Fuel Injection Module for Segmented Annular Combustion System

• US 20170276360A1
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Berry, Jonathan Dwight, Hughes, Michael John, Flanagan, James Scott
• Granted Patent: US 11,428,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 2900/00001 Arrangements using bellows, e.g. to adjust volumes or reduce thermal stresses
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/28 characterised by the fuel supply burners F23D
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/286 having fuel-air premixing devices F23R3/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/46 Combustion chambers comprising an annular arrangement of several essentially tubular flame tubes within a common annular casing or within individual casings

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a fuel injection module for a segmented annular combustion system. The fuel injection module includes a housing body, a fuel nozzle portion, and at least one fuel injection lance. The fuel nozzle portion is fluidly coupled to a fuel nozzle plenum within the housing body, and the at least one fuel injection lance is fluidly coupled to an injector fuel plenum within the housing body. In some cases, the fuel nozzle portion is a bundled tube fuel nozzle having one or more subsets of tubes. The fuel injection lances are positioned along a radial side of the housing body or circumferentially between two subsets of tubes. Liquid fuel cartridges extend through the fuel nozzle portion, the fuel injection lances, or both.

Claims

1. A fuel injection module, comprising:

a housing body;

a fuel nozzle portion defined within the housing body and having a fuel nozzle plenum defined within the housing body; and

at least one fuel injection lance in fluid communication with an injector fuel plenum defined within the housing body.

2. The fuel injection module as in claim 1, wherein the at least one fuel injection lance comprises a plurality of fuel injection lances in fluid communication with the injector fuel plenum.

3. The fuel injection module as in claim 2, further comprising an fuel conduit coupled to a fuel supply, the injector conduit defining a first fuel circuit, wherein the first fuel circuit is in fluid communication with injector fuel plenum, and wherein each lance of the plurality of fuel injection lances includes a fuel dispensing tip defining one or more injection ports.

4. The fuel injection module as in claim 3, wherein at least one fuel injection lance of the plurality of fuel injection lances includes a bellows portion disposed upstream from the fuel dispensing tip of the at least one fuel injection lance.

5. The fuel injection module as in claim 3, further comprising a fuel conduit, the fuel conduit defining a second fuel circuit in fluid communication with the fuel nozzle plenum, and wherein the fuel conduit is circumferentially surrounded by the fuel conduit.

6. The fuel injection module as in claim 2, wherein the plurality of fuel injection lances is disposed along a side wall portion of the housing body.

7. The fuel injection module as in claim 2, wherein the fuel nozzle portion comprises a first subset of bundled tubes and a second subset of bundled tubes, and wherein the plurality of fuel injection lances is disposed circumferentially between the first subset of bundled tubes and the second subset of bundled tubes.

8. The fuel injection module as in claim 1, wherein the housing body includes a forward plate, an aft plate, and an outer perimeter wall that extends axially from the forward plate to the aft plate, and wherein the fuel nozzle portion further comprises a plurality of tubes, each tube of the plurality of tubes having an inlet defined through the forward plate and an outlet defined through the aft plate.

9. The fuel injection module as in claim 8, wherein the housing body comprises an air plenum defined therein, and wherein the air plenum surrounds at least a portion of each tube of the plurality of tubes.

10. The fuel injection module as in claim 8, wherein the outer perimeter wall and at least one of the forward plate and the aft plate at least partially define the fuel nozzle plenum, the fuel nozzle plenum at least partially surrounding the plurality of tubes, and wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes includes one or more fuel ports in fluid communication with the fuel nozzle plenum.

11. The fuel injection module as in claim 10, wherein the one or more fuel ports of a first tube of the plurality of tubes is axially offset with respect to the one or more fuel ports of adjacent tubes of the plurality of tubes.

12. The fuel injection module as in claim 10, wherein the fuel nozzle plenum in the housing body includes a first fuel nozzle plenum and a second fuel nozzle plenum.

13. The fuel injection module as in claim 10, wherein the plurality of tubes is arranged as a first subset of tubes extending the first fuel nozzle plenum and a second subset of tubes extending through the second fuel nozzle plenum, and wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes includes one or more fuel ports in fluid communication with a respective fuel nozzle plenum.

14. The fuel injection module as in claim 13, further comprising a conduit coupled to a fuel supply, the conduit comprising an outer tube concentrically surrounding an inner tube, wherein an outer fuel circuit is defined radially between the inner tube and the outer tube, and an inner fuel circuit is formed within the inner tube, and wherein one of the inner fuel circuit and the outer fuel circuit is in fluid communication with the first fuel nozzle plenum, and another of the inner fuel circuit and the outer fuel circuit is in fluid communication with the second fuel nozzle plenum.

15. The fuel injection module as in claim 1, further comprising an igniter disposed within the housing body and positioned proximate an aft plate of the housing body.

16. The fuel injection module as in claim 1, further comprising one or more seals that extend at least partially around an outer perimeter wall of the housing body.