Adjustable fuel injector for flame dynamics control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12044174-B2
Application number	US-202118030143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2021
Priority date	Oct 14, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

An adjustable injector system for adjusting a radial distribution of a mixed fuel includes an adjustable injector configured to receive first and second non-carbon fuels and configured to adjust the radial distribution of the mixed fuel with a movable part, wherein the mixed fuel is obtained from mixing the first non-carbon fuel with the second non-carbon fuel; a sensor configured to determine an instability of a flame generated by the mixed fuel; and a controller electrically connected to the adjustable injector and the sensor, and configured to change a configuration of the adjustable injector, based on an input signal from the sensor, to control the radial distribution of the mixed fuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable injector system for adjusting a radial distribution of a mixed fuel, the adjustable injector system comprising:
an adjustable injector configured to receive first and second non-carbon fuels at first and second fuel chambers, respectively, and configured to adjust the radial distribution of the mixed fuel, within a third mixed fuel chamber, with a movable part, wherein the mixed fuel is obtained from mixing the first non-carbon fuel with the second non-carbon fuel and an outlet port, of the first fuel chamber, that opens into the second fuel chamber is fully blocked by the movable part;
a sensor configured to determine an instability of a flame generated by the mixed fuel; and
a controller electrically connected to the adjustable injector and the sensor, and configured to change a configuration of the adjustable injector, based on an input signal from the sensor, to control the radial distribution of the mixed fuel.

2. The adjustable injector system of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable injector comprises:
a body having the first fuel chamber, the second fuel chamber, and the third mixed fuel chamber arranged in series.

3. The adjustable injector system of claim 2 , wherein
the first fuel chamber fluidly communicates, through the movable part, with the third mixed fuel chamber when the movable part is fully or partially retracted, and fluidly communicates, through the movable part, directly with a combustion chamber when the movable part is fully extended.

4. The adjustable injector system of claim 2 , wherein the adjustable injector comprises:
an actuator connected to the movable part and configured to translate the movable part along a longitudinal axis of the body, between a fully retracted position and a fully extend position.

5. The adjustable injector system of claim 4 , wherein for the fully retracted position, the movable part extends within the first and second fuel chambers, and for the fully extended position, the movable part extends within the first and second fuel chambers and the third mixed fuel chamber.

6. The adjustable injector system of claim 4 , wherein for the fully retracted position, the first non-carbon fuel is discharged directly into the third mixed fuel chamber, from an outlet port of the movable part, and for the fully extended position, the first non-carbon fuel is discharged directly into the combustion chamber, from the outlet port of the movable part.

7. The adjustable injector system of claim 1 , wherein the mixed fuel is non-carbon.

8. The adjustable injector system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate an amplitude of a fluctuation of the flame from a stable position.

9. The adjustable injector system of claim 8 , wherein the controller compares the amplitude of the flame fluctuation with a threshold value, and when the calculated amplitude is larger than the threshold value, the controller instructs the adjustable injector to change a position of the movable part to adjust the radial distribution of the mixed fuel.

10. The adjustable injector system of claim 1 , wherein when the movable part is fully extended, the first non-carbon fuel is injected from the first fuel chamber, through the movable part, directly into a combustion chamber, and when the movable part is fully retracted, the first non-carbon fuel is injected from the first chamber, through the movable part, at an inlet of the third mixed fuel chamber.

11. The adjustable injector system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor or an optical sensor.

12. An adjustable injector for adjusting a radial distribution of a mixed fuel in the adjustable injector comprising:
a body having a first fuel chamber configured to receive a first non-carbon fuel, a second fuel chamber configured to receive a second non-carbon fuel, and a third mixed fuel chamber configured to receive the mixed fuel, which is a mixture of the first fuel and the second fuel;
a tube that extends into the first and second fuel chambers when the tube is in a fully retracted state, and extends into the first and second fuel chambers and the third mixed fuel chamber when the tube is in a fully extended state; and
an actuator connected to the tube and configured to translate the tube along a longitudinal axis of the body, between the fully retracted position and the fully extend position, to adjust a radial distribution of the first and second non-carbon fuels inside the mixed fuel.

13. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , wherein the first fuel chamber fluidly communicates, through the tube, with the third mixed fuel chamber when the movable part is fully or partially retracted, and fluidly communicates, through the tube, with a combustion chamber when the movable part is fully extended.

14. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , wherein for the fully retracted position, the first non-carbon fuel is discharged directly into the third mixed fuel chamber, from an outlet port of the tube, and for the fully extended position, the first non-carbon fuel is discharged directly into a combustion chamber, from the outlet port of the tube.

15. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , wherein the mixed fuel is non-carbon.

16. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , further comprising:
a first mixing device located inside the tube and configured to mix the first non-carbon fuel with air; and
a second mixing device located inside the second fuel chamber and configured to mix the second non-carbon fuel with the air.

17. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , further comprising:
a rod extending from one end of the body to an opposite end of the body,
wherein the tube is configured to slide along the rod when actuated by the actuator.

18. The adjustable injector of claim 12 , wherein when the movable part is fully extended, the first non-carbon fuel is injected from the first fuel chamber, through the movable part, directly into a combustion chamber, and when the movable part is fully retracted, the first non-carbon fuel is injected from the first chamber, through the movable part, at an inlet of the third mixed fuel chamber.

19. A method for controlling a radial distribution of a mixed fuel within a combustion chamber of a gas turbine, the method comprising:
detecting with a sensor a fluctuation of a flame within a combustion chamber;
transferring from the sensor to a controller a signal indicative of the fluctuation of the flame;
determining in the controller an amplitude of the fluctuation of the flame, based on the signal indicative of the fluctuation of the flame;
comparing the determined amplitude of the fluctuation of the flame with a given threshold value; and
instructing an adjustable injector to change a radial distribution of first and second non-carbon fuels inside the combustion chamber to decrease the amplitude of the fluctuation of the flame,
wherein the first and second non-carbon fuels are received at first and second fuel chambers, respectively, and mixed within a third mixed fuel chamber to generate the flame, and
wherein an outlet port, of the first fuel chamber, that opens toward the second fuel chamber is fully blocked by a movable part of the adjustable injector.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
calculating a direction of moving a movable part in the adjustable injector based on the signal, which is indicative of the fluctuation of the flame,
wherein the calculation uses a trained neural network.

Assignees

• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Lacoste Deanna A
• Guiberti Thibault F
• Katoch Amit

Classifications

• F02C9/28

  Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed (F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02C3/22

  the fuel or oxidant being gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (F02C3/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23R3/14

  by using swirl vanes · CPC title

• F23D2900/14481

  Burner nozzles incorporating flow adjusting means · CPC title

• F23R2900/00002

  Gas turbine combustors adapted for fuels having low heating value [LHV] · CPC title