Air/fuel supply system for use in a gas turbine engine

• US 8,752,386 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mikro Systems, Inc., Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mikro Systems, Inc., Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Fox, Timothy A., Schilp, Reinhard, Gambacorta, Domenico
• Primary Examiner(s): Wongwian, Phutthiwat
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUTHERLAND, STEVEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/786,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 607/40, 607/48, 607/34, 607/37, 607/38, 607/42, 607/46, 607/47
• US Class Current: 60/737
• 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 3/34 Feeding into different combustion zones

Abstract

A fuel injector for use in a gas turbine engine combustor assembly. The fuel injector includes a main body and a fuel supply structure. The main body has an inlet end and an outlet end and defines a longitudinal axis extending between the outlet and inlet ends. The main body comprises a plurality of air/fuel passages extending therethrough, each air/fuel passage including an inlet that receives air from a source of air and an outlet. The fuel supply structure communicates with and supplies fuel to the air/fuel passages for providing an air/fuel mixture within each air/fuel passage. The air/fuel mixtures exit the main body through respective air/fuel passage outlets.

Claims

1. A fuel injector for use in a combustor assembly of a gas turbine engine, the fuel injector comprising:

a main body having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction of the fuel injector and extending between said outlet end and said inlet end, said main body comprising a plurality of air/fuel passages extending therethrough, each air/fuel passage including an inlet that receives air from a source of air and an outlet, wherein said air/fuel passages comprise hexagonal-shaped passages positioned in a honeycomb configuration; and

a fuel supply structure extending in said longitudinal direction and communicating with and supplying fuel to said air/fuel passages for providing an air/fuel mixture within each air/fuel passage, the air/fuel mixtures exiting said main body through respective air/fuel passage outlets, wherein said fuel supply structure includes isolated fuel distribution passages that individually deliver respective portions of fuel from said fuel supply structure to each of said air/fuel passages.

2. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein:

said main body comprises a wall structure between said air/fuel passages and a thickness of said wall structure between adjacent air/fuel passages, measured in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, is substantially uniform around a perimeter of each said air/fuel passage.

3. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said fuel distribution passages extend transverse to said longitudinal axis for conveying fuel to each of said air/fuel passage.

4. The fuel injector of claim 3, wherein said fuel distribution passages extend away from said longitudinal axis in a direction including a component in said longitudinal direction toward said outlet end of said main body.

5. The fuel injector of claim 3, wherein said air/fuel passages include at least an outlet portion extending substantially in said longitudinal direction, said outlet portions located at successive radial locations from said longitudinal axis, and at least some of said fuel distribution passages pass between radially inner ones of said air/fuel passages to supply fuel to radially outer ones of said air/fuel passages.

6. The fuel injector of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle structure that receives the air/fuel mixtures from said main body and injects the air/fuel mixtures into a duct structure of the combustor assembly, said nozzle structure comprising:

a first portion overlapping said outlet end of said main body, said first portion being spaced from a radially outer surface of said outlet end of said main body such that a gap is formed therebetween, said gap permitting air to pass from said source of air into said nozzle structure; and

a second portion receiving the air/fuel mixtures discharged from said air/fuel passages, said second portion comprising a converging nozzle wall, said converging wall effecting an increase in a velocity of the air/fuel mixtures discharged from said air/fuel passages as the air/fuel mixtures flow through said second portion of said nozzle structure.

7. The fuel injector of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of spanning members located within said gap and extending between said first portion of said nozzle structure and said radially outer surface of said main body, wherein said spanning members are angled with respect to said longitudinal axis of said main body to effect a swirling flow of the air passing through said gap.

8. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein outlet portions of said air/fuel passages in fluid communication with said outlets are angled relative to said longitudinal axis to effect a swirling flow of the air/fuel mixtures discharged from said air/fuel passages.

9. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the air/fuel mixtures from said air/fuel passages are discharged into a secondary combustion zone downstream from a main combustion zone of the combustor assembly.

10. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said fuel supply structure further comprises a central outlet located at said outlet end of said main body, wherein additional fuel from said fuel supply structure exits said fuel supply structure in said longitudinal direction through said central outlet.

11. An air/fuel supply system for use in a combustor assembly of a gas turbine engine, the air/fuel supply system comprising:

a fuel injector comprising;

a main body having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction of said fuel injector and extending between said outlet end and said inlet end, said main body comprising a plurality of air/fuel passages extending therethrough, each air/fuel passage including an inlet that receives air from a source of air and an outlet, wherein said air/fuel passages comprise hexagonal-shaped passages positioned in a honeycomb configuration; and

a fuel supply structure in said main body extending in said longitudinal direction, said fuel supply structure including at least one fuel inlet that receives fuel from a source of fuel and a plurality of fuel outlets, each said fuel outlet communicating with and supplying fuel to at least one of said air/fuel passages, wherein said fuel supply structure includes isolated fuel distribution passages that individually deliver respective portions of fuel from said fuel supply structure to each of said air fuel passages; and

wherein air passing through each said air/fuel passage is mixed with fuel from at least one of said fuel outlets, said mixing occurring within each said air/fuel passage to produce an air/fuel mixture within each air/fuel passage, said air/fuel mixture within each said air/fuel passage exiting said outlet end of said main body through a respective air/fuel passage outlet.

12. The air/fuel supply system of claim 11, wherein said fuel supply structure further comprises a central passage extending in said longitudinal direction and said fuel distribution passages extend transversely to said longitudinal axis from said central passage to said air/fuel passages at respective ones of said fuel outlets.

13. The air/fuel supply system of claim 12, wherein said air/fuel passages are positioned in an annular array around said longitudinal axis.

14. The air/fuel supply system of claim 13, wherein:

said annular array comprises at least a first set of air/fuel passages and a second set of air/fuel passages located radially inwardly from said first set of air/fuel passages; and

said fuel distribution passages include a first set of fuel distribution passages passing between adjacent ones of said second set of air/fuel passages to said first set of air/fuel passages and a second set of fuel distribution passages passing to said second set of air/fuel passages.

15. The air/fuel supply system of claim 14, wherein:

said main body comprises a wall structure between said air/fuel passages and a thickness of said wall structure between adjacent air/fuel passages, measured in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, is substantially uniform around a perimeter of each said air/fuel passage.

16. The air/fuel supply system of claim 12, wherein said fuel supply structure further comprises a central outlet in communication with said central passage and located at said outlet end of said main body, wherein additional fuel from said fuel supply structure exits said fuel supply structure in said longitudinal direction through said central outlet.

17. The air/fuel supply system of claim 11, wherein outlet portions of said air/fuel passages in fluid communication with said outlets are angled relative to said longitudinal axis to effect a swirling flow of the air/fuel mixtures discharged from said air/fuel passages.

18. The air/fuel supply system of claim 11, wherein the air/fuel supply system comprises a plurality of said fuel injectors, and wherein said fuel supply structure for each of said fuel injectors is connected to a fuel manifold of the combustor assembly.

19. The air/fuel supply system of claim 18, wherein the air/fuel mixtures from said air/fuel passages of each of said fuel injectors are discharged into a secondary combustion zone downstream from a main combustion zone of the combustor assembly.

20. The air/fuel supply system of claim 11, further comprising a nozzle structure that receives the air/fuel mixtures from said main body and injects the air/fuel mixtures into a duct structure of the combustor assembly, said nozzle structure comprising a portion defining an inner volume of said nozzle structure, said portion having a length of no more than about 1.5 times an outlet diameter of said nozzle structure.