APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BURNING CONTAMINATED FUEL

• US 3,658,249 A
• Filed: 10/21/1970
• Issued: 04/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cecil H. Sharpe
• Original Assignee: Cecil H. Sharpe
• Inventors: Sharpe, Cecil H.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US05/082,573
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 239/125,127,533,547 60/39.28
• US Class Current: 239/125
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/22 Fuel supply systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/224 Heating fuel before feeding to the burner

Abstract

A fuel system for a gas turbine engine adapted to handle dirty fuel includes a separating device of a centrifuge-filter type through which fuel is supplied from a fuel pump to a fuel control which controls the operation of the engine. The centrifuge-filter has a swirl chamber with a tangential inlet, a central annular filter, and outlets both outside and inside of the filter. It discharges a large portion of the fuel substantially clean and a small portion bearing the dirt. The clean fuel flows through the fuel control to small diameter ports of fuel nozzles and, at higher fuel flow rates, through a resistance valve or valves to large area ports of the fuel nozzles. The dirty fuel flows to the large flow ports of the nozzles, by-passing the fuel control. Alternatively, the centrifuge-filter may be downstream of the fuel control. In either case, a line from adjacent the outer surface of the filter to the pump inlet or to the large area ports acts to clean the filter by recirculating or discharging the finer dirt which tends to accumulate on the filter at low fuel flow rates.

Claims

1. A system for supplying fuel to a combustion engine including fuel spraying means having small and large fuel flow ports, the system being adapted to minimize the effect of contaminants in the fuel upon the performance of the engine;

the system comprising, in combination, means for supplying fuel under pressure, dirt separating means supplied thereby having a first outlet for a major portion of relatively clean fuel and a second outlet for a minor portion of relatively dirty fuel, fuel control means for controlling the rate of clean fuel flow to the engine connected to the first outlet, means connecting the fuel controlling means to the small fuel ports for discharge of a minor portion of maximum fuel flow, valve means connecting the fuel control means to the large fuel ports for discharge of clean fuel at higher fuel flow rates, and means connecting the second outlet to the large fuel ports by-passing the fuel control means.

2. A system for supplying fuel to a combustion apparatus including fuel injection means having small and large fuel flow ports, the system being adapted to minimize the effect of contaminants in the fuel upon the performance of the apparatus, the system comprising, in combination, means for supplying fuel under pressure, fuel control means for controlling the rate of fuel flow to the apparatus supplied by the supplying means, dirt separating means supplied by the supplying means having a first outlet for a major portion of relatively clean fuel and a second outlet for a minor portion of relatively dirty fuel, means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the small fuel flow ports for discharge of a minor portion of maximum fuel flow, valve means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of clean fuel at higher fuel flow rates, and means connecting the second outlet of the separating device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of the said relatively dirty fuel.

3. A system as recited in claim 2 in which the fuel controlling means is supplied with fuel from the supplying means through the separating means.

4. A system as recited in claim 2 in which the separating means is supplied with fuel from the supplying means through the fuel controlling means.

5. A system for supplying fuel to a combustion apparatus including fuel injection means having small and large fuel flow ports, the system being adapted to minimize the effect of contaminants in the fuel upon the performance of the apparatus, the system comprising, in combination, means for supplying fuel under pressure, fuel control means for controlling the rate of fuel flow to the apparatus supplied by the supplying means, dirt separating means supplied by the supplying means having a first outlet for a major portion of relatively clean fuel and a second outlet for a minor portion of relatively dirty fuel, means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the small fuel flow ports for discharge of a minor portion of maximum fuel flow, means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of clean fuel at higher fuel flow rates, means connecting the second outlet of the separatinG device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of the said relatively dirty fuel, and means for diverting a controlled amount of the relatively clean fuel into the means connecting the second outlet to the large fuel flow ports to aid flow of the dirty fuel through the connecting means and large flow ports.

6. A system for supplying fuel to a combustion engine including fuel injection means having small and large fuel flow ports, the system being adapted to minimize the effect of contaminants in the fuel upon the performance of the engine, the system comprising, in combination, means for supplying fuel under pressure, fuel control means for controlling the rate of fuel flow to the engine supplied by the supplying means, dirt separating means supplied by the supplying means having a first outlet for a major portion of relatively clean fuel and a second outlet for a minor portion of relatively dirty fuel, means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the small fuel flow ports for discharge of a minor portion of maximum fuel flow, means connecting the first outlet of the separating device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of clean fuel at higher fuel flow rates, and means connecting the second outlet of the separating device to the large fuel flow ports for discharge of the said relatively dirty fuel, the separating means comprising two centrifuge-filters connected in series, the first centrifuge-filter in series being smaller than the second and having its clean fuel outlet connected to the inlet of the second centrifuge-filter, the dirty fuel outlets of the two centrifuge-filters being connected in parallel, and comprising means for diverting fuel around the first centrifuge-filter at higher fuel flow rates.

7. A system for burning fuel containing a significant amount of particulate contaminants comprising, in combination, means for supplying such fuel under pressure, a combustion apparatus fed by the supplying means for burning the fuel, fuel nebulizing means in the combustion apparatus including first nebulizing means of relatively low fuel flow capacity and relatively low tolerance for particulate contaminants and second nebulizing means of relatively high fuel flow capacity and relatively high tolerance for particulate contaminants, means for controlling the rate of flow from the supplying means to the nebulizing means, and separating means connected between the supplying means and the nebulizing means, the separating means being effective to separate the fuel into a first portion consisting of a major portion of the fuel and an insubstantial portion of the said particulate contaminants and a second portion consisting of the remainder of the fuel and particulate contaminants, the separating device having a first outlet for the first portion and a second outlet for the second portion, means connecting the first outlet to the first nebulizing means, and means connecting the second outlet to the second nebulizing means.

8. A system for burning fuel containing a significant amount of particulate contaminants comprising, in combination, means for supplying such fuel under pressure, a combustion apparatus fed by the supplying means for burning the fuel, fuel nebulizing means in the combustion apparatus including first nebulizing means of relatively low fuel flow capacity and relatively low tolerance for particulate contaminants and second nebulizing means of relatively high fuel flow capacity and relatively high tolerance for particulate contaminants, means for controlling the rate of flow from the supplying means to the nebulizing means, and separating means connected between the supplying means and the nebulizing means, the separating means being effective to separate the fuel into a first portion consisting of a major portion of the fuel and an insubstantial portion of the said particulate contaminants and a second portion consisting of the remainder of the fuel and particulate contaminants, the separating device having a first outlet for the First portion and a second outlet for the second portion, means connecting the first outlet to the first nebulizing means and means connecting the second outlet to the second nebulizing means, the system also including means for diverting a fraction of the first portion from the first connecting means into the second connecting means at low fuel flow rates to flush the second portion through the nebulizing means.

9. A system for burning fuel containing a significant amount of particulate contaminants comprising, in combination, means for supplying such fuel under pressure, a combustion apparatus fed by the supplying means for burning the fuel, fuel nebulizing means in the combustion apparatus including first nebulizing means of relatively low fuel flow capacity and relatively low tolerance for particulate contaminants and second nebulizing means of relatively high fuel flow capacity and relatively high tolerance for particulate contaminants, means for controlling the rate of flow from the supplying means to the nebulizing means, and separating means connected between the supplying means and the nebulizing means, the separating means being effective to separate the fuel into a first portion consisting of a major portion of the fuel and an insubstantial portion of the said particulate contaminants and a second portion consisting of the remainder of the fuel and particulate contaminants, the separating device having a first outlet for the first portion and a second outlet for the second portion, means connecting the first outlet to the first nebulizing means and means connecting the second outlet to the second nebulizing means, the system also including means for diverting a fraction of the first portion from the first connecting means into the second connecting means at low fuel flow rates to flush the second portion through the nebulizing means, the system also including means for diverting fuel from the first connecting means into the second connecting means at high fuel flow rates to accommodate fuel flow to the first nebulizing means to the capacity of the first nebulizing means.