US 12,435,643 B2
Methods of cleaning a component within a turbine engine
Michael Robert Millhaem, Cincinnati, OH (US); Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Delanson, NY (US); Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Loveland, OH (US); Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Niskayuna, NY (US); Keith Anthony Lauria, Wells, NY (US); Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Glenville, NY (US); Mark Rosenzweig, West Chester, OH (US); Martin Matthew Morra, Glenville, NY (US); Timothy Mark Sambor, Mason, OH (US); and Andrew James Jenkins, Cardiff (GB)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 17, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/135,378.
Application 17/010,309 is a division of application No. 15/498,141, filed on Apr. 26, 2017, abandoned.
Application 18/135,378 is a continuation of application No. 17/010,309, filed on Sep. 2, 2020, granted, now 11,649,735.
Prior Publication US 2023/0250731 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. F01D 25/00 (2006.01); B08B 3/00 (2006.01); B08B 3/08 (2006.01); B08B 3/14 (2006.01); B08B 9/00 (2006.01); B08B 9/032 (2006.01); B64F 5/30 (2017.01); F01D 25/32 (2006.01); F02C 7/22 (2006.01); F23R 3/28 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 25/002 (2013.01) [B08B 3/003 (2013.01); B08B 3/08 (2013.01); B08B 3/14 (2013.01); B08B 9/00 (2013.01); B08B 9/0326 (2013.01); F01D 25/32 (2013.01); F02C 7/222 (2013.01); F23R 3/28 (2013.01); B64F 5/30 (2017.01); F05D 2220/32 (2013.01); F05D 2230/70 (2013.01); F05D 2230/72 (2013.01); F23R 2900/00019 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of cleaning a fuel supply system within a turbine engine, said method comprising: disassembling a portion of the fuel supply system when the turbine engine is coupled to an airframe to define an access point in a fuel manifold, the access point in fluid communication with the fuel manifold and an interior passageway of a fuel nozzle, wherein the fuel nozzle has coked hydrocarbons formed thereon as a result of fuel decomposition; and discharging a flow of a cleaning solution from a cleaning tank that is coupled to the fuel manifold via the access point, through the fuel manifold, and from the fuel manifold into the interior passageway of the fuel nozzle from the access point, wherein the cleaning solution is configured to remove the coked hydrocarbons from the interior passageway of the fuel nozzle, and wherein the cleaning solution includes a solvent to dissolve the coked hydrocarbons; discharging the flow of the cleaning solution from the fuel nozzle and into a combustor; draining the cleaning solution through air holes in the combustor into a combustor case; and draining the cleaning solution from the combustor case through a drainage port.