Method for repairing a bundled tube fuel injector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072847-B2
Application number	US-201615015372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2016
Priority date	Dec 13, 2013
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A method for repairing a bundled tube fuel injector includes removing a portion of a pre-mix tube, aligning a tube tip with the remaining portion pre-mix tube and fixedly connecting the tube tip to the pre-mix tube. The method may further include removing an aft plate and an outer shroud from the bundled tube fuel injector so as to expose the pre-mix tube.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for repairing a bundled tube fuel injector having a plurality of pre-mix tubes extending from a fuel plenum of the bundled tube fuel injector to an aft plate of the bundled tube fuel injector, the method comprising:
removing the aft plate from the bundled tube fuel injector;
seating a tube tip circumferentially around an end portion of one of the plurality of pre-mix tubes, wherein the tube tip defines a heat shield that extends radially inwardly across a radially extending surface of the pre-mix tube; and
fixedly connecting the tube tip to the end portion of the pre-mix tube;
wherein the end portion of each pre-mix tube of the plurality of pre-mix tubes extends downstream of the aft plate prior to the step of removing the aft plate.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the aft plate from the bundled tube fuel injector comprises cutting away at least a portion of the aft plate that surrounds the pre-mix tubes.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the step of seating the tube tip comprises coaxially aligning the tube tip with the pre-mix tube.

4. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising aligning the tube tip with a corresponding pre-mix tube passage at least partially defined by the aft plate and reinstalling the aft plate.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the step of fixedly connecting the tube tip to the end portion of the pre-mix tube comprises at least one of furnace brazing, induction brazing, orbital welding, laser welding, friction welding, electron beam welding, diffusion bonding, plasma spraying and high velocity oxy-fuel coating spraying.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the end portion of the pre-mix tube is positioned at a combustion chamber with the heat shield entirely between the combustion chamber and the radially extending surface of the pre-mix tube, and wherein the heat shield is exposed to the combustion chamber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Means Gregory Scott
• Woods Steven Charles
• Bellino Mark Carmine
• Monaghan James Christopher
• Berry Jonathan Dwight
• Riley Patrick S

Classifications

• F23R3/286 Primary

  having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23R2900/00016

  Retrofitting in general, e.g. to respect new regulations on pollution · CPC title

• Y10T29/49728

  and by a metallurgical operation, e.g., welding, diffusion bonding, casting · CPC title

• F02M2200/8069

  involving removal of material from the fuel apparatus, e.g. by punching, hydro-erosion or mechanical operation · CPC title

• F05D2230/80

  Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods · CPC title