1. A conveying unit with a baffle, with a fuel pump arranged therein and with a filter which is arranged at the bottom of the baffle and which precedes an inlet orifice arranged in the bottom of the baffle, characterized in that, on that side of the baffle (5) which faces a tank bottom (9), ducts (11) are arranged, which are designed in such a way that fuel can flow from a circumference of the baffle (5) to the inlet orifice (8), and in that shaped elements (13) forming filters (14) are arranged in the ducts (11).
2. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that those regions of the bottom (7) of the baffle (5) which form the ducts (11) are designed to be offset inwardly with respect to the remaining regions (12) of the bottom (7).
3. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the bottom (7) of the baffle (5) possesses a virtually uniform wall thickness.
4. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the bottom (7) of the baffle (5) has a planar design on its inside.
5. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the fuel pump (6) is arranged in such a way that it sucks in fuel from a pocket (16) of the bottom (7) of the baffle (5), the pocket (16) corresponding to a region (12) having a greater axial extent.
6. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the ducts are delimited laterally by upstand elements (15) arranged at the bottom (7) of the baffle (5).
7. The conveying unit as defined in claim 1, characterized in that at least two ducts (11) are arranged at the bottom (7) of the baffle (5).
8. The conveying unit as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the ducts (11) are designed, commencing at the circumference of the baffle (5), with an initially narrowing run.
9. The conveying unit as defined in claim 1, characterized in that shaped elements (13) are spaced apart from one another and are arranged in the radially outer region of the ducts (11) in such a way that the gaps occurring between the shaped elements (13) form the throughflow cross section of a filter (14).
10. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that at least one shaped element (13) is not in contact with the tank bottom and the region thereby produced between the end face of the shaped element (13) and the tank bottom (9) is part of the throughflow cross section of the filter (14).
11. The conveying unit as claimed in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the shaped elements (13) are arranged in at least two rows lying one behind the other along the radial extent.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A gas turbine combustor assembly, comprising:
a primary combustion chamber in fluid communication with a primary fuel injector and a primary air inlet; and
a torch igniter carried by the primary combustion chamber, comprising:
an auxiliary combustion chamber housing comprising a mixing chamber and a throat region converging downstream of the mixing chamber;
an air swirler comprising a plurality of swirl openings surrounding an outlet of an auxiliary fuel injector coupled to the auxiliary combustion chamber proximate the mixing chamber; and
an ignition source projecting into the mixing chamber of the auxiliary combustion chamber.
2. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary combustion chamber housing is configured to create a recirculating flow in its interior in a generally toroidal shape around an outlet of the auxiliary fuel injector, flowing away from the auxiliary fuel injector through the center of the auxiliary combustion chamber housing and toward the auxiliary fuel injector along the sidewalls of the auxiliary combustion chamber housing.
3. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 2, wherein the auxiliary combustion chamber housing is configured to create the recirculating flow in the mixing chamber.
4. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of swirl openings comprises a circumferential pattern of air openings oriented radially relative to the outlet of the auxiliary fuel injector.
5. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of swirl openings comprises a circumferential pattern of air openings oriented axially relative to the outlet of the auxiliary fuel injector.
6. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein the outlet of the auxiliary fuel injector and the plurality of swirl openings are located upstream of the ignition source.
7. The gas turbine combustion assembly of claim 1, comprising a housing surrounding an auxiliary fuel injector associated with the auxiliary combustion chamber and an annular space between the auxiliary fuel injector and the housing, the annular space coupled to a source of air.
8. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the torch igniter comprises an outer torch igniter housing coupled to the primary combustion chamber and internally receiving the auxiliary combustion chamber housing, the outer torch igniter housing and the auxiliary combustion chamber housing defining an annular air passage therebetween having an air inlet open to the primary combustion chamber; and
wherein the swirl openings fluidly connect the annular air passage and the mixing chamber.
9. The gas turbine combustor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a purge air system, comprising:
an inlet in fluid communication with purge air source;
an outlet in fluid communication with the fuel passage of the fuel injector; and
a purge valve located between the inlet and the outlet, the purge valve comprising an actuator adjustable between a closed condition and an open condition in response to a pressure difference between the purge air source and the fuel passage of the fuel injector.
10. A method, comprising:
receiving fuel into an auxiliary combustion chamber of a gas turbine combustor assembly;
swirling air incoming into the auxiliary combustion chamber to mix with the fuel;
igniting the air and fuel mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber; and
igniting an air and fuel mixture in a primary combustion chamber of the gas turbine combustor assembly with combusting air and fuel mixture from the auxiliary combustion chamber.
11. The method of claim 10, comprising creating a recirculating flow of air and fuel mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the auxiliary combustion chamber is generally cylindrical and comprising swirling air incoming into the auxiliary combustion chamber using a plurality of generally radially oriented air openings residing around an outlet of an auxiliary fuel injector in the auxiliary combustion chamber.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the auxiliary combustion chamber is generally cylindrical and comprising swirling air incoming into the auxiliary combustion chamber using a plurality of generally axially oriented air openings residing around an outlet of an auxiliary fuel injector in the auxiliary combustion chamber.
14. The method of claim 10, comprising swirling air incoming into the auxiliary combustion chamber prior to igniting the air and fuel mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber.
15. The method of claim 10, comprising supplying air into an annulus between an auxiliary fuel injector associated with the auxiliary combustion chamber and a housing around the auxiliary fuel injector.
16. The method of claim 10, comprising supplying purge air into a bore of an auxiliary fuel injector associated with the auxiliary combustion chamber when fuel pressure in the injector drops below a specified pressure.
17. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a compressor configured to compress incoming air;
a combustor coupled to the compressor to receive the incoming air and comprising a primary combustion chamber with a primary fuel injector and a torch igniter, the torch igniter comprising:
a torch igniter fuel injector;
a torch igniter combustion chamber around the torch igniter fuel injector, the torch igniter combustion chamber tapering downstream of the torch igniter fuel injector;
an air swirler configured to swirl air incoming into the torch igniter combustion chamber; and
an igniter;
a turbine coupled to the combustor to receive combusting air and fuel from the combustor and extract energy from the combusting air and fuel.
18. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, where the torch igniter combustion chamber is configured to recirculate flow of air incoming into the torch igniter combustion chamber.
19. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, where the air swirler comprises an axial air swirler.
20. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, where the air swirler comprises a radial air swirler.