Self-pumping fuel injector for a gas turbine engine and method of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11466857-B2
Application number	US-201916566061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2013
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A self-pumping fuel injector includes a pump and a motor for, in-part, delivering fuel to a combustor at higher fuel pressures during start-up and ramping-up conditions. Each pump may include a stationary flow interuptor that intermittently and variably supplies fuel to a rotating spindle that, in-turn, expels the fuel into a nozzle of the injector for improve fuel spray distributions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-pumping fuel injector for a gas turbine engine, the self- pumping fuel injector comprising:
a nozzle;
an integral pump configured to deliver fuel to the nozzle, the pump including a housing and a spindle that is rotatably supported by the housing along a rotational axis;
a first end portion of the spindle disposed at a fuel outlet, a second end portion of the spindle disposed at a fuel inlet, and the first end portion defining at least in-part a continuous helical passage in communication with the fuel outlet, the continuous helical passage formed in a radial outer surface of the spindle; and
an axially extending channel extending axially within the spindle along the rotational axis and defined by a radial inner surface of the spindle, the axially extending channel fluidly coupled between a fuel inlet port at the fuel inlet and a fuel outlet port, the fuel inlet port projecting into the spindle to the axially extending channel, and the fuel outlet port projecting into the spindle from the continuous helical passage to the axially extending channel such that the fuel outlet port is at a first end of the continuous helical passage and the fuel outlet is at a second end of the continuous helical passage opposite the first end.

2. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the fuel inlet port communicates through the radial outer surface and the radial inner surface and communicates between the fuel inlet and the axially extending channel.

3. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the continuous helical passage is defined radially between the radial outer surface and the housing.

4. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the continuous helical passage is configured to spiral concentrically about the axis.

5. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein
the fuel outlet is defined by the housing; and
the continuous helical passage is configured in continuous communication with the fuel outlet and is further configured in intermittent communication with the fuel inlet as the spindle rotates.

6. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a drive device;
the spindle having a mid portion and the second end portion opposite the first end portion; the second end portion engaged to the drive device; and
the mid portion defining the inlet port, wherein the inlet port is configured in intermittent communication with the fuel inlet and is further configured in continuous communication with the continuous helical passage.

7. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the integral pump is a rotating pump.

8. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , further comprising a drive device operably connected to the integral pump.

9. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 8 , wherein the drive device and the integral pump are rotatably coupled.

10. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 8 , wherein the drive device is an electric motor.

11. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines the fuel outlet disposed concentric to the rotational axis.

12. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines the fuel inlet configured to provide the fuel to the fuel inlet port.

13. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis passes through the axially extending channel.

14. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the radial inner surface of the spindle radially faces the rotational axis.

15. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the continuous helical passage is radially outboard of the axially extending channel.

16. The self-pumping fuel injector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second continuous helical passage in communication with the fuel outlet;
the second continuous helical passage formed in the radial outer surface and discrete from the continuous helical passage.

17. An injector for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a nozzle; and
an integral pump configured to deliver fuel to the nozzle, the pump including a housing and a spindle rotatably support by the housing along a rotational axis;
a first end portion of the spindle disposed at a fuel outlet, a second end portion of the spindle disposed at a fuel inlet, the first end portion configured with a plurality of discrete helical passages in a radial outer surface of the spindle, and each of the plurality of discrete helical passages in fluid communication with the fuel outlet; and
a channel extending axially within the spindle along the rotational axis, the channel fluidly coupled between a fuel inlet port at the fuel inlet and a plurality of fluid outlet ports, the fuel inlet port projecting into the spindle to the channel, and each of the plurality of fuel outlet ports projecting into the spindle from a respective one of the plurality of discrete helical passages to the channel such that the fuel outlet port is at a first end of the plurality of discrete helical passages and the fuel outlet is at a second end of the plurality of discrete helical passages opposite the first end.

18. The injector of claim 17 , wherein a first of the plurality of discrete helical passages is a continuous helical passage.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Blaney Ken F
• Kramer Stephen K

Classifications

• F02C7/22

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F02C7/236

  Fuel delivery systems comprising two or more pumps · CPC title

• F05D2250/25

  helical · CPC title

• F02C3/04

  having a turbine driving a compressor (power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16) · CPC title

• F23K5/142

  Fuel pumps · CPC title