Compact multi-residence time bundled tube fuel nozzle having transition portions of different lengths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10344982-B2
Application number	US-201615395339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A fuel nozzle includes a first plate, a second plate axially spaced from the first plate, a shroud extending between the first plate and the second plate, thereby defining a plenum. Tubes extend through the first plate, the plenum, and the second plate. An inlet of each tube is defined through the first plate, and an outlet of each tube is located downstream of the second plate. The tube inlets have a first size, the tube outlets have a second size different from the first size, and the walls defining the tubes have a transition portion between the inlet and the outlet. The transition portion has an axial length from the fuel injection port to a location having a diameter of the second size. The transition portion of a first tube extends a first axial length and the transition portion of a second tube extends a different second axial length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel nozzle, comprising:
a first plate, a second plate axially spaced from the first plate, a shroud extending between the first plate and the second plate, such that the first plate, the second plate, and the shroud define a plenum therein;
a third plate axially downstream from the second plate; and
a plurality of tubes extending through the first plate, the plenum, the second plate, and the third plate, such that an inlet of each tube is defined through the first plate, an outlet of each tube is defined in a common plane with the third plate, and a fuel injection port is defined through each tube, the fuel injection port being in fluid communication with the plenum;
wherein the inlet of each tube of the plurality of tubes has a first diameter having a first size, the outlet of each tube of the plurality of tubes has a second diameter having a second size different from the first size, and a wall defining each tube of the plurality of tubes has a transition portion between the inlet and the outlet, the transition portion having a diameter transitioning from the first size to the second size and having an axial length from the fuel injection port to a location having a diameter of the second size, the location having the diameter of the second size being upstream of the third plate; and
wherein the transition portion of a first tube of the plurality of tubes extends a first axial length and the transition portion of a second tube of the plurality of tubes extends a different second axial length.

2. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the first size is larger than the second size, and the transition portion is a converging portion.

3. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the first size is smaller than the second size, and the transition portion is a diverging portion.

4. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , further comprising a fuel supply tube, the fuel supply tube being in fluid communication with the plenum.

5. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the fuel injection holes of the plurality of tubes are aligned axially along a common fuel injection plane among all of the plurality of tubes.

6. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the fuel injection port of each tube is one of a plurality of fuel injection ports of each tube.

7. The fuel nozzle of claim 6 , wherein the first tube has a first number of fuel injection ports and the second tube has a different second number of fuel injection ports.

8. The fuel nozzle of claim 6 , wherein the fuel injection ports in the first tube have a first fuel injection port size and the fuel injection ports in the second tube have a different second fuel injection port size.

9. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes has a tube length, and wherein the tube length of each tube is uniform.

10. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the transition portion of a first tube of the plurality of tubes has a different axial length from the transition portion of a second tube of the plurality of tubes.

11. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes has a longitudinal axis circumscribed by the wall, the longitudinal axis of each tube being a straight line.

12. The fuel nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the shroud extends between the first plate and the third plate.

13. A fuel nozzle, comprising:
a first plate, a second plate axially spaced from the first plate, a shroud extending between the first plate and the second plate, such that the first plate, the second plate, and the shroud define a plenum therein;
a third plate axially downstream from the second plate; and
a plurality of tubes extending through the first plate, the plenum, the second plate, and the third plate, such that at least one first tube of the plurality of tubes extends upstream of the first plate and has a first inlet upstream of the first plate, and at least one second tube of the plurality of tubes has a second inlet defined through the first plate;
wherein each tube has an outlet defined in a common plane with the third plate and at least one fuel injection port defined through the tube, the fuel injection port being in fluid communication with the plenum;
wherein the second inlet of the at least one second tube has a first size, the outlet of each tube of the plurality of tubes has a second size different from the first size, and a wall defining each tube of the plurality of tubes has a transition portion between the inlet and the outlet, the transition portion having a diameter transitioning from the first size to the second size and having an axial length from the fuel injection port to a location having a diameter of the second size, the location having the diameter of the second size being upstream of the third plate; and
wherein the transition portion of one tube of the plurality of tubes extends a first axial length and the transition portion of another tube of the plurality of tubes extends a different second axial length.

14. The fuel nozzle of claim 13 , wherein the first size is larger than the second size, and the transition portion is a converging portion.

15. The fuel nozzle of claim 13 , wherein the first size is smaller than the second size, and the transition portion is a diverging portion.

16. The fuel nozzle of claim 13 , wherein the wall of the at least one first tube includes an extension portion extending between the first inlet and the first plate; and wherein the wall defines a slot therethrough in the extension portion.

17. The fuel nozzle of claim 16 , wherein the extension portion defines a diverging portion from the inlet to the slot.

18. The fuel nozzle of claim 17 , wherein the extension portion has a uniform cross-section from the slot to the first plate, the uniform cross-section having a diameter of the first size.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Berry Jonathan Dwight

Classifications

• F23R3/286 Primary

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

• F23D14/62

  Mixing devices; Mixing tubes · CPC title

• F23R3/32

  being tubular · CPC title

• F23R3/28

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

• F23R3/283

  Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances · CPC title