Combustor liner V-band design

Abstract

A method of making a gas turbine engine combustor using the steps of: providing a combustor; providing a circumferentially extending louver member for ducting a flow of compressed air through at least one inlet opening in a combustor wall from a source of compressed air outside the combustor; and mounting the louver member in a non-destructive manner for releasable connection and disconnection to an interior surface of the combustor wall and at least partially covering the at least one inlet opening, the louver having a number of outlet openings in flow communication with an inlet opening.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of making a gas turbine engine combustor, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a combustor;    providing a circumferentially extending louver member for ducting a flow of compressed air through a plurality of inlet openings in a combustor wall from a source of compressed air outside the combustor, wherein the combustor has an end wall, at least one side wall and a combustor outlet, the louver being mounted to said side wall spaced a distance from the end wall toward the combustor outlet; and    mounting the louver member in a manner permitting non-destructive releasable connection and disconnection to an interior surface of the combustor wall and at least partially covering the inlet openings, the louver having a plurality of outlet openings in flow communication with an inlet opening.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the outlet openings of the louver are oriented to induce a toroidial gas flow within the combustor.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the outlet openings of the louver are oriented to induce a double toroidial gas flow within the combustor.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the louver comprises a v-band louver.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the louver comprises of a plurality of arcuate modular segments.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5  wherein the circumferentially extending louver includes a circumferential expansion and contraction joint between adjacent pairs of said plurality of arcuate modular segments.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the louver is mounted with removable fasteners.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7  wherein the removable fasteners include threaded studs extending from the louver through the combustor wall with removable nuts externally fastened thereon.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 5  wherein each segment comprises a metal casting.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 5  wherein each segment includes two combustor wall abutting end bulkheads bounding the channel there between.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein each bulkhead includes at least one outlet opening.  
     
     
         12 . A method of repairing a gas turbine combustor, comprising the steps of: 
 removing an initial louver member from an interior wall of the combustor; and    mounting a replacement louver member to the interior wall of the combustor in a non-destructive manner for releasable connection and disconnection to an interior surface of the combustor wall and at least partially covering the at least one inlet opening, wherein the replacement louver member is selected from the group comprising: the initial louver member; a repaired louver member and a newly manufactured louver member.