Centerbody injector mini mixer fuel nozzle assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10295190-B2
Application number	US-201615343601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2016
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a fuel injector for a gas turbine engine including an end wall defining a fluid chamber, a centerbody, and an outer sleeve surrounding the centerbody from the end wall toward a downstream end of the fuel injector. The centerbody includes an axially extended outer wall and inner wall. The outer wall and inner wall extend from the end wall toward the downstream end of the fuel injector. The outer wall, the inner wall, and the end wall together define a fluid conduit extended in a first direction toward the downstream end of the fuel injector and in a second direction toward an upstream end of the fuel injector. The fluid conduit is in fluid communication with the fluid chamber. The outer wall defines at least one radially oriented fluid injection port in fluid communication with the fluid conduit. The outer sleeve and the centerbody define a premix passage radially therebetween and an outlet at the downstream end of the premix passage. The outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented first air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a first axial portion of the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented second air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a second axial portion of the outer sleeve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine, the fuel injector comprising:
an end wall defining a fluid chamber;
a centerbody comprising an axially extended outer wall and inner wall, wherein the outer wall and inner wall extend from the end wall toward a downstream end of the fuel injector, and wherein the outer wall, the inner wall, and the end wall together define a fluid conduit extended in a first direction toward the downstream end of the fuel injector and in a second direction toward an upstream end of the fuel injector, the fluid conduit being in fluid communication with the fluid chamber, and wherein the outer wall defines at least one radially oriented fluid injection port in fluid communication with the fluid conduit;
an outer sleeve surrounding the centerbody from the end wall toward the downstream end of the fuel injector, wherein the outer sleeve and the centerbody define a premix passage radially therebetween and an outlet at the downstream end of the premix passage, and wherein the outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented first air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a first axial portion of the outer sleeve, and wherein the outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented second air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a second axial portion of the outer sleeve.

2. The fuel injector of claim 1 , the fuel injector further comprising:
a shroud disposed at the downstream end of the centerbody, wherein the shroud extends axially from the downstream end of the outer wall of the centerbody, and wherein the shroud is annular around the downstream end of the outer wall.

3. The fuel injector of claim 2 , wherein the shroud further includes a shroud wall extended radially inward of the outer wall, wherein the shroud wall protrudes upstream into the centerbody.

4. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein a mixing length is defined within the premix passage from the fluid injection port to the outlet of the premix passage, and wherein a centerbody surface and an outer sleeve surface define an annular hydraulic diameter.

5. The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein a ratio of the mixing length over the annular hydraulic diameter is about 3.5 or less.

6. The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein the annular hydraulic diameter is about 7.65 millimeters or less.

7. The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein the centerbody surface extends radially from the longitudinal centerline toward the outer sleeve surface to define a lesser annular hydraulic diameter at the outlet of the premix passage than upstream of the outlet.

8. The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the outer sleeve surface along the mixing length extends radially outward of the longitudinal centerline.

9. The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein the centerbody surface and the outer sleeve surface define a parallel relationship such that the annular hydraulic diameter remains constant through the mixing length of the premix passage.

10. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the centerbody further defines a first outlet port and a second outlet port of the radially oriented fluid injection port, wherein the first outlet port is radially inward of the second outlet port, and wherein the first outlet port is adjacent to the fluid conduit and the second outlet port is adjacent to the premix passage.

11. The fuel injector of claim 10 , wherein each first outlet port is radially eccentric relative to each respective second outlet port.

12. The fuel injector of claim 10 , wherein each first outlet port is axially eccentric relative to each respective second outlet port.

13. The fuel injector of claim 10 , wherein each first outlet port is radially concentric to each respective second outlet port along a corresponding axial location.

14. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the first air inlet ports are in alignment along the circumferential direction with the fluid injection ports, and wherein the second air inlet ports are offset in the circumferential direction from the first air inlet ports relative a vertical reference line.

15. A fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine, the fuel nozzle comprising:
an end wall defining a fluid chamber;
a plurality of fuel injectors in axially and radially adjacent arrangement, wherein each fuel injector comprises:
a centerbody comprising an axially extended outer wall and inner wall, wherein the outer wall and inner wall extend from the end wall toward a downstream end of the fuel injector, and wherein the outer wall, the inner wall, and the end wall together define a fluid conduit extended in a first direction toward the downstream end of the fuel injector and in a second direction toward an upstream end of the fuel injector, the fluid conduit in fluid communication with the fluid chamber, and wherein the centerbody defines at least one radially oriented fluid injection port in fluid communication with the fluid conduit;
an outer sleeve surrounding the centerbody from the end wall toward the downstream end of the fuel injector, wherein the outer sleeve and the centerbody define a premix passage radially therebetween and an outlet at the downstream end of the premix passage, and wherein the outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented first air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a first axial portion of the outer sleeve, and wherein the outer sleeve defines a plurality of radially oriented second air inlet ports in circumferential arrangement at a second axial portion of the outer sleeve; and

an aft wall, wherein the downstream end of the outer sleeve of each fuel injector is connected to the aft wall.

16. The fuel nozzle of claim 15 , wherein the fuel nozzle defines a ratio of one fuel injector per about 25.5 millimeters extending radially from an engine centerline.

17. The fuel nozzle of claim 15 , wherein the fuel nozzle defines a plurality of independent fluid zones, and wherein the independent fluid zones independently articulates a fluid into each fluid chamber of the end wall.

18. The fuel nozzle of claim 15 , further comprising:
a fuel nozzle air passage wall extending axially through the fuel nozzle and disposed radially between a plurality of fuel injectors, wherein the fuel nozzle air passage wall defines a fuel nozzle air passage to distribute air to a plurality of fuel injectors.

19. A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising:
an inner liner;
an outer liner;
a bulkhead extended radially between an upstream end of the inner liner and the outer liner, wherein the inner liner is radially spaced from the outer liner with respect to an engine centerline and defining an annular combustion chamber therebetween, and wherein the inner liner and the outer liner extend downstream from the bulkhead; and
at least one fuel nozzle extended at least partially through the bulkhead, wherein the fuel nozzle includes an end wall defining a fluid chamber, a plurality of fuel injectors in axially and radially adjacent arrangement, and an aft wall wherein the downstream end of the outer sleeve of each fuel injector is connected to the aft wall, and wherein each fuel injector includes a centerbody and an outer sleeve surrounding the centerbody from the end wall toward the downstream end of the fuel injector, wherein the centerbody comprises an axially extended outer wall and inner wall, wherein the outer wall and inner wall extend from the end wall toward a downstream end of the fuel injector, and wherein the outer wall, the inner w

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Boardman Gregory Allen
• Naik Pradeep
• Giridharan Manampathy Gangadharan
• Lind David Albin
• Martini Jeffrey Michael

Classifications

• F23R3/286 Primary

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

• F23R3/10

  for primary air (F23R3/06, F23R3/045 take precedence) · CPC title

• F23R3/28

  characterised by the fuel supply (burners F23D) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title