IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,655,979
Granted Patent B2
US 12,655,979 · App. 18/426,454 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Hydrogen-driven gas turbine engine with injector ring and fuel staging

Inventor: Tin Cheung John Hu (Markham, CA)
Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
F23R3/286F02C7/222F23R3/283
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,655,979
App. No.
18/426,454
Granted
Jun 16, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes an annular combustion chamber and an injector ring. The annular combustion chamber is disposed about an axis and has first and second axial ends and radially inner and outer walls. The injector ring is disposed about the axis at the first axial end and is configured to introduce a hydrogen and gas mixture into the combustion chamber. The injector ring includes gas feed conduits that open into a central mixing region, a hydrogen manifold cavity that has first and second isolated compartments, first hydrogen feed conduits that extend off of the first isolated compartment and open into the central mixing region, and second hydrogen feed conduits that extend off of the second isolated compartment and open into the central mixing region.

Claims (27)

1 . A gas turbine engine comprising:

an annular combustion chamber disposed about an axis and having a first axial end and a second axial end and a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall, there being an axially forward direction from the first axial end toward the second axial end and an opposite, axially aft direction; and

an injector ring disposed about the axis at the first axial end and configured to introduce a hydrogen and gas mixture into the annular combustion chamber, the injector ring including

gas feed conduits opening at a first axial location into a central mixing region,

a hydrogen manifold cavity having a first isolated compartment and a second isolated compartment,

first hydrogen feed conduits extending off of the first isolated compartment and opening at a second axial location into the central mixing region,

second hydrogen feed conduits extending off of the second isolated compartment and opening at a third axial location into the central mixing region, and the second axial location and the third axial location are each axially aft of the first axial location,

a radially inner annular band section,

a radially outer annular band section, and

a radially intermediate annular band section between the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section, the first hydrogen feed conduits are within the radially intermediate annular band section, the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section include the second hydrogen feed conduits, the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section include the gas feed conduits, the gas feed conduits in the radially inner annular band are radially outwardly sloped, the gas feed conduits in the radially outer annular band are radially inwardly sloped, and the gas feed conduits, the first hydrogen feed conduits, and the second hydrogen feed conduits are tangentially sloped in a common clockwise or common counter-clockwise direction.

2 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second hydrogen feed conduits are radially and tangentially sloped.

3 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 2 , wherein the gas feed conduits are radially and tangentially sloped.

4 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen manifold cavity includes an open-cell metallic foam.

5 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4 , wherein the hydrogen manifold cavity has two of the second isolated compartments, including a radially inner second isolated compartment and a radially outer second isolated compartment.

6 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gas feed conduits include gas feed conduit exits at the central mixing region, the first hydrogen feed conduits and the second hydrogen feed conduits include hydrogen feed conduit exits at the central mixing region, and the gas feed conduit exits are equivalent in size and the hydrogen feed conduit exits are equivalent in size.

7 . A gas turbine engine comprising:

a combustor section having a combustion chamber disposed about an axis and having a first axial end and a second axial end and a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall;

a hydrogen source; and

an injector ring disposed about the axis at the first axial end and configured to introduce a hydrogen and gas mixture into the combustion chamber, the injector ring including

gas feed conduits that open into a central mixing region, and relative to the axis the gas feed conduits are radially and tangentially sloped,

a hydrogen manifold cavity having a first isolated compartment and a second isolated compartment,

an open-cell metallic foam disposed in the hydrogen manifold cavity,

first hydrogen feed conduits extending off of the first isolated compartment and opening into the central mixing region, the first hydrogen feed conduits being tangentially-sloped,

second hydrogen feed conduits extending off of the second isolated compartment and opening into the central mixing region, the second hydrogen feed conduits being radially and tangentially sloped,

a radially inner annular band section,

a radially outer annular band section,

a radially intermediate annular band section between the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section, the first hydrogen feed conduits are within the radially intermediate annular band section, the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section include the gas feed conduits, the radially inner annular band section and the radially outer annular band section include the second hydrogen feed conduits, the gas feed conduits in the radially inner annular band are radially outwardly sloped, the gas feed conduits in the radially outer annular band are radially inwardly sloped, and the gas feed conduits, the first hydrogen feed conduits, and the second hydrogen feed conduits are tangentially sloped in a common clockwise or common counter-clockwise direction.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 30, 2024
From: HU, TIN CHEUNG JOHN
To: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
Reel/Frame 066288/0035 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63482856 · Feb 2, 2023
Related Publication 20240263797A1 · Aug 8, 2024
References Cited (30)
US 5590529A · Joshi · 1997 [cited by examiner]
US 6161387A · Green · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 9746185B2 · Ritland et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 12007117B1 · Boardman · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 12038177B1 · Kramer · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20030010032A1 · Stuttaford · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 20060156734A1 · Bland · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20090113893A1 · Li · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20100248171A1 · Hayashi · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20140075949A1 · Prociw · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20170074519A1 · Abe · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170211807A1 · Graichen · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180298824A1 · Matsuyama · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20200025386A1 · Muldal · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200158020A1 · Yagi et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210010674A1 · Thariyan · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220082259A1 · Bourgois · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230194093A1 · Bucaro · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230213191A1 · Vukanti · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230417414A1 · Ito et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20240263581A1 · McCaldon · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240263590A1 · Hu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240263783A1 · Hu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240263796A1 · Hu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
CN 115127123 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 7456554B2 · 2024 [cited by examiner]
WO 2018144008 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022202103 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022202104 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
European Search Report for European Patent Application No. 24154187.9 mailed May 14, 2024. [cited by applicant]