An ignition and combustion assist system and method comprising a plasma igniter and electronic driver unit for use with gas turbine engines operating under low air densities, reduced voltage conditions and overall pressure ratios of 3:1 to 7:1. The plasma igniter has an inner chamber housing a centrally positioned and electrically isolated electrode attached to an electrical lead, driver unit, and AC or DC power supply. The electrode features a corner positioned near an outlet end of the igniter, where a plasma arc ignites a fuel-air mixture creating a flame extending into a primary burn region of a combustor of the gas turbine. The driver unit is in two embodiments and configured with low-cost microsecond voltage wave time periods or energy-efficient nano-second pulses. The method uses the plasma igniter and the electronic driver units described herein separately with other components or together.

A finely distributed combustion system for a gas turbine engine is provided. A combustor body may extend along a longitudinal axis. A premixer space may be formed within the combustor body to premix air and fuel. The premixer space is in communication with an array of finely distributed perforations arranged in a wall of the combustor body to eject an array of premixed main flamelets throughout a contour of the combustor body between the upstream base of the combustor body and the downstream base of the combustor body. The array of finely distributed perforations—potentially comprising thousands or even hundreds of thousands of perforations spatially distributed on a miniaturized scale—for ejecting the premixed main flamelets is technically advantageous compared to conventional distributed combustion systems, where injection of relatively longer main flames occurs just at a few discrete axial locations.

A plasma injection module includes a fuel receiving end, a discharge end opposite the fuel receiving end, and an axial fluid pathway extending between the fuel receiving end and the discharge end. An insulator assembly defines a first portion of the axial fluid pathway proximate to the fuel receiving end. An injection tube assembly having a permanent magnet is positioned downstream of the insulator. A voltage input connection is arranged downstream of the insulator assembly and upstream of the injection tube assembly. The voltage input connection secures a voltage source to the injection tube to form a plasma filament within and adjacent to the axial fluid pathway. During operation a permanent magnet produces a magnetic field that interacts with the plasma filament to rotate the plasma filament and increase an area of ignition between the plasma filament and the combustible material at the discharge end.

An example system and corresponding method can include a combustion chamber of jet engine, a radio-frequency power source, and a resonator. The combustion chamber can include a liner defining a combustion zone, and include a fuel inlet configured to introduce fuel into the combustion zone. The resonator can have a resonant wavelength and include: a first conductor, a second conductor, a dielectric, and an electrode coupled to the first conductor. The resonator can be configured such that, when the resonator is excited by the radio-frequency power source with a signal having a wavelength proximate to an odd-integer multiple of one-quarter (¼) of the resonant wavelength, the resonator provides a plasma corona in the combustion zone. The controller can be configured to cause the radio-frequency power source to excite the resonator with the signal so as to provide the plasma corona.

An ignition and combustion assist system and method comprising a plasma igniter and electronic driver unit for use with gas turbine engines operating under low air densities, reduced voltage conditions and overall pressure ratios of 3:1 to 7:1. The plasma igniter has an inner chamber housing a centrally positioned and electrically isolated electrode attached to an electrical lead, driver unit, and AC or DC power supply. The electrode features a corner positioned near an outlet end of the igniter, where a plasma arc ignites a fuel-air mixture creating a flame extending into a primary burn region of a combustor of the gas turbine. The driver unit is in two embodiments and configured with low-cost microsecond voltage wave time periods or energy-efficient nano-second pulses. The method uses the plasma igniter and the electronic driver units described herein separately with other components or together.

A combustion system comprising: a combustion chamber extending in an axial direction between an inlet and an outlet, the combustion chamber configured to receive an airflow through the inlet and to discharge the airflow through the outlet; a fuel injection port configured to inject fuel into the airflow to form an air-fuel mixture; an ignition system for igniting the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, the ignition system comprising an array of electrical plasma initiation points disposed downstream of the fuel injection port, and distributed radially and circumferentially around the combustion chamber, wherein each electrical plasma initiation point comprises a pair of electrodes configured to apply a voltage across an electrode gap between the pair of electrodes to produce plasma within the air-fuel mixture passing between the electrodes, thereby igniting the air-fuel mixture.

A plasma injection module includes a fuel receiving end, a discharge end opposite the fuel receiving end, and an axial fluid pathway extending between the fuel receiving end and the discharge end. An insulator assembly defines a first portion of the axial fluid pathway proximate to the fuel receiving end. An injection tube assembly having a permanent magnet is positioned downstream of the insulator. A voltage input connection is arranged downstream of the insulator assembly and upstream of the injection tube assembly. The voltage input connection secures a voltage source to the injection tube to form a plasma filament within and adjacent to the axial fluid pathway. During operation a permanent magnet produces a magnetic field that interacts with the plasma filament to rotate the plasma filament and increase an area of ignition between the plasma filament and the combustible material at the discharge end.

An ignition and combustion assist system and method comprising a plasma igniter and electronic driver unit for use with gas turbine engines operating under low air densities, reduced voltage conditions and overall pressure ratios of 3:1 to 7:1. The plasma igniter has an inner chamber housing a centrally positioned and electrically isolated electrode attached to an electrical lead, driver unit, and AC or DC power supply. The electrode features a corner positioned near an outlet end of the igniter, where a plasma arc ignites a fuel-air mixture creating a flame extending into a primary burn region of a combustor of the gas turbine. The driver unit is in two embodiments and configured with low-cost microsecond voltage wave time periods or energy-efficient nano-second pulses. The method uses the plasma igniter and the electronic driver units described herein separately with other components or together.

A plasma injection module includes a fuel receiving end, a discharge end opposite the fuel receiving end, and an axial fluid pathway extending between the fuel receiving end and the discharge end. An insulator assembly defines a first portion of the axial fluid pathway proximate to the fuel receiving end. An injection tube assembly having a permanent magnet is positioned downstream of the insulator. A voltage input connection is arranged downstream of the insulator assembly and upstream of the injection tube assembly. The voltage input connection secures a voltage source to the injection tube to form a plasma filament within and adjacent to the axial fluid pathway. During operation a permanent magnet produces a magnetic field that interacts with the plasma filament to rotate the plasma filament and increase an area of ignition between the plasma filament and the combustible material at the discharge end.

A finely distributed combustion system for a gas turbine engine is provided. A combustor body may extend along a longitudinal axis. A premixer space may be formed within the combustor body to premix air and fuel. The premixer space is in communication with an array of finely distributed perforations arranged in a wall of the combustor body to eject an array of premixed main flamelets throughout a contour of the combustor body between the upstream base of the combustor body and the downstream base of the combustor body. The array of finely distributed perforationspotentially comprising thousands or even hundreds of thousands of perforations spatially distributed on a miniaturized scalefor ejecting the premixed main flamelets is technically advantageous compared to conventional distributed combustion systems, where injection of relatively longer main flames occurs just at a few discrete axial locations,