Combustion system with injector assemblies arranged to recapture cooling air from a transition duct to form a shielding flow of air in a combustion stage

Abstract

A combustion system in a combustion turbine engine is provided. The system may include a combustor wall fluidly coupled to receive a cross-flow of combustion products. The combustor wall may include a plurality of cooling air conduits. An injector assembly may be in fluid communication with the cooling fluid conduits to receive cooling fluid that passes through the cooling fluid conduits. Injector assembly includes means for injecting a flow of the cooling fluid into the combustion stage. The flow of the cooling fluid may be arranged to condition interaction of a flow of reactants injected to admix with the cross-flow of combustion products.

1 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A combustion system in a combustion turbine engine, the combustion system comprising:
 a combustor wall in a combustion stage of the combustion system, the combustion stage fluidly coupled to receive a cross-flow of combustion products, the combustor wall comprising a plurality of cooling air conduits; and   an injector assembly in fluid communication with the plurality of cooling fluid conduits to receive cooling fluid that passes through the plurality of cooling fluid conduits, wherein the injector assembly includes means for injecting a flow of cooling fluid arranged to condition interaction of a flow of reactants conveyed by the injector assembly with the cross-flow of combustion products.   
     
     
         24 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein said injector assembly comprises a reactant-guiding structure arranged to convey the flow of reactants to admix with the cross-flow of combustion products, wherein the flow of reactants comprises a mixture of fuel and air. 
     
     
         25 . The combustion system of  claim 24 , wherein the flow of cooling fluid comprises a flow of air arranged to form a boundary of air flow that surrounds the flow of reactants, as the flow of reactants is admitted in the combustion stage, wherein the boundary of air flow that surrounds the flow of reactants is effective to transitorily shield the flow of reactants conveyed to the combustion stage from the cross-flow of combustion products, and thus provide an ignition delay to the flow of reactants injected into the combustion stage. 
     
     
         26 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a multi-panel arrangement. 
     
     
         27 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a unitized body. 
     
     
         28 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a conical section configured to accelerate the cross-flow of combustion products, and wherein the injector assembly is disposed upstream of the conical section of the combustor wall. 
     
     
         29 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a conical section configured to accelerate the cross-flow of combustion products, and wherein the injector assembly is disposed at the conical section of the combustor wall. 
     
     
         30 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the combustor wall comprises a conical section configured to accelerate the cross-flow of combustion products, and wherein the injector assembly is disposed proximate an exit of the conical section of the combustor wall. 
     
     
         31 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the injector assembly comprises an array of spaced apart injector assemblies circumferentially arranged along the combustor wall. 
     
     
         32 . The combustion system of  claim 31 , wherein at least some of the array of injector assemblies is disposed at different axial locations along the combustor wall. 
     
     
         33 . The combustion system of  claim 23 , wherein the injector assembly has an injector assembly body comprising an inner wall and an outer wall that define a passageway having an inlet side and an outlet side, the passageway defined by the inner wall and the outer wall of the injector assembly body effective to inject the flow of cooling fluid into the combustion stage. 
     
     
         34 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein at the inlet side of the passageway, the outer wall of the injector assembly body comprises circumferentially arranged openings in fluid communication with respective ones of the plurality of cooling fluid conduits to receive the cooling fluid that passes through the plurality of cooling fluid conduits. 
     
     
         35 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the outlet side of the passageway comprises a uniform cross-sectional profile. 
     
     
         36 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the outlet side of the passageway comprises a varying cross-sectional profile along a perimeter of the outlet side so that a velocity and a volume of the flow of air have a desired variation along the perimeter of the outlet side. 
     
     
         37 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the outlet side of the comprises geometric features configured to promote co-flow intermixing of the flow of cooling fluid with the flow of reactants, as each flow is respectively admitted into the combustion stage. 
     
     
         38 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the passageway comprises means for swirling the flow of cooling fluid to be injected into the combustion stage. 
     
     
         39 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the reactant-guiding structure comprises means for swirling the flow of reactants to be injected into the combustion stage. 
     
     
         40 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the passageway comprises means for swirling the flow of cooling fluid along a first swirl direction, wherein the reactant-guiding structure comprises means for swirling the flow of reactants along a second swirl direction, wherein the first and the second swirl directions comprise equal swirling directions relative to one another. 
     
     
         41 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , wherein the passageway comprises means for swirling the flow of cooling fluid along a first swirl direction, wherein the reactant-guiding structure comprises means for swirling the flow of reactants along a second swirl direction, wherein the first and the second swirl directions comprise opposite swirling directions relative to one another. 
     
     
         42 . The combustion system of  claim 33 , further comprising orifices arranged on the inner wall of the injector assembly body to provide fluid communication between the passageway and the reactant-guiding structure.