Combustion section for a turbine engine
A combustion section for a turbine engine. The combustion section has a combustor and a fuel nozzle. The combustor has a combustion chamber. The fuel nozzle has a body, and a vane. The body defines a centerline. The body has a central channel. The central channel has a compressed air flow passage and a mixer. The vane extends from the body. The vane has an outer wall. The vane has a plurality of lobes.
1 . A combustion section for a turbine engine, the combustion section comprising:
a combustor having a combustion chamber; and
a fuel nozzle comprising:
a body defining a centerline and having a central channel having a compressed air flow passage and a mixer, the central channel extending between an inlet and an outlet, the outlet opening to the combustion chamber; and
a plurality of vanes extending from the body within the central channel, each vane having an outer wall extending radially between a root and a tip in a spanwise direction, and axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge in a chordwise direction,
wherein the plurality of vanes comprises a first group of vanes and a second group of vanes axially spaced from the first group of vanes with respect to the centerline;
wherein each vane of the first group of vanes includes a plurality of lobes that extend between an upstream end and a downstream end and define a central waveform along a central spanwise region of the outer wall between a radially inner portion adjacent the root and a radially outer portion adjacent the tip, and the radially inner portion and the radially outer portion are formed without the plurality of lobes such that the first group of vanes includes the central waveform and no radially inner waveform and no radially outer waveform; and
wherein each vane of the second group of vanes includes a plurality of lobes that extend between an upstream end and a downstream end and define a radially inner waveform along a radially inner portion of the outer wall adjacent the root and a radially outer waveform along a radially outer portion of the outer wall adjacent the tip, and a central spanwise region of the outer wall between the radially inner waveform and the radially outer waveform is formed without the plurality of lobes such that the second group of vanes includes the radially inner waveform and the radially outer waveform and no central waveform.
2 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein a farthest axially downstream portion of the plurality of lobes inhabits a region of the vane that extends greater than or equal to 10% and less than or equal to 90% of a spanwise length of a trailing edge of the vane in the spanwise direction.
3 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein the fuel nozzle comprises a vane fuel supply that opens to the mixer at a set of vane orifices, with at least a portion of the set of vane orifices being located along a downstream end of the plurality of lobes.
4 . The combustion section of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of lobes is defined by a plurality of apexes, and at least a portion of the set of vane orifices is located along at least a portion of the plurality of apexes.
5 . The combustion section of claim 4 , wherein the set of vane orifices is provided along each apex of the plurality of apexes.
6 . The combustion section of claim 4 , wherein the set of vane orifices includes at least one offset fuel orifice that is spaced from the plurality of apexes in at least one of a chordwise direction and the spanwise direction.
7 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lobes extend to the trailing edge.
8 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein the vane includes a radially outer portion formed without the plurality of lobes.
9 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein the waveform is defined by a plurality of apexes having an average amplitude, and an apex of the plurality of apexes having a largest amplitude is located within a midspan area extending within an area of the trailing edge of greater than or equal to 35% and less than or equal to 65% in the spanwise direction, with 0% being at the root.
10 . The combustion section of claim 1 , wherein the outer wall includes a lobe-free section and a lobe-present section, the lobe-free section being located upstream of the lobe-present section in the chordwise direction, the plurality of lobes extending a first axial length with respect to a vane centerline, and the lobe-free section including an axially upstream portion that extends a second axial length with respect to the vane centerline, the second axial length being greater than 0% and less than or equal to 60% of the first axial length.
11 . A turbine engine, comprising:
a compressor section configured to compress air;
a turbine section configured to expand combustion gases and drive the compressor section; and
a combustion section fluidly disposed between the compressor section and the turbine section, the combustion section comprising:
a combustor having a combustion chamber; and
a fuel nozzle comprising:
a body defining an engine centerline and having a central channel having a compressed air flow passage and a mixer, the central channel extending between an inlet in fluid communication with the compressor section and an outlet opening to the combustion chamber; and
a plurality of vanes extending from the body within the central channel, each vane having an outer wall extending radially between a root and a tip in a spanwise direction, and axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge in a chordwise direction,
wherein the plurality of vanes comprises a first group of vanes and a second group of vanes axially spaced from the first group of vanes with respect to the engine centerline;
wherein each vane of the first group of vanes includes a plurality of lobes that extend between an upstream end and a downstream end and define a central waveform along a central spanwise region of the outer wall between a radially inner portion adjacent the root and a radially outer portion adjacent the tip, and the radially inner portion and the radially outer portion are formed without the plurality of lobes such that the first group of vanes includes the central waveform and no radially inner waveform and no radially outer waveform; and
wherein each vane of the second group of vanes includes a plurality of lobes that extend between an upstream end and a downstream end and define a radially inner waveform along a radially inner portion of the outer wall adjacent the root and a radially outer waveform along a radially outer portion of the outer wall adjacent the tip, and a central spanwise region of the outer wall between the radially inner waveform and the radially outer waveform is formed without the plurality of lobes such that the second group of vanes includes the radially inner waveform and the radially outer waveform and no central waveform.
12 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein each of the first group of vanes and the second group of vanes comprises at least three vanes circumferentially spaced about the engine centerline.
13 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the second group of vanes is located axially downstream of the first group of vanes with respect to the engine centerline.
14 . The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the first group of vanes is circumferentially offset from the second group of vanes with respect to the engine centerline.
15 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein a farthest axially downstream portion of the plurality of lobes inhabits a region of the vane that extends greater than or equal to 10% and less than or equal to 90% of a spanwise length of a trailing edge of the vane in the spanwise direction.
16 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the fuel nozzle further comprises a centerbody extending through the central channel, the centerbody having an outer surface confronting the central channel, and a trailing edge of at least one vane of the first group of vanes and at least one vane of the second group of vanes extends along a tangent line of the outer surface.
17 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein a trailing edge of the vane includes a first leg and a second leg extending from and being non-parallel to the first leg, and the plurality of lobes is located along at least one of the first leg and the second leg.
18 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the vane has a vane centerline extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, the vane centerline converging radially inwardly towards the engine centerline, or being parallel to the engine centerline.
19 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of lobes includes a plurality of apexes having an average amplitude, and a largest amplitude of the plurality of apexes is greater than or equal to 1.02 times and less than or equal to 2 times the average amplitude.
20 . The turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the fuel nozzle includes a fuel supply that opens into the mixer at a set of fuel orifices, the fuel supply having a fuel orifice centerline that intersects the set of fuel orifices at a set of midpoints, and wherein the plurality of lobes includes a plurality of apexes having an average amplitude, and an axially nearest midpoint of the set of midpoints is located an axial distance from the trailing edge that is greater than or equal to 0 times and less than or equal to 5 times the average amplitude of the plurality of lobes.