Patent ID: 7036321
Filing Date: 2006-05-02
Classification: F05B,F23R

Abstract:
1. An auxiliary power unit, comprising: a compressor having an air inlet and a compressed air outlet, and operable to supply a flow of compressed air; a radial-annular combustor including at least a forward radial liner and an aft radial liner spaced apart from one another to form a combustion chamber therebetween, the forward and aft radial liners each including a plurality of openings in fluid communication with the compressed air outlet, to thereby receive at least a portion of the flow of compressed air therefrom, the plurality of openings configured to generate a single toroidal recirculation air flow pattern in the combustion chamber; a rotary fuel slinger including a coupler shaft, a vertical shoulder, and a slinger, the coupler shaft adapted to receive a rotational drive force, the vertical shoulder coupled to, and extending substatially perpendicular from, the coupler shaft, the slinger extending substantially perpendicular from the vertical shoulder and including a plurality of evenly spaced openings extending therethrough, the rotary fuel slinger further adapted to receive a flow of fuel from a fuel source and configured, upon receipt of the rotational drive force, to centrifuge the received fuel into the combustion chamber; a vertical shoulder coupled to, and extending substantially perpendicularly from, the coupler shaft; a slinger extending substantially perpendicularly from the vertical shoulder, the slinger including a plurality of evenly spaced openings extending therethrough; an igniter extending through the aft radial liner and at least partially into the combustion chamber, the igniter adapted to receive an ignition command and operable, in response thereto, to ignite the fuel and compressed air in the combustion chamber, to thereby generate combusted gas; a turbine coupled to receive the combusted gas from the combustion chamber and configured, in response thereto, to supply at least the rotational drive force to the rotary fuel slinger; and a turbine inlet nozzle disposed between the radial combustor and the turbine inlet, the turbine nozzle configured to change a flow direction of the combusted gas from a radial flow direction to an axial flow direction.