FUEL INJECTORS FOR EXHAUST HEATERS

• US 20200132305A1
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delavan Incorporated (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Ryon, Jason A., Myers, Steven J., Buelow, Philip E. O., Prociw, Lev Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 11,118,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1855 the connection being realised by using bolts, screws, rivets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/14 a fuel burner
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2450/26 by bayonet fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2033 using a fuel burner or introducing fuel into exhaust duct
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/06 Arrangement of apertures along the flame tube
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/283 Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances

Abstract

A fuel injector for an exhaust heater includes a cover and an air blast nozzle. The cover has a nozzle seat, a fuel inlet, and an air inlet, the nozzle seat arranged along a flow axis. The air blast nozzle is seated in the nozzle seat and has a unibody. The air blast nozzle unibody is in fluid communication with the fuel inlet and the air inlet arranged along the flow axis to port fuel and air into a combustion volume, e.g., to heat a stream of exhaust gas flowing between an engine and a catalytic reactor by combustion with fuel introduced through the fuel inlet and air introduced through the air inlet.

Claims

1. A fuel injector for an exhaust heater, comprising:

a combustor cover extending about a nozzle seat with a fuel inlet and an air inlet, the nozzle seat arranged along a flow axis; and

an air blast nozzle having a unibody supported in the nozzle seat, the air blast nozzle unibody in fluid communication with the fuel inlet and the air inlet and arranged along the flow axis to port fuel and air into a combustion volume.

2. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein fuel injector has a two-piece construction consisting of the air blast nozzle and the combustor cover.

3. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the combustor cover and the air blast nozzle has a female bayonet feature, wherein the other of the combustor cover and the air blast nozzle has a male bayonet feature, wherein the female bayonet feature and the male bayonet feature fix the air blast nozzle to the combustor cover.

4. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover has an outer air circuit extending therethrough comprising one or more outer air channels, the outer air channels distributed circumferentially about the air blast nozzle.

6. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover has a flame sensor seat and an igniter seat radially offset from the air blast nozzle.

7. The fuel injector as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

an igniter fixed in the igniter seat; and

a flame sensor fixed in the flame sensor seat.

8. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover defines therein a fuel conduit extending radially inward from the fuel inlet to air blast nozzle.

9. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover defines a fastener pattern arranged to fix the fuel injector to a combustor with a combustor liner fixed between cover and the combustor liner.

10. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor; and

a combustor liner fixed between the combustor cover the combustor.

11. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the unibody includes:

an annular portion; and

a disk portion with one or more inner air channels, the disk portion joining the annular portion at a radially inner surface of the annular portion.

12. The fuel injector as recited in claim 11, wherein each if the inner air channels has an inlet and an outlet, the outlet of each inner air channel arranged radially outward of the inlet of each inner air channel, the inlet and outlet of each inner air channel axially overlapped by the annular portion of the unibody.

13. The fuel injector as recited in claim 11, wherein the annular portion defines:

a bayonet feature and shearing lip for atomizing liquid fuel using a pressurized air flow;

one or more fuel circuit threads extending about a radially outer surface of the annular portion; and

a sealing ring extending about the radially outer surface of annular portion arranged axially between the one or more of fuel circuit threads and the bayonet feature.

14. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a low pressure liquid fuel source in fluid communication with the fuel inlet; and

a pressurized air source in fluid communication with the air inlet.

15. The fuel injector as recited in claim 1, further comprising an exhaust conduit spaced apart from the cover for conveying exhaust heated by fuel provided by the fuel injector.

16. The fuel injector as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

a diesel engine connected to the exhaust conduit; and

a catalytic reactor connected to the exhaust conduit and in fluid communication therethrough with the diesel engine, the fuel injector arranged fluidly between the engine and catalytic reactor.

17. An exhaust heater, comprising:

a combustor;

a fuel injector as recited in claim 1, wherein the combustor cover defines a fastener pattern arranged to fix the fuel injector to the combustor;

a combustor liner fixed between the cover the combustor;

a diesel engine connected to the exhaust conduit; and

a catalytic reactor connected to the exhaust conduit and fluidly coupled therethrough with the diesel engine, the fuel injector arranged fluidly between the diesel engine and the catalytic reactor.

18. The exhaust heater as recited in claim 17, wherein fuel injector has a two-piece construction consisting of the air blast nozzle and the cover, wherein one of the cover and the air blast nozzle has a female bayonet feature, wherein the other of the cover and the air blast nozzle has a male bayonet feature, wherein the female bayonet feature and the male bayonet feature fix the air blast nozzle to the cover.

19. The exhaust heater as recited in claim 17, wherein the unibody includes:

an annular portion; and

a disk portion with one or more inner air channels, the disk portion joining the annular portion at a radially inner surface of the annular portion;

wherein each of the one or more inner air channels has an inlet and an outlet, the outlet of each inner air channel arranged radially outward of the inlet of each inner air channel, the inlet and outlet of each inner air channel axially overlapped by the annular portion of the unibody; and

wherein the annular portion defines;

a bayonet feature and shearing lip for atomizing liquid fuel;

one or more fuel circuit threads extending about a radially outer surface of the annular portion; and

a sealing ring extending about the radially outer surface of annular portion arranged axially between the bayonet feature.

5. The fuel injector as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the outer air channels has an inlet and an outlet, the outlet arranged radially inward of the inlet relative to the air blast nozzle.

20. A method of making a fuel injector for an exhaust heater, comprising:

seating an o-ring about an air blast nozzle;

inserting the air blast nozzle into a nozzle seat defined within a combustor cover such that the o-ring is arranged between the air blast nozzle and the combustor cover;

rotating the air blast nozzle about a flow axis defined by the combustor cover to compress the o-ring and lock a male bayonet feature within a female bayonet feature; and

fixing the air blast nozzle in rotation relative to the combustor cover.