality of cooling channels 30 may include an opening 56 at the outer surface 52 of the inner wall 54. An outer wall 58 may be positioned radially outward of the inner wall 54, may extend circumferentially about the inner wall 54 and further define each cooling channel 30.

The inner wall 54 may be formed from an upstream section 60 and a downstream section 62 coupled to the upstream section 60 via a transition section 64. The upstream section 60 may have a larger radius of curvature than the downstream section 62. In at least one embodiment, the plurality of cooling channels 30 may be positioned in the downstream section 62. The upstream and downstream sections 60, 62 may have a same thickness or other configuration. The upstream and downstream sections 60, 62 and transition section 64 may be a unitary structure formed from the same material.

The transition cylinder body 32 may include one or more radially extending flanges 66 extending radially outward from an axially downstream edge 68 of the downstream section 62. The flange 66 may extend in a circumferential direction 50 together with the transition cylinder body 32. The flange 66 may extend

circumferentially around the entire transition cylinder body 32. The radially extending flange 66 may have a thickness relative to a thickness of the downstream section 62 of the transition cylinder body 32 of between about 0.5:1 and 2:1 .

The transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include one or more inlet orifices 68 in fluid communication with the cooling channel 30. The inlet orifice 68 may extend through an outer surface 70 of the outer wall 58. The inlet orifice 68 may have any appropriate configuration, such as, but not limited to, circular, polygonal or other shape. The outer wall 58 may be formed from a material having a thickness less than the inner wall 54 of the transition cylinder body 32. The outer wall 58 may be formed from a material, such as, but not limited to, a bendable sheet metal. The outer wall 58 may be formed from a material different from a material used to form the upstream and downstream sections 60, 62 and the transition section 64 of the transition cylinder body 32.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include a plurality of cooling channels 30. The cooling channels 30 may each include one or more inlet orifices 68 in the outer wall 58. The plurality of inlet orifices 68 may be aligned with each other. The inlet orifices 68 may be aligned extending in a generally axial direction 48. One or more of the inlet orifices 68 may be in fluid communication with a cooling fluid source 72 having a pressure higher than a pressure found within the hot gas path 20 defined at least in part by the transition cylinder body 32. In at least one embodiment, the inlet orifice 68 is in communication with compressor exhaust gases that are at a higher pressure and lower temperature than the hot gas path gases. The compressor air exiting the compressor exit diffuser may be contained within a turbine case or other appropriate location.

The transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include one or more exhaust orifices 74 in fluid communication with the cooling channel 30. The exhaust orifice 74 may extend through an inner surface 76 of the inner wall 54. The exhaust orifice 74 may be offset in a circumferential direction 50 from the inlet orifice 68 and the inlet orifice 68 may be arranged such that there are multiple cooling circuits, such as, but not limited to, four cooling circuits, whereby such circuits may be configured such that air entering through the inlet orifice 68 travels circumferentially 90 degrees and is exhausted through the exhaust orifice 74. The number of cooling circuits depends on the heat load. The exhaust orifice 74 may be offset in a circumferential direction 50 from the inlet orifice 68 in fluid communication with the cooling channel 30.

The exhaust orifice 74 may have any appropriate configuration, such as, but not limited to, circular, polygonal or other shape. In at least one embodiment in which the exhaust orifice 74 is circular, the exhaust orifice 74 may have a diameter that is similar to a diameter of the cooling channel, and may be slightly less than or greater than a width of the cooling channel 30. In at least one embodiment, the transition cylinder cooling system 16 may include a plurality of exhaust orifices 74 in fluid communication with a plurality of cooling channels 30 such that each cooling channel includes at least one exhaust orifice 74. In at least one embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a cooling channel 30 may include a plurality of exhaust orifices 74, with each being feed by a corresponding inlet orifice. The plurality of exhaust orifices 74 may be aligned into aligned with each other. The exhaust orifices 74 may be aligned extending in a generally axial direction 48. In at least one embodiment, a plurality of exhaust orifices 74 may be fed by a single inlet orifice 68. The inlet orifices 68 need not be aligned axially between different channels. During use, a compressor compresses air and passes the compressed air to a chamber forming the cooling fluid source 72 and surrounding the can annular combustors 12. The combustor assemblies 12 contain flames within the combustor baskets 24. Combustor exhaust gases flow downstream within the combustor basket 24 and the hot gas path 20. The hot combustor exhaust gases heat the combustor basket 24, the connection system 10, including the transition cylinder 18, and the transition coupling the combustor basket 24 to a downstream turbine assembly. The transition cylinder cooling system 16 may receive cooling fluid, such as, but no limited to air, through the one or more inlet orifices 68 in the outer surface 70 of the outer wall 58. The cooling fluid may then increase in temperature, extracting heat from the transition cylinder body 32, as the fluid flows through the one or more cooling channels 30. In at least one embodiment, the cooling fluid may flow cylindrically in the cooling channels 30 which provide an increased length of cooling channel than if the cooling channel were to extend in the axial direction 48, which is shorter. The cooling fluid may then be exhausted from the transition cylinder cooling system 16 via one or more exhaust orifices 74 in the inner surface 76 of the inner wall 54.

The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.

Claims

CLAIMS We claim:

1 . A connection system (10) for a combustor assembly (12) of a turbine engine (14), characterized in that:

at least one transition cylinder (18) formed by at least one transition cylinder body (32) defining a hot gas path (20) and having a combustor basket receiving inlet (22) and a transition receiving outlet (26); and

at least one transition cylinder cooling system (16) formed from at least one cooling channel (30) extending at least partially in a circumferential direction (50) in the at least one transition cylinder body (32).

2. The connection system (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one cooling channel (30) extends circumferentially around the at least one transition cylinder (18).

3. The connection system (10) of claim 1 , further characterized in that at least one inlet orifice (68) in fluid communication with the at least one cooling channel (30).

4. The connection system (10) of claim 3, characterized in that the at least one inlet orifice (68) extends through an outer surface (70) of an outer wall (58).

5. The connection system (10) of claim 4, characterized in that the outer wall is formed from material having a thickness less than an inner wall (54) of the at least one transition cylinder body (32), and wherein the material is a bendable sheet metal.

6. The connection system (10) of claim 1 , further characterized in that at least one exhaust orifice (74) in fluid communication with the at least one cooling channel (30).

7. The connection system (10) of claim 6, characterized in that the at least one exhaust orifice (74) extends through an inner surface (76) of an inner wall (54).

8. The connection system (10) of claim 6, characterized in that the at least one exhaust orifice (74) is offset in a circumferential direction (50) from at least one inlet orifice (68) in fluid communication with the at least one cooling channel (30).

9. The connection system (10) of claim 6, characterized in that the at least one exhaust orifice (74) has a diameter less than a width of the at least one cooling channel (30).

10. The connection system (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one cooling channel (30) of the at least one transition cylinder cooling system (16) comprises a plurality of cooling channels (30).

1 1 . The connection system (10) of claim 10, characterized in that the plurality of cooling channels (30) are aligned and extend in a circumferential direction (50) around the at least one transition cylinder body (32).

12. The connection system (10) of claim 10, characterized in that the plurality of cooling channels (30) are positioned in an outer surface (52) of an inner wall (54), wherein each of the plurality of cooling channels (30) includes an opening (56) at the outer surface (52) of the inner wall (54), and wherein an outer wall (58) is positioned radially outward of the inner wall (54), extends circumferentially about the inner wall (54) and further defines each cooling channel (30).

13. The connection system (10) of claim 12, characterized in that the inner wall (54) is formed from an upstream section (60) and a downstream section (62) coupled to the upstream section (60) via a transition section (64), wherein the upstream section (60) has a larger radius of curvature than the downstream section (62), and wherein the plurality of cooling channels (30) are positioned in the downstream section (62).

14. The connection system (10) of claim 12, characterized in that each of the plurality of cooling channels (30) includes at least one inlet orifice (68) in the outer wall (58) and wherein the plurality of inlet orifices (68) are aligned with each other.