Granted Patent B2

US 12,422,140 · App. 18/598,467 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Inventors: Vijayaraj Sukumar (Bengaluru, IN); Perumallu Vukanti (Bengaluru, IN); Pradeep Naik (Bengaluru, IN); Ajoy Patra (Bengaluru, IN); Karthikeyan Sampath (Bengaluru, IN); Rimple Rangrej (Bengaluru, IN); Hiranya Nath (Bengaluru, IN); Krishnendu Chakraborty (Bengaluru, IN); Narasimhan S. Sahana (Bengaluru, IN); Saket Singh (Bengaluru, IN); Ravindra Shankar Ganiger (Bengaluru, IN)

Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY

F23R3/002F23R3/60F23R3/04F23R3/10F23R2900/00017F23R2900/03045

Abstract

Claims (33)

1. A deflector assembly for a combustor defining an operational fluid flow, the deflector assembly comprising:

an upstream surface and a downstream surface opposite the upstream surface in an axial direction of the combustor;

one or more fastening mechanisms each extending through the deflector assembly; and

one or more cooling holes extending through the deflector assembly from the upstream surface to the downstream surface, the one or more cooling holes located about the one or more fastening mechanisms and angled radially with respect to the one or more fastening mechanisms to operably direct cooling air radially about the one or more fastening mechanisms at the downstream surface, the one or more cooling holes including a first cooling hole positioned on a first radial side of the one or more fastening mechanisms and a second cooling hole positioned on a second radial side equidistant from the one or more fastening mechanisms and opposite the first radial side, the first cooling hole operably directing the cooling air with a first radial vector in a first radial direction towards the one or more fastening mechanisms and the second cooling hole operably directing the cooling air with a second radial vector in a second radial direction towards the one or more fastening mechanisms.

2. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cooling holes include a plurality of cooling holes that are positioned in a circular pattern about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

3. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cooling holes include a plurality of cooling holes that are positioned in a semi-circular pattern about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

4. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cooling holes are angled circumferentially with respect to the one or more fastening mechanisms to operably direct cooling air tangentially about the one or more fastening mechanisms at the downstream surface.

5. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cooling holes include a groove configured to generate vortices of cooling air in an area about the one or more fastening mechanisms at the downstream surface.

6. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more pins extending from the upstream surface of the deflector assembly, the one or more pins being positioned about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

7. The deflector assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the one or more pins includes one or more third cooling holes therethrough to provide cooling air about the one or more fastening mechanisms at the downstream surface.

8. The deflector assembly of claim 6 , wherein the one or more pins include an elongate surface connected to the upstream surface of the deflector assembly.

9. The deflector assembly of claim 8 , wherein the one or more pins are positioned tangentially with respect to the one or more fastening mechanisms.

10. The deflector assembly of claim 6 , wherein the one or more pins are positioned in a circular pattern about each of the one or more fastening mechanisms.

11. The deflector assembly of claim 6 , wherein the one or more pins are positioned in a semi-circular pattern about each of the one or more fastening mechanisms.

12. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

an annular dome assembly; and

a panel coupled to the annular dome assembly with the one or more fastening mechanisms, wherein the one or more cooling holes extend only through the panel.

13. The deflector assembly of claim 12 , wherein the one or more cooling holes comprise a plurality of cooling holes and the one or more fastening mechanism comprise a plurality of fastening mechanism, and a subset of cooling holes of the plurality of cooling holes are angled radially inward toward each fastening mechanism of the plurality of fastening mechanism.

14. The deflector assembly of claim 13 , wherein each subset of cooling holes is angled circumferentially about the respective fastening mechanism.

15. The deflector assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more slits positioned between the one or more fastening mechanisms and a central opening of the deflector assembly to operably direct cooling air through the one or more slits at the downstream surface.

16. A deflector assembly for a combustor defining an operational fluid flow, the deflector assembly comprising:

an upstream surface and a downstream surface opposite the upstream surface in an axial direction;

a central opening extending through the deflector assembly;

one or more fastening mechanisms each extending through the deflector assembly;

one or more cooling holes extending through the deflector assembly from the upstream surface to the downstream surface, the one or more cooling holes located about the one or more fastening mechanisms to operably direct cooling air about the one or more fastening mechanisms at the downstream surface; and

one or more slits positioned between the one or more fastening mechanisms and the central opening of the deflector assembly to operably direct cooling air through the one or more slits at the downstream surface.

17. The deflector assembly of claim 16 , further comprising one or more pins extending from the upstream surface of the deflector assembly, the one or more pins being positioned between the one or more fastening mechanisms and the one or more slits.

18. A method of operably flowing cooling air through a deflector assembly of a combustor, the deflector assembly including one or more fastening mechanisms and one or more cooling holes extending through the deflector assembly from an upstream surface of the deflector assembly to a downstream surface of the deflector assembly in an axial direction, the one or more cooling holes being located about the one or more fastening mechanisms and angled radially with respect to the one or more fastening mechanisms, the method comprising:

flowing the cooling air through a first cooling hole of the one or more cooling holes with a first radial vector in a first radial direction towards the one or more fastening mechanisms, the first cooling hole being positioned on a first radial side of the one or more fastening mechanisms;

flowing the cooling air through a second cooling hole of the one or more cooling holes with a second radial vector in a second radial direction towards the one or more fastening mechanisms, the second cooling hole being positioned on a second radial side equidistant from the one or more fastening mechanisms and opposite the first radial side; and

causing the cooling air to exit the one or more cooling holes at the downstream surface about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more cooling holes include a plurality of cooling holes, and causing the cooling air to exit the one or more cooling holes includes causing the cooling air to exit the plurality of cooling holes in a circular pattern about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more cooling holes include a plurality of cooling holes, and causing the cooling air to exit the one or more cooling holes includes causing the cooling air to exit the plurality of cooling holes in a semi-circular pattern about the one or more fastening mechanisms.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (36)