Combustor liner cooling system

Abstract

A gas turbine engine combustor cooling system for imperforate non-metallic combustor liners has a wall positioned adjacent to the liners forming therewith a cavity. The wall has a plurality of inlets for admitting cooling air into the cavity and a plurality of outlets for exhausting the cooling air into a separate passageway after it impinges the liners. The exhausted cooling air is transferred upstream of the liner where it is combined with fuel for burning rather than discharged downstream as cooling film.

We claim: 
     
       1. 1. A combustor for a gas turbine engine, comprising: an outer liner;   an inner liner spaced from said outer liner to define a combustion zone therebetween;   a dome joined to upstream ends of said inner and outer liners;   carburetor means disposed in said dome for providing a fuel/air mixture to said combustion zone; and   means for impingement cooling said inner and outer liners, said means including an outer wall positioned along each said inner and outer liners and forming a cavity therewith, said wall having a plurality of inlets for admitting cooling air into said cavity and a plurality of outlets for exhausting said cooling air from said cavity, and a passageway means for conducting said cooling fluid from said outlets to said dome for mixing with said fuel/air mixture.   
     
     
       2. The combustor of claim 1, wherein said passageway means comprises a corrugated wall defining a plurality of paths for said cooling air along the length of the corrugations. 
     
     
       3. The combustor of claim 2, wherein said outer and inner liners are made of non-metallic material. ( 
     
     
       4. The combustor of claim 3, wherein said outer and inner liners are made of carbon/carbon material. 
     
     
       5. The combustor of claim 3, wherein said outer arid inner liners are made of a ceramic matrix composite.