Fuel nozzle having aerodynamically shaped helical turning vanes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513009-B2
Application number	US-37865409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2009
Priority date	Feb 18, 2009
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine is disclosed which includes a nozzle body having a longitudinal axis, an elongated annular air passage defined within the nozzle body, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart axially extending swirl vanes disposed within the annular air passage, wherein each swirl vane has multiple joined leads and a variable thickness along the axial extent thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine comprising:
a) a nozzle body having a longitudinal axis;
b) an annular air passage defined within the nozzle body; and
c) a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart axially extending helically pitched swirl vanes disposed within the annular air passage, each swirl vane having multiple joined helical leads and a variable thickness along the axial extent thereof.

2. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 1 , wherein each swirl vane includes an upstream vane section having a leading edge surface and a downstream vane section having a trailing edge surface.

3. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 2 , wherein the leading edge surface of the upstream vane section of each vane is disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle body.

4. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 3 , wherein the angle of the leading edge surface of each vane defines an initial pitch along the axial extent of the upstream vane section.

5. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 2 , wherein the downstream vane section has a continuously varying pitch along the axial extent thereof.

6. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 2 , wherein the downstream vane section has a constant pitch along an axial extent thereof.

7. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 2 , wherein each vane includes a transitional vane section that blends the upstream vane section into the downstream vane section.

8. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 7 , wherein each vane has a maximum normal thickness associated with the transitional vane section.

9. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 8 , wherein normal vane thickness varies from the transitional vane section to the trailing edge surface of the vane.

10. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 8 , wherein normal vane thickness remains constant for at a least an axial segment of the vane from the transitional vane section to the trailing edge surface of the vane.

11. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 7 , wherein normal vane thickness varies from the transitional vane section to the leading edge surface of the vane.

12. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 7 , wherein normal vane thickness remains constant from the transitional vane section to the leading edge surface of the vane.

13. A fuel nozzle as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a fuel circuit defined within the nozzle body adjacent the annular air passage.

Assignees

• Williams Brandon Philip
• Thompson Kevin Eugene
• Fogarty Robert Russell
• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Williams Brandon Philip
• Thompson Kevin Eugene
• Fogarty Robert Russell

Classifications

• F23R3/14 Primary

  by using swirl vanes · CPC title

• F23D11/107

  at least one of both being subjected to a swirling motion · CPC title

• F23R3/28

  characterised by the fuel supply (burners F23D) · CPC title