Patent ID: 7043921

Claim:
A cooling tube for cooling a liner of a combustor chamber of a gas turbine engine, comprising: a single chamber cooling tube having a first end in fluid communication with a plenum and located proximate a rear end of the combustor chamber, the plenum supplying air to the combustor chamber; the single chamber cooling tube further having a second end in fluid communication with an area in proximity with a gas injector of the gas turbine engine and located proximate a front end of the combustor chamber; and a centerline extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the centerline, the first end, and the second end are non-linear when projected onto a plane; wherein the rear end of the combustor chamber and the front end of the combustor chamber are located at opposed ends of the combustor chamber for uni-directional flow of a fluid through the single chamber cooling tube, wherein the cooling tube has a serpentine shape conforming to a contour of the liner and the serpentine shape of the cooling tube allows the cooling tube to expand and contract in response to temperature gradients in the combustor chamber.