Fuel nozzles with mixing tubes surrounding a liquid fuel cartridge for injecting fuel in a gas turbine combustor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9366440-B2
Application number	US-201213343417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2012
Priority date	Jan 4, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

Fuel nozzles for gas turbines are provided that include liquid fuel cartridges. In one embodiment, a fuel nozzle includes a fuel plenum plate separating an air plenum from a fuel plenum. The fuel nozzle also includes a plurality of mixing tubes extending through the fuel plenum from the fuel plenum plate to a face plate. Each mixing tube includes an air inlet configured to receive air from the air plenum, a fuel inlet disposed in a tube wall within the fuel plenum to direct fuel from the fuel plenum into the mixing tube to produce a fuel-air mixture, and a fuel-air outlet configured to discharge the fuel-air mixture away from the face plate into a combustion region. The fuel nozzle further includes a liquid fuel cartridge extending through the air plenum and the fuel plenum to the face plate. The liquid fuel cartridge includes a liquid fuel passage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a gas turbine fuel nozzle, comprising:
a fuel plenum;
an air plenum located upstream of the fuel plenum;
a fuel plenum plate separating the air plenum from the fuel plenum;
a housing enclosing the fuel plenum;
an interior plate disposed within the housing to separate the fuel plenum from an interior air plenum disposed within the housing downstream of the fuel plenum;
a plurality of mixing tubes extending through the fuel plenum from the fuel plenum plate to a face plate, wherein each mixing tube of the plurality of mixing tubes has a tube wall and comprises an air inlet configured to receive air from the air plenum, a fuel inlet disposed in the tube wall within the fuel plenum to direct fuel from the fuel plenum into the mixing tube to produce a fuel-air mixture, and a fuel-air outlet configured to discharge the fuel-air mixture away from the face plate into a combustion region;
a base coupled to the gas turbine fuel nozzle upstream of the fuel plenum and the air plenum, wherein the base is configured to couple the gas turbine fuel nozzle to a combustor end cover, and
a liquid fuel cartridge extending within and through both the air plenum and the fuel plenum to the face plate, wherein the liquid fuel cartridge comprises a liquid fuel passage;
wherein the plurality of mixing tubes extends through the interior plate and the interior air plenum;
wherein the liquid fuel passage is defined by a tubular wall, and the tubular wall extends within and through the base, the fuel plenum, and the air plenum.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid fuel cartridge is substantially centered within the face plate.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid fuel cartridge is mounted within a tube forming an air passage around the liquid fuel passage.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel plenum plate and the face plate each comprise a wedge-shaped cross section.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising a fuel supply passage extending through the air plenum and the fuel plenum plate to direct a gaseous fuel into the fuel plenum.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising a turbine combustor or a gas turbine engine having the gas turbine fuel nozzle.

7. A system comprising:
a gas turbine fuel nozzle, comprising:
a fuel plenum plate;
a face plate spaced from the fuel plenum plate to define a fuel plenum therebetween, wherein the face plate comprises mixing tube apertures disposed circumferentially around a liquid fuel cartridge aperture;
a plurality of mixing tubes extending through the fuel plenum from the fuel plenum plate to the face plate, wherein each mixing tube of the plurality of mixing tubes has a tube wall extending from an upstream tube end to a downstream tube end and comprises an air inlet configured to receive air from an air plenum, a fuel inlet disposed in the tube wall within the fuel plenum to direct fuel from the fuel plenum into the mixing tube to produce a fuel-air mixture, and a fuel-air outlet configured to discharge the fuel-air mixture away from the face plate into a combustion region, wherein the fuel plenum plate is disposed around the upstream tube ends of the plurality of mixing tubes and the face plate is disposed around the downstream tube ends of the plurality of mixing tubes; and
a first liquid fuel cartridge extending through the fuel plenum plate, wherein the first liquid fuel cartridge comprises a nozzle portion disposed in the liquid fuel cartridge aperture, a liquid fuel passage coupled to the nozzle portion, and an air passage disposed around the liquid fuel passage, wherein the first liquid fuel cartridge comprises alignment pegs configured to interface with a mounting tube partially disposed in the air plenum and partially disposed in the fuel plenum, and wherein the alignment pegs are configured to interface with the mounting tube within the air plenum.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the mixing tube apertures comprise a first set of apertures radially aligned with one another and a second set of perimeter apertures offset from the radially aligned apertures.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the mixing tube apertures are disposed in a random configuration around the liquid fuel cartridge aperture.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the fuel plenum plate comprises inlet apertures axially aligned with the mixing tube apertures.

11. The system of claim 7 , comprising a second liquid fuel cartridge configured to direct the liquid fuel through the fuel plenum to an outlet end of the second liquid fuel cartridge disposed within the face plate.

12. The system of claim 7 , comprising a turbine combustor or a gas turbine engine having the gas turbine fuel nozzle.

13. The system of claim 7 , wherein the liquid fuel cartridge comprises a water passage disposed between the air passage and the liquid fuel passage.

14. A system comprising:
a gas turbine fuel nozzle, comprising:
a plurality of sector nozzles disposed adjacent to one another to form a circular cross section, wherein each sector nozzle of the plurality of sector nozzles comprises:
a fuel plenum;
an air plenum located upstream of the fuel plenum;
a fuel plenum plate separating the air plenum from the fuel plenum; and
a plurality of mixing tubes extending through the fuel plenum from the fuel plenum plate to a face plate, wherein each mixing tube of the plurality of mixing tubes has a tube wall extending from an upstream tube end to a downstream tube end and comprises an air inlet configured to receive air from the air plenum, a fuel inlet disposed in the tube wall within the fuel plenum to direct fuel from the fuel plenum into the mixing tube to produce a fuel-air mixture, and a fuel-air outlet configured to discharge the fuel-air mixture away from the face plate into a combustion region, wherein the fuel plenum plate is disposed around the upstream tube ends of the plurality of mixing tubes and the face plate is disposed around the downstream tube ends of the plurality of mixing tubes; and
a liquid fuel cartridge comprising a liquid fuel passage and an air passage disposed in a concentric arrangement, wherein the liquid fuel passage and the air passage are configured to output liquid fuel and air away from the face plate into the combustion region, wherein the liquid fuel cartridge is disposed within a respective sector nozzle of the plurality of sector nozzles and extends within and through both a respective air plenum and a respective fuel plenum of the respective sector nozzle.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein each sector nozzles of the plurality of sector nozzles comprises the liquid fuel cartridge substantially centered within the plurality of mixing tubes.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the liquid fuel cartridge is disposed within a central fuel nozzle surrounded by the plurality of sector nozzles.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the central fuel nozzle comprises a plurality of liquid fuel cartridges disposed around a central swozzle.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of liquid fuel cartridges are configured to direct the liquid fuel radially outward toward the plurality of sector nozzles.

19. The system of claim 14 , comprising a base coupled to the respective sector nozzle upstream of the respective fuel plenum and the respective air plenum, wherein the base is configured to couple the respective sector nozzle to a combustor end cover, and wherein the liquid fuel passage is defined by a tubular wall, and the tubular wall extends within and

Assignees

• Berry Jonathan Dwight
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Berry Jonathan Dwight

Classifications

• F23D2900/00008

  Burner assemblies with diffusion and premix modes, i.e. dual mode burners · CPC title

• F23R3/286 Primary

  having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E20/16

  Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT] · CPC title