Fuel injector systems for torch igniters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11913646-B2
Application number	US-202117533682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2021
Priority date	Dec 18, 2020
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A fuel injector system for a torch igniter includes an injector body centered on an axis, a receiving aperture formed in a cap of the torch igniter, an injector aperture, an air channel, a fuel channel, and a purge passage formed in a housing of the torch igniter and fluidly connected to a cooling air source. The injector body includes an axial wall at a first axial end of the injector body, an outer wall connected to the axial wall and extending along the axis transverse to the first wall, and an inner portion connected to the axial wall and extending along the axis transverse to the axial wall. An outer surface of the inner portion is spaced a distance from an inner surface of the outer wall, forming an insulating space between the outer wall and the inner portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel injector system for a torch igniter, the fuel injector system comprising:
an injector body centered on an axis, wherein the injector body includes an axial wall at a first axial end of the injector body;
a receiving aperture formed in a cap of the torch igniter that receives an inner portion of the injector body at a second axial end of the injector body, the second axial end opposite the first axial end;
an injector aperture formed within the inner portion of the injector body and directly fluidly connected to an interior volume of the torch igniter;
an air inlet configured to intake a flow of air at the axial wall;
a fuel inlet configured to intake a flow of fuel at the axial wall;
an air channel disposed within the injector body and configured to channel the air from the air inlet to the injector aperture, wherein the air channel is centered on and extends along the axis;
a fuel channel disposed within the injector body and configured to channel the fuel from the fuel inlet to the injector aperture;
a receiving cavity formed in a housing of the torch igniter that receives the injector body, the receiving cavity directly fluidly connected to the receiving aperture;
a purge passage formed in the housing of the torch igniter and fluidly connected to a cooling air source, wherein the purge passage is configured to impinge cooling air from the cooling air source into the receiving cavity and onto an exterior surface of the injector body near the receiving aperture; and
wherein:
the exterior surface of the injector body is spaced a first distance from an inner surface of the receiving cavity near the purge passage; and
the exterior surface of the injector body and the inner surface of the receiving cavity define a purge channel configured to channel the cooling air from the receiving cavity to the receiving aperture and through the receiving aperture into a combustion chamber of the torch igniter.

2. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the injector body further includes an outer wall connected to the axial wall and extending along the axis transverse to the axial wall, and wherein:
the inner portion is connected to the axial wall and extends along the axis transverse to the axial wall; and
an outer surface of the inner portion is spaced a second distance from an inner surface of the outer wall, forming an insulating space between the outer wall and the inner portion.

3. The fuel injector of claim 2 , wherein the exterior surface of the injector body that the purge passage is configured to impinge the cooling air upon is located on the outer wall of the injector body.

4. The fuel injector of claim 2 , wherein the air channel and fuel channel are disposed in the inner portion of the injector body.

5. The fuel injector system of claim 2 , wherein the outer wall is annular, the inner portion is cylindrical, and the insulating space between the outer wall and inner portion is annular.

6. The fuel injector system of claim 2 , wherein a first operating temperature of the outer wall of the injector body is greater than a second operating temperature of the inner portion of the injector body.

7. The fuel injector system of claim 2 , wherein the cooling air from the cooling air source is at a higher temperature than an operating temperature of the inner portion of the injector body.

8. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein a fluid pressure within the channel is higher than a fluid pressure adjacent to the receiving aperture within the interior volume of the torch igniter.

9. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the air channel includes an air swirler that imparts a swirl to the air relative to the axis.

10. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the injector aperture is configured to impinge the fuel from the fuel channel and the air from the air channel onto a surface igniter at least partially disposed within the interior volume of the torch igniter.

11. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , further comprising a mixing cavity formed within the injector body, wherein the mixing cavity connects the air channel and the fuel channel to the injector aperture.

12. The fuel injector system of claim 11 , wherein the fuel is liquid fuel and the mixing cavity is configured to atomize the liquid fuel with the air from the air channel.

13. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel injector system is formed monolithically.

14. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the injector body comprises a metallic material.

15. The torch igniter for use in the combustor section of a gas turbine engine, the torch igniter comprising:
the combustion chamber oriented about the axis, the combustion chamber having axially upstream and downstream ends defining a flow direction through the combustion chamber, along the axis, the cap defining the axially upstream end of the combustion chamber and oriented about the axis;
a tip defining the axially downstream end of the combustion chamber, the housing extending from the cap to the tip and defining a radial extent of the combustion chamber;
an outlet passage defined by the housing within the tip, wherein the outlet passage is fluidly connected to the combustion chamber;
a glow plug capable of being resistively heated, wherein an innermost end of the glow plug extends through the cap into the combustion chamber; and
the fuel injector system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling air source is a cooling channel formed in and configured to cool the housing, and the fuel injector system is received in the cap.

16. The torch igniter of claim 15 , wherein the cap, the housing, and the tip together make up a single monolithic piece.

Assignees

• Delavan Inc

Inventors

• Ryon Jason
• Prociw Lev Alexander

Classifications

• F23R3/283 Primary

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

• F02C7/18

  the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F02C7/232

  Fuel valves {(control of fuel supply by means of fuel metering valves F02C9/263)}; Draining valves or systems (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F05D2240/35

  Combustors or associated equipment · CPC title