System and method for fuel nozzle cleaning during engine operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11359554-B2
Application number	US-202016809797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2020
Priority date	Mar 5, 2020
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A method and system for cleaning a fuel nozzle during engine operation is provided. Operations include operating the compressor section to provide the flow of oxidizer at a first oxidizer flow condition to the combustion chamber, wherein the first oxidizer flow condition comprises an environmental parameter; operating the fuel system at a first fuel flow condition to produce a fuel-oxidizer ratio at the combustion chamber; comparing the environmental parameter to a first environmental parameter threshold; and transitioning the fuel system to a second fuel flow condition corresponding to a cleaning condition at the fuel nozzle if the environmental parameter is equal to or greater than the first environmental threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat engine, the heat engine comprising:
a compressor section configured to provide a flow of oxidizer to a combustion chamber;
a fuel nozzle comprising a plurality of fuel injection openings, wherein the fuel nozzle is configured to provide a first fuel flow to the combustion chamber through one or more of the fuel injection openings and a second fuel flow to the combustion chamber through one or more of the fuel injection openings different from the first fuel flow;
a fuel system configured to provide the first fuel flow through the fuel nozzle variably and separate from the second fuel flow through the fuel nozzle; and
a controller configured to execute operations, the operations comprising:
operating the compressor section to provide the flow of oxidizer at a first oxidizer flow condition to the combustion chamber, wherein the first oxidizer flow condition comprises an environmental parameter, wherein the environmental parameter comprises a temperature parameter and a pressure parameter;
operating the fuel system at a first fuel flow condition to produce a fuel-oxidizer ratio at the combustion chamber;
comparing the environmental parameter to a first environmental parameter threshold;
comparing the environmental parameter to a second environmental parameter threshold; and
transitioning the fuel system to a second fuel flow condition corresponding to a cleaning condition at the fuel nozzle if (i) the environmental parameter is equal to or greater than the first environmental parameter threshold, and (ii) the environmental parameter is less than or equal to the second environmental parameter threshold,
wherein the first environmental parameter threshold corresponds to one or more of a temperature of the flow of oxidizer of 550° F. or greater or a pressure of 135 psi or greater downstream of the compressor section and upstream of the combustion chamber.

2. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the environmental parameter corresponds to a location at the heat engine downstream of the compressor section and upstream of the combustion chamber.

3. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the second environmental parameter threshold corresponds to one or more of a temperature of the flow of oxidizer of 1250° F. or less or a pressure of 315 psi or less downstream of the compressor section and upstream of the combustion chamber.

4. The heat engine of claim 1 , the operations comprising:
comparing a health parameter to a health parameter threshold, wherein the health parameter corresponds to one or more of a combustor component temperature, a combustion thermal gradient, a combustor stability parameter, or an emissions parameter.

5. The heat engine of claim 4 , wherein transitioning the fuel system to the second fuel flow condition corresponding to the cleaning condition occurs after the health parameter is compared to the health parameter threshold.

6. The heat engine of claim 4 , wherein the emissions parameter corresponds to an emissions output, which is a function of a flight mode, wherein the flight mode defines an emissions environment at which the cleaning condition can be executed.

7. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning condition comprises:
flowing, through the fuel nozzle, a purge fluid through the fuel nozzle.

8. The heat engine of claim 7 , wherein flowing the purge fluid comprises continuously flowing for a predetermined period of time of at least a portion of the flow of oxidizer to remove fuel deposits from the fuel nozzle.

9. The heat engine of claim 7 , wherein flowing the purge fluid comprises:
operating the fuel system at a third fuel flow condition after operating the fuel system at the second fuel flow condition, wherein the third fuel flow condition and the first oxidizer flow condition together provide the fuel-oxidizer ratio at the combustion chamber as the first fuel flow condition and the first oxidizer flow condition.

10. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein operating the fuel system at the second fuel flow condition comprises reducing the second fuel flow to zero and increasing the first fuel flow to equal the fuel-oxidizer ratio at the combustion chamber at the first fuel flow condition.

11. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel flow condition corresponds to a cruise operating condition.

12. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the first oxidizer flow condition corresponds to a steady state inlet condition of oxidizer into the compressor section.

13. The heat engine of claim 12 , wherein the steady state inlet condition corresponds to an idle operating condition, a part-power operating condition, or a full-power operating condition.

14. The heat engine of claim 1 , the operations comprising:
operating the compressor section to provide the flow of oxidizer at an initial oxidizer flow condition, wherein the initial oxidizer flow condition precedes the first oxidizer flow condition.

15. The heat engine of claim 14 , wherein the initial oxidizer flow condition corresponds to a transient inlet condition of the flow of oxidizer into the compressor section.

16. The heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fuel injection openings comprises a main fuel injector and a pilot fuel injector.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Patel Nayan Vinodbhai
• Mccambridge Michael Scott
• Kress Eric John
• Graziano Kevin Richard
• Leeker Brendon Matthew

Classifications

• F02M65/008 Primary

  of injectors only · CPC title

• F23N2227/06

  Postpurge · CPC title

• F23D2209/30

  Purging · CPC title

• F23N2225/04

  pressure · CPC title

• F23K2300/203

  Purging · CPC title