Aerodynamically enhanced fuel nozzle

• US 8,387,391 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Patel, Nayan Vinodbhai, Benjamin, Michael Anthony, Thomsen, Duane Douglas, Mancini, Alfred Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Wongwian, Phutthiwat
• Application Number:
  US12/971,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 607/37, 607/40, 607/42, 60746-748, 239/399, 239/405, 239/406
• US Class Current: 60/740
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/28 characterised by the fuel supply burners F23D
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/34 Feeding into different combustion zones
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/60 Support structures; Attaching or mounting means

Abstract

A gas turbine engine fuel nozzle assembly includes a pilot fuel injector tip substantially centered about a centerline axis in an annular pilot inlet to a pilot mixer. A cross over arm extends across inlet to tip. Arm includes an arm fairing surrounding at least one fuel transfer tube to tip. A pilot nose cap is at an upstream end of tip. At least one of the cross over arm and the pilot nose cap includes a rounded forebody followed by a straight afterbody. Rounded forebody of pilot nose cap includes a substantially rounded dome extending forwardly from a rounded nose base and straight afterbody includes a substantially cylindrical nose afterbody parallel to a pilot nose centerline normal to nose base. An arm fairing surrounding fuel transfer tubes to tip includes rounded leading and trailing edges and a rectangular middle section therebetween having flat first and second sides.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine fuel nozzle assembly comprising:

a pilot fuel injector tip substantially centered about a centerline axis in an annular pilot inlet to a pilot mixer,

a cross over arm extending radially across the annular pilot inlet to the pilot fuel injector tip,

the cross over arm including an arm fairing surrounding at least one fuel transfer tube to the pilot fuel injector tip,

a pilot nose cap located at an upstream end of the pilot fuel injector tip, and

at least one of the cross over arm and the pilot nose cap including a rounded forebody followed by a straight afterbody.

2. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a pilot housing including a centerbody radially surrounding the pilot mixer,

an axially or downstream extending injector cooling flowpath disposed in the pilot housing and radially between a fuel nozzle inner casing and the centerbody,

an upstream forward end of the centerbody including an annular chamfered leading edge of the forward end, and

a radially inwardly facing conical chamfered surface of the chamfered leading edge.

3. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

substantially concentric primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles in the pilot fuel injector tip,

a main fuel nozzle spaced radially outwardly of the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles,

the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having circular primary and annular secondary exits respectively, and

the circular primary exit located axially aftwardly and downstream of the annular secondary exit.

4. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

an annular secondary fuel supply passage operable for flowing fuel to the annular secondary exit in the secondary pilot fuel nozzle,

an annular secondary fuel swirler in the secondary fuel supply passage, and

the secondary fuel swirler including an annular array of helical spin slots.

5. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the helical spin slots having rectangular cross sections.

6. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having conical primary and secondary exit orifices.

7. A gas turbine engine fuel nozzle assembly comprising:

a pilot fuel injector tip substantially centered about a centerline axis in an annular pilot inlet to a pilot mixer,

a cross over arm extending radially across the annular pilot inlet to the pilot fuel injector tip,

a pilot nose cap located at an upstream end of the pilot fuel injector tip,

the pilot nose cap including a rounded forebody followed by a straight afterbody,

the rounded forebody including a substantially rounded dome extending axially forwardly or upstream from a rounded nose base, and

the straight afterbody including a substantially cylindrical nose afterbody extending axially aftwardly or downstream from the nose base and parallel to a pilot nose centerline perpendicular or normal to the nose base.

8. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the pilot nose centerline being collinear or angled with respect to the centerline axis.

9. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the dome being a generally oval rounded dome and the nose base including a generally oval perimeter.

10. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the generally oval perimeter including circular first and second end segments connected by spaced apart side segments.

11. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

the circular first and second end segments being mirror image arcs having first radii,

the side segments being generally mirror image arcs having second radii substantially greater than the first radii,

straight middle sections centered in the side segments,

a center conical section of the dome extending forwardly or upstream from the straight middle sections,

the nose afterbody including spaced apart rounded first and second ends corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the circular first and second end segments, and

the nose afterbody including spaced apart generally curved sides corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the curved side segments.

12. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the nose afterbody including a rectangular middle section disposed between the rounded first and second ends and the rectangular middle section including spaced apart flat sides corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the straight middle sections.

13. A gas turbine engine fuel nozzle assembly comprising:

a pilot fuel injector tip substantially centered about a centerline axis in an annular pilot inlet to a pilot mixer,

a cross over arm extending radially across the annular pilot inlet to the pilot fuel injector tip,

the cross over arm including an arm fairing surrounding at least one or more fuel transfer tubes to the pilot fuel injector tip,

the arm fairing including rounded leading and trailing edges and a rectangular middle section extending therebetween, and

the rectangular middle section including generally flat and generally circumferentially spaced apart flat first and second sides.

14. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

substantially concentric primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles in the pilot fuel injector tip,

primary and secondary fuel supply passages of the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles respectively in the pilot fuel injector tip, and

the fuel transfer tubes including primary and secondary fuel transfer tubes connected to the primary and secondary fuel supply passages respectively.

15. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a pilot nose cap located at an upstream end of the pilot fuel injector tip,

the pilot nose cap including a rounded forebody followed by a straight afterbody,

the rounded forebody including a substantially rounded dome extending axially forwardly or upstream from a rounded nose base, and

the straight afterbody including a substantially cylindrical nose afterbody extending axially aftwardly or downstream from the nose base and parallel to a pilot nose centerline perpendicular or normal to the nose base.

16. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the pilot nose centerline being collinear or angled with respect to the centerline axis.

17. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the dome being a generally oval rounded dome and the nose base including a generally oval perimeter.

18. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

the generally oval perimeter including circular first and second end segments connected by spaced apart side segments,

the circular first and second end segments being mirror image arcs having first radii,

the side segments being generally mirror image arcs having second radii substantially greater than the first radii,

straight middle sections centered in the side segments,

a center conical section of the dome 78 extending forwardly or upstream from the straight middle sections,

the nose afterbody including spaced apart rounded first and second ends corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the circular first and second end segments, and

the nose afterbody including spaced apart generally curved sides corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the curved side segments.

19. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the nose afterbody including a rectangular middle section disposed between the rounded first and second ends and the rectangular middle section including spaced apart flat sides corresponding to and extending aftwardly or downstream from the straight middle sections.

20. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a pilot housing including a centerbody radially surrounding the pilot mixer,

an axially or downstream extending injector cooling flowpath disposed in the pilot housing and radially between a fuel nozzle inner casing and the centerbody,

an upstream forward end of the centerbody including an annular chamfered leading edge of the forward end, and

a radially inwardly facing conical chamfered surface of the chamfered leading edge.

21. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

substantially concentric primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles in the pilot fuel injector tip,

a main fuel nozzle spaced radially outwardly of the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles,

the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having circular primary and annular secondary exits respectively, and

the circular primary exit located axially aftwardly and downstream of the annular secondary exit.

22. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

an annular secondary fuel supply passage operable for flowing fuel to the annular secondary exit in the secondary pilot fuel nozzle,

an annular secondary fuel swirler in the secondary fuel supply passage, and

the secondary fuel swirler including an annular array of helical spin slots.

23. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 22, further comprising the helical spin slots having rectangular cross sections.

24. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 23, further comprising the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having conical primary and secondary exit orifices.

25. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

substantially concentric primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles in the pilot fuel injector tip,

a main fuel nozzle spaced radially outwardly of the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles,

the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having circular primary and annular secondary exits respectively, and

the circular primary exit located axially aftwardly and downstream of the annular secondary exit.

26. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

an annular secondary fuel supply passage operable for flowing fuel to the annular secondary exit in the secondary pilot fuel nozzle,

an annular secondary fuel swirler in the secondary fuel supply passage, and

the secondary fuel swirler including an annular array of helical spin slots.

27. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 26, further comprising the helical spin slots having rectangular cross sections.

28. A fuel nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 27, further comprising the primary and secondary pilot fuel nozzles having conical primary and secondary exit orifices.