Patent Application
20160010556
Fuel nozzles are employed to inject fuel into machines such as gas turbine engines, for example. Uniform distribution of the fuel flow before it is discharged from the nozzle helps even out temperature variations during combustion. Although conventional fuel nozzles serve the purpose for which they were designed, devices and methods that promote even greater uniformity of flow distribution of fuel are always of interest to those that practice in the art.
Disclosed herein is a fluid nozzle. The fluid nozzle includes, a body having an annular cavity that extends out one axial end of the fluid nozzle. At least one port fluidically connects to an annular chamber of the annular cavity and the annular cavity is defined between a radially inner surface of the body and a radially outer surface of the body. A first portion of the radially outer surface has a first radial dimension smaller than a greatest radial dimension of the at least one port and a second portion of the radially outer surface further from the annular chamber than the first portion has a second radial dimension greater than the first radial dimension.
Further disclosed is a method of distributing fluid flow through a nozzle. The method includes flowing fluid through at least one port into an annular cavity in a body in a substantially axial direction, impinging the flowing fluid against a radially outer surface of the annular cavity, redirecting the flowing fluid to flow substantially radially, and redirecting the flowing fluid to again flow substantially axially.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to
Also in the illustrated embodiment the radially outer surface 34 includes an approximately sharp (0.000-0.005 radius or edge break) dimensional transition 62 between the annular chamber 30 and the first portion 54. The approximately sharp dimensional transition 62 shown includes a 90 degree corner thereby partially defining a wall 66 of the radially outer surface 34 that is perpendicular to an axis 70 of the fluid nozzle 10.
The foregoing structure promotes uniformity of distribution of fluid flowing through the fluid nozzle 10. Stated another way, the disparity in volumetric fluid flow measured perimetrically around the annular cavity 18 is less than it would be were the first portion 42 not present or not configured as disclosed herein. As such, regardless of how many of the at least one ports 26 are employed, the distribution of fluid leaving the annular cavity 18 can be substantially evenly distributed about the perimeter of the annular cavity 18. This in part is due flowing fluid through the at least one port 26 and into the annular cavity 18 in a substantially axial direction. Impinging the flowing fluid against the radially outer surface 34 thereby redirecting the flowing fluid to flow substantially radially inwardly. Then redirecting the flowing fluid again so that flow is substantially oriented axially again. Each of these redirections tends to even out distribution of volumetric flow around the perimeter of the annular cavity 18. It should be noted that the features disclosed herein that reduce disparity in volumetric fluid flow also improve the thoroughness of mixing of different fluids that may be introduced through the ports 26 into to the annular cavity 18. These features also allow the annular cavity 18 to have a shorter axial length for a given amount of mixing or evening of fluid distribution.
Referring to
Referring to
The fluid nozzle 210 includes other features that are also common to the nozzles 10 and 110. For example, majority of the annular cavity 218 has a substantially frustoconical shape with radial dimensions 235 of the annular cavity 218 being smaller further from an annular chamber 240 of the annular cavity 218. Additionally, the annular cavity 218 has a first annular dimension 243 nearer to the annular chamber 240 that is greater than a second annular dimension 247 thereof that is further from the annular chamber 240.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
