Effervescent atomizing structure and method of operation for rotating detonation propulsion system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520195-B2
Application number	US-201715618637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2017
Priority date	Jun 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A method and system of effervescent atomization of liquid fuel for a rotating detonation combustor (RDC) for a propulsion system is provided. The method includes flowing liquid fuel through a fuel injection port of a nozzle assembly of the RDC system; flowing a gas through the fuel injection port of the nozzle assembly volumetrically proportional to the liquid fuel; producing a gas-liquid fuel mixture at the fuel injection port by mixing the flow of gas and the flow of liquid fuel; flowing an oxidizer through a nozzle flowpath of the RDC system; producing an oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture by mixing the gas-liquid fuel mixture and the flow of oxidizer within the nozzle flowpath; and igniting the oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture within a combustion chamber of the RDC system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of effervescent atomization of a liquid fuel for a rotating detonation combustor (RDC) system for a propulsion system, the method comprising:
flowing an oxidizer through the RDC system;
flowing the liquid fuel through a fuel injection port of a nozzle assembly of the RDC system;
flowing a first portion of the oxidizer through the fuel injection port of the nozzle assembly volumetrically proportional to the liquid fuel;
producing a first mixture at the fuel injection port by mixing the flow of the first portion of the oxidizer and the flow of the liquid fuel;
flowing a second portion of the oxidizer through a nozzle flowpath of the RDC system;
producing a second mixture by mixing the first mixture and the flow of the second portion of the oxidizer within the nozzle flowpath;
igniting the second mixture within a combustion chamber of the RDC system; and
adjusting a volumetric flow of the first portion of the oxidizer relative to the liquid fuel based at least on a commanded operating condition of the propulsion system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the first mixture includes producing a volumetric flow ratio of the first portion of the oxidizer to the liquid fuel of 1000% or less.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein flowing the first portion of the oxidizer includes flowing the first potion of the oxidizer at a pressure greater than a pressure of the flow of the liquid fuel within the fuel injection port.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the first mixture includes producing a mass flow ratio of the first portion of the oxidizer to the liquid fuel of 30% or less.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the first mixture defines an annular flow, a mist flow, or a disperse flow of the first mixture based at least on a volumetric flux of the first portion of the oxidizer and a volumetric flux of the liquid fuel.

6. A method of operating a propulsion system at a constant detonation cell size for a propulsion system comprising a rotating detonation combustion (RDC) system with effervescent atomization of a liquid fuel, the method comprising:
flowing the liquid fuel through a fuel injection port of a nozzle assembly of the RDC system;
flowing a gaseous fuel through the fuel injection port of the nozzle assembly volumetrically proportional to the liquid fuel;
producing a gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture at the fuel injection port by mixing the flow of the gaseous fuel and the flow of the liquid fuel;
flowing an oxidizer through a nozzle flowpath of the RDC system;
producing an oxidizer-gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture by mixing the gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture and the flow of the oxidizer within the nozzle flowpath;
igniting the oxidizer-gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture within a combustion chamber of the RDC system; and
adjusting a volumetric flow of the gaseous fuel relative to the liquid fuel based at least on a commanded operating condition of the propulsion system.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein flowing the gaseous fuel is based at least on a desired detonation cell size at a first operating condition of the propulsion system.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein adjusting the volumetric flow of the gaseous fuel is based at least on maintaining a constant detonation cell width at a second operating condition greater than the first operating condition.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein adjusting the volumetric flow of the gaseous fuel is based at least on maintaining a constant detonation cell width at a stoichiometric ratio of 1.0 or less at the second operating condition.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein adjusting the volumetric flow of the gaseous fuel is based at least on a pressure and a temperature of the oxidizer at the RDC system.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein flowing the gaseous fuel includes defining a detonation cell width of the gaseous fuel less than a detonation cell width of the liquid fuel.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: adjusting the flow of the liquid fuel based at least on the commanded operating condition of the propulsion system.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein producing the gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture includes producing a volumetric flow ratio of the gaseous fuel to the liquid fuel of 1000% or less.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein producing the gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture includes producing a mass flow ratio of the gaseous fuel to the liquid fuel of 30% or less.

15. The method of claim 6 , wherein producing the gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture defines an annular flow, a mist flow, or a disperse flow of the gaseous fuel-liquid fuel mixture based at least on a gaseous fuel volumetric flux and a liquid fuel volumetric flux.

16. A method of effervescent atomization of a liquid fuel for a rotating detonation combustor (RDC) system for a propulsion system, the method comprising:
flowing the liquid fuel through a fuel injection port of a nozzle assembly of the RDC system;
flowing a gas through the fuel injection port of the nozzle assembly volumetrically proportional to the liquid fuel, wherein the gas is an inert gas;
producing a gas-liquid fuel mixture at the fuel injection port by mixing the flow of the gas and the flow of the liquid fuel;
flowing an oxidizer through a nozzle flowpath of the RDC system;
producing an oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture by mixing the gas-liquid fuel mixture and the flow of the oxidizer within the nozzle flowpath;
igniting the oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture within a combustion chamber of the RDC system; and
adjusting a volumetric flow of the gas relative to the liquid fuel based at least on a commanded operating condition of the propulsion system.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Pal Sibtosh
• Zelina Joseph
• Johnson Arthur Wesley
• Cooper Clayton Stuart
• Vise Steven Clayton

Classifications

• F23R7/00 Primary

  Intermittent or explosive combustion chambers · CPC title

• F23R3/56

  Combustion chambers having rotary flame tubes · CPC title

• F02C5/00

  Gas-turbine plants characterised by the working fluid being generated by intermittent combustion · CPC title

• F23R3/36 Primary

  Supply of different fuels · CPC title

• F02K7/02

  the jet being intermittent, i.e. pulse-jet · CPC title