FUEL NOZZLE FOR COMBUSTOR

• US 20120096866A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Khan, Abdul Rafey, Ziminsky, Willy Steve, Stevenson, Christian Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 8,464,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/737
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 2900/03343 Pilot burners operating in premixed mode
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/286 having fuel-air premixing devices F23R3/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/343 Pilot flames, i.e. fuel nozzles or injectors using only a very small proportion of the total fuel to insure continuous combustion ignition in gas-turbine plants F02C7/264; pilot flame igniters F23Q9/00

Abstract

A nozzle for a combustor is disclosed. The nozzle includes a center body, a burner tube provided around the center body and defining a fuel-air mixing passage therebetween, and an outer peripheral wall provided around the burner tube and defining an air flow passage therebetween. The nozzle further includes a nozzle tip connected to the center body. The nozzle tip includes a pilot fuel passage configured to deliver a flow of pilot fuel to a combustion zone, and a plurality of transfer passages. The plurality of transfer passages are configured to deliver a flow of air for combustion with the flow of pilot fuel in the combustion zone and further configured to deliver a flow of transfer fuel to the combustion zone.

Claims

1. A nozzle for a combustor, the nozzle comprising:

a center body;

a burner tube provided around the center body and defining a fuel-air mixing passage therebetween;

an outer peripheral wall provided around the burner tube and defining an air flow passage therebetween; and

a nozzle tip connected to the center body, the nozzle tip comprising;

a pilot fuel passage configured to deliver a flow of pilot fuel to a combustion zone; and

a plurality of transfer passages, the plurality of transfer passages configured to deliver a flow of air for combustion with the flow of pilot fuel in the combustion zone and further configured to deliver a flow of transfer fuel to the combustion zone.

2. The nozzle of claim 1, the tip defining a plurality of pilot holes connecting the pilot fuel passage to the plurality of transfer passages.

3. The nozzle of claim 1, the tip defining a diffuser configured such that the flow of pilot fuel flows from the pilot fuel passage through the diffuser into the combustion zone.

4. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the flow of pilot fuel and the flow of air are at least partially mixed prior to combustion.

5. The nozzle of claim 4, wherein the flow of pilot fuel and flow of air are at least partially mixed in the plurality of transfer passages.

6. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the burner tube is film-cooled by air in the air flow passage.

7. The nozzle of claim 1, further comprising at least one swirl vane disposed in the fuel-air mixing passage.

8. The nozzle of claim 7, wherein the at least one swirl vane defines a cooling chamber configured to receive fuel from a premix fuel passage and further defines an outlet chamber configured to expel the fuel through at least one fuel injection port into the fuel-air mixing passage, and wherein the at least one swirl vane further comprises a divider provided between the cooling chamber and the outlet chamber.

9. The nozzle of claim 8, wherein the fuel flows from the premix fuel passage through a reverse flow passage into the cooling chamber.

10. The nozzle of claim 8, wherein the divider defines a by-pass hole configured to permit fuel flow from the cooling chamber to the outlet chamber.

11. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the pilot fuel is a high reactivity fuel.

12. A combustor for a gas turbine system, the combustor comprising:

a nozzle, the nozzle comprising;

a center body;

a burner tube provided around the center body and defining a fuel-air mixing passage therebetween;

an outer peripheral wall provided around the burner tube and defining an air flow passage therebetween; and

a nozzle tip connected to the center body, the nozzle tip comprising;

a pilot fuel passage configured to deliver a flow of pilot fuel to a combustion zone; and

a plurality of transfer passages, the plurality of transfer passages configured to deliver a flow of air for combustion with the flow of pilot fuel in the combustion zone and further configured to deliver a flow of transfer fuel to the combustion zone.

13. The combustor of claim 12, the tip defining a plurality of pilot holes connecting the pilot fuel passage to the plurality of transfer passages.

14. The combustor of claim 12, the tip defining a diffuser configured such that the flow of pilot fuel flows from the pilot fuel passage through the diffuser into the combustion zone.

15. The combustor of claim 12, wherein the flow of pilot fuel and the flow of air are at least partially mixed prior to combustion.

16. The combustor of claim 15, wherein the flow of pilot fuel and flow of air are at least partially mixed in the plurality of transfer passages.

17. The combustor of claim 12, further comprising at least one swirl vane disposed in the fuel-air mixing passage.

18. The combustor of claim 17, wherein the at least one swirl vane defines a cooling chamber configured to receive fuel from a premix fuel passage, and further defines an outlet chamber configured to expel the fuel through at least one fuel injection port into the fuel-air mixing passage, and wherein the at least one swirl vane further comprises a divider provided between the cooling chamber and the outlet chamber.

19. The combustor of claim 18, wherein the fuel flows from the premix fuel passage through a reverse flow passage into the cooling chamber.

20. The combustor of claim 18, wherein the divider defines a by-pass hole configured to permit fuel flow from the cooling chamber to the outlet chamber.