Combustor front panel

1. A front panel for a combustor of a gas turbine, the front panel defining a hot side and a cold side and comprising:

at least one aperture adapted for receiving a combustor part;

a hot-side wall defining a hot-side downstream surface of the front panel;

a cold-side wall defining a cold-side upstream surface of the front panel, wherein the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall are axially spaced from one another and extend parallel to one another; and an outer side wall connecting the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall, wherein each aperture of the at least one aperture is defined by a respective annular sleeve, wherein each respective annular sleeve extends from the hot-side wall to the cold-side wall, connects the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall to one another, and provides a seat for a respective combustor part, wherein an upstream portion of each respective annular sleeve has a material thickness that is 50% to 150% thicker than a material thickness of a downstream portion of the respective annular sleeve.

2. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-side wall and the outer side wall are made from one piece.

3. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-side wall is provided with a plurality of effusion passages, the effusion passages being through holes that extend substantially axially through the hot-side wall.

4. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein cooling passages are provided in the cold-side wall, the cooling passages being through holes that extend through the cold-side wall for controlling a fluid stream through the cold-side wall to the hot-side wall for cooling and frequency tuning purposes.

5. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the outer side wall defines a circumference of the front panel.

6. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein a downstream end of the outer side wall is flush with the hot-side downstream surface.

7. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein a downstream end of the outer side wall comprises a radially protruding clamping ring and the outer side wall has a cross-section with a swan neck profile.

8. The front panel according to claim 7 , wherein the radially protruding clamping ring has a lateral annular radius (r 1 ) and an axial height (b 1 ), wherein the lateral annular radius ranges from 2 millimeters to 25 millimeters and the axial height ranges from 2 millimeters to 25 millimeters.

9. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-side wall has a first material thickness (S 1 ) and the cold-side wall has a second material thickness (S 2 ), wherein the second material thickness is smaller than the first material thickness,

wherein the first material thickness (S 1 ) ranges from 1.5 millimeters to 28 millimeters,

wherein the second material thickness (S 2 ) ranges from 20% of the first material thickness (S 1 ) to 80% of the first material thickness (S 1 ).

10. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the axial spacing between the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall, a first material thickness (S 1 ) of the hot-side wall and a second material thickness (S 2 ) of the cold-side wall, and a protrusion of the outer side wall beyond the cold-side upstream surface of the cold-side wall, are chosen so as to have a total axial height (h) of the front panel of 8 millimeters to 840 millimeters.

11. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein a cavity is defined between the hot-side wall, the cold-side wall, and the outer side wall of the front panel, wherein an axial height (h p ) of the cavity ranges from 1.5S 1 to (h−(S 1 +S 2 )), wherein S 1 is a material thickness of the hot-side wall, S 2 is a material thickness of the cold-side wall, and h is a total axial height of the front panel.

12. A front panel for a combustor of a gas turbine, the front panel defining a hot side and a cold side and comprising:

at least one aperture adapted for receiving a combustor part;

a hot-side wall defining a hot-side downstream surface of the front panel;

a cold-side wall defining a cold-side upstream surface of the front panel, wherein the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall are axially spaced from one another and extend parallel to one another; and an outer side wall connecting the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall, wherein the hot-side wall has a first material thickness (S 1 ) and the cold-side wall has a second material thickness (S 2 ), wherein the second material thickness is smaller than the first material thickness.

13. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the outer side wall has at least one first intermediate portion, wherein said at least one first intermediate portion comprises:

a material thickness that is smaller than a material thickness of a second portion of the outer side wall, and/or

is laterally shifted with respect to the second portion of the outer side wall.

14. The front panel according to claim 13 , wherein the material thickness of the at least one first intermediate portion of the outer side wall is 50% to 80% of the material thickness of the second portion of the outer side wall, and/or

wherein a lateral shift of the at least one first intermediate portion of the outer side wall with respect to the second portion of the outer side wall is 30% to 100% of the material thickness of the second portion.

15. A combustor arrangement for a gas turbine comprising:

the front panel according to claim 1 .

16. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-side wall, the outer side wall, and the cold-side wall are made from one piece.

17. The front panel according to claim 1 , wherein an upstream end of the outer side wall axially protrudes beyond the cold-side upstream surface of the cold-side wall.

18. A front panel for a combustor of a gas turbine, the front panel defining a hot side and a cold side and comprising:

at least one aperture adapted for receiving a combustor part;

a hot-side wall defining a hot-side downstream surface of the front panel;

a cold-side wall defining a cold-side upstream surface of the front panel, wherein the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall are axially spaced from one another and extend parallel to one another;

an outer side wall connecting the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall; and

a radially protruding clamping ring provided on a downstream end of the outer side wall, wherein the radially protruding clamping ring has a lateral annular radius (r 1 ) and an axial height (b 1 ), wherein the lateral annular radius ranges from 2 millimeters to 25 millimeters and the axial height ranges from 2 millimeters to 25 millimeters.

19. The front panel according to claim 12 , wherein each aperture of the at least one aperture is defined by a respective annular sleeve, wherein each respective annular sleeve extends from the hot-side wall to the cold-side wall, connects the hot-side wall and the cold-side wall to one another, and provides a seat for a respective combustor part.