This disclosure relates generally to a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to fuel delivery for the gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine typically includes multiple fuel injectors for delivering fuel for combustion within a combustion chamber. Various types and configurations of fuel injectors are known in the art. While these known fuel injectors have various benefits, there is still room in the art form improvement.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel delivery apparatus is provided for a gas turbine engine. This fuel delivery apparatus includes a fuel injector. The fuel injector includes a plurality of fuel passages, a guide passage, a plurality of air passages, a mixing cavity and a fuel injector outlet. The fuel passages extend along an axis to the guide passage. The fuel passages converge radially inwards towards the axis as the fuel passages spiral about the axis towards the guide passage. The guide passage turns radially outwards away from the axis as the guide passage extends from the fuel passages to the mixing cavity. The air passages converge radially inwards towards the axis as the air passages extend axially to the mixing cavity. The mixing cavity fluidly couples the guide passage and the air passages to the fuel injector outlet.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, another fuel delivery apparatus is provided for a gas turbine engine. This fuel delivery apparatus includes a fuel injector. The fuel injector includes a plurality of fuel passages, a guide passage, a plurality of air passages, a mixing cavity, a fuel injector outlet, an inner structure and an outer structure circumscribing the inner structure. The fuel passages are radially between the inner structure and the outer structure. Each of the fuel passages projects radially into the inner structure. Each of the fuel passages spirals about the inner structure to the guide passage. The guide passage is radially and axially between the inner structure and the outer structure. The guide passage fluidly couples the fuel passages to the mixing cavity. The air passages project axially through the outer structure to the mixing cavity. The mixing cavity fluidly couples the guide passage and the air passages to the fuel injector outlet. The mixing cavity extends radially within the outer structure. The mixing cavity is axially between the outer structure and the inner structure.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, another fuel delivery apparatus is provided for a gas turbine engine. This fuel delivery apparatus includes a fuel nozzle insert, a flow guide, an air swirler body, a plurality of fuel passages, an annular mixing cavity, an annular guide passage and a plurality of air passages. The flow guide is connected to and projects axially along an axis out from an end of the fluid nozzle insert. The air swirler body circumscribes the fuel nozzle insert and the flow guide. The fuel passages are formed by and radially between the fuel nozzle insert and the air swirler body. The fuel passages radially converge and spiral about the fuel nozzle insert towards the flow guide. The annular mixing cavity is formed by and axially between the flow guide and the air swirler body. The annular guide passage extends radially outward from the fuel passages to the annular mixing cavity. The air passages project axially through the air swirler body to the mixing cavity.
The air passages may be a plurality of inner air passages. The air swirler body may also include a plurality of outer air passages arranged in an array radially outboard of the inner air passages. Each of the outer air passages may extend through the air swirler body.
The fuel passages may converge radially inwards as the fuel passages spiral about the inner structure to the guide passage.
The air passages may be a plurality of inner air passages. The fuel injector may also include a plurality of outer air passages arranged in an array radially outboard of the inner air passages. Each of the outer air passages may extend through the outer structure.
The fuel delivery apparatus may also include a hydrogen fuel source configured to deliver hydrogen fuel to the fuel passages.
The guide passage may be an annular guide passage. In addition or alternatively, the mixing cavity may be an annular mixing cavity. In addition or alternatively, the fuel injector outlet may be an annular fuel injector outlet.
The fuel injector may also include an inner structure and an outer structure circumscribing the inner structure. Each of the fuel passages may be disposed radially between and formed by the inner structure and the outer structure.
The guide passage may be disposed radially and axially between and formed by the inner structure and the outer structure.
The mixing cavity may be disposed axially between and formed by the inner structure and the outer structure.
The inner structure may be configured as or otherwise include an insert disposed in an inner bore of the outer structure. Each of the fuel passages may be configured as or otherwise include a channel projecting into the insert.
The inner structure may also include a flow guide attached to and projecting axially out from an end of the insert. The flow guide may include an outer surface forming an inner peripheral boundary of the guide passage. The outer surface may have a curved sectional geometry which curves radially outward away from the axis as the outer surface extends axially away from the insert.
The outer surface may radially overlap the outer structure and may also form a side peripheral boundary of the mixing cavity.
The fuel injector outlet may extend between and may be formed by an outer peripheral edge of the flow guide and the outer structure.
The flow guide may be attached to the insert by a threaded connection.
Each of the air passages may extend through a flange of the outer structure.
The air passages may be a plurality of inner air passages. The fuel injector may also include a plurality of outer air passages arranged radially outboard of the inner air passages. Each of the outer air passages may extend through the flange of the outer structure.
The air passages may also extend circumferentially about the axis as the air passages extend axially to the mixing cavity.
The fuel delivery apparatus may also include a fuel source configured to deliver gaseous fuel to the fuel injector.
The present disclosure may include any one or more of the individual features disclosed above and/or below alone or in any combination thereof.
The foregoing features and the operation of the invention will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings.
The mechanical load 22 may be configured as or otherwise include a rotor 30 mechanically driven and/or otherwise powered by the engine core 24. This driven rotor 30 may be a bladed propulsor rotor 32 (e.g., an air mover) where the aircraft system 20 is (or is part of) the aircraft propulsion system. The propulsor rotor 32 includes a plurality of rotor blades arranged circumferentially around and connected to at least (or only) one rotor base (e.g., a disk, a hub, etc.). The propulsor rotor 32 may be an open (e.g., un-ducted) propulsor rotor or a ducted propulsor rotor. Examples of the open propulsor rotor include a propeller rotor for a turboprop propulsion system, a rotorcraft rotor (e.g., a main helicopter rotor) for a turboshaft propulsion system, a propfan rotor for a propfan propulsion system, and a pusher fan rotor for a pusher fan propulsion system. An example of the ducted propulsor rotor is a fan rotor for a turbofan propulsion system. The present disclosure, of course, is not limited to the foregoing exemplary propulsor rotor arrangements. Moreover, the driven rotor 30 may alternatively be a generator rotor of an electric power generator where the aircraft system 20 is (or is part of) the aircraft power system; e.g., an auxiliary power unit (APU) for the aircraft. However, for ease of description, the mechanical load 22 may be generally described below as a propulsor section 34 of the gas turbine engine 26 and the driven rotor 30 may be generally described as the propulsor rotor 32 within the propulsor section 34.
The engine core 24 extends axially along an axial centerline 36 between an upstream, forward end of the engine core 24 and a downstream, aft end of the engine core 24. This axial centerline 36 may be a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine 26 and/or its engine core 24. The axial centerline 36 may also or alternatively be a rotational axis of one or more rotating assemblies (e.g., 38 and 40) of the gas turbine engine 26 and its engine core 24. The engine core 24 includes a compressor section 42, a combustor section 43, a turbine section 44 and a core flowpath 46. The turbine section 44 of
The compressor section 42 includes one or more bladed compressor rotors 52. The HPT section 44A includes at least one bladed high pressure turbine (HPT) rotor 53. The LPT section 44B includes at least one bladed low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor 54. Each of these engine rotors 52-54 includes a plurality of rotor blades (e.g., airfoils, vanes, etc.) arranged circumferentially around and connected to one or more rotor bases (e.g., disks, hubs, etc.). Each of the engine rotors 52-54 may be configured with one or more stages; e.g., one or more arrays of the rotor blades arranged along the core flowpath 46.
The compressor rotors 52 are coupled to and rotatable with the HPT rotor 53. The compressor rotors 52 of
During operation of the gas turbine engine 26, air may be directed across the driven rotor 30 (e.g., the propulsor rotor 32) and into the engine core 24 through the core inlet 48. This air entering the core flowpath 46 may be referred to as core air. The core air is compressed by the compressor rotors 52 and directed into a combustion chamber 64 (e.g., an annular combustion chamber) within a combustor 66 (e.g., an annular combustor) of the combustor section 43. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber 64 by one or more fuel injectors 68 and mixed with the compressed core air to provide a fuel-air mixture. This fuel-air mixture is ignited and combustion products thereof flow through and sequentially cause the HPT rotor 53 and the LPT rotor 54 to rotate. The rotation of the HPT rotor 53 drives rotation of the compressor rotors 52 and, thus, the compression of the air received from the core inlet 48. The rotation of the LPT rotor 54 drives rotation of the driven rotor 30. Where the driven rotor 30 is configured as the propulsor rotor 32, the rotation of that propulsor rotor 32 may propel additional air (e.g., outside air, bypass air, etc.) outside of the engine core 24 to provide aircraft thrust and/or lift. Where the driven rotor 30 is configured as the generator rotor, the rotation of that generator rotor may facilitate generation of electricity.
While the gas turbine engine 26 and its engine core 24 are described above with the two rotating assemblies 38 and 40, the present disclosure is not limited to such an exemplary arrangement. The gas turbine engine 26 and its engine core 24, for example, may alternatively include a single rotating assembly or three or more rotating assemblies. Moreover, while the system 20 is generally described above with respect to aircraft applications, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The gas turbine engine 26, for example, may alternatively be configured as or otherwise included as part of a ground-based industrial powerplant. However, for ease of description, the system 20 may be described below with respect to the aircraft system of
Referring to
The fuel source 70 of
The fuel injectors 68 of
The injector inner structure 84 of
The insert upstream section 98 is disposed at the insert upstream end 94. The insert upstream section 98 of
The insert downstream section 100 is disposed at the insert downstream end 96.
The nozzle insert 88 of
The insert downstream section 100 of
Referring to
Referring to
The injector outer structure 86 extends axially along the axis 92 from an upstream end 120 of the injector outer structure 86 to a downstream end 122 of the injector outer structure 86, which outer structure downstream end 122 may also be the injector distal end 82. The injector outer structure 86 of
The outer structure base 124 extends axially along the axis 92 from the outer structure upstream end 120 to a downstream end 128 of the outer structure base 124. This base downstream end 128 of
The outer structure flange 126 projects radially out from the outer structure base 124 and its base outer surface 132 to a distal outer end 134 of the outer structure flange 126. The outer structure flange 126 extends axially between an upstream side 136 of the outer structure flange 126 and a downstream side 138 of the outer structure flange 126, where a corner between the flange downstream side 138 and the flange outer end 134 may be disposed at the outer structure downstream end 122 and/or the injector distal end 82. With this arrangement, the outer structure flange 126 may have a cupped shaped geometry which leans axially towards the outer structure downstream end 122 and/or the injector distal end 82.
Referring to
The air passages 142 and 144 of
Referring to
Each of the outer air passages 144 extends longitudinally along a longitudinal centerline of the respective outer air passage 144 through the outer structure flange 126 from an inlet (not visible) into the respective outer air passage 144 to an outlet 158 from the respective outer air passage 144. The outer air passage inlet is disposed in the flange upstream side 136, and the outer air passage outlet 158 is disposed in the flange downstream side 138 radially outboard of the mixing channel 140. A trajectory of the outer air passage centerline of
The injector inner structure 84 is mated with the injector outer structure 86. The nozzle insert 88 of
The guide passage 164 is formed radially between and by the nozzle flow guide 90 and its flow guide outer surface 118 and the injector outer structure 86 and its outer structure base 124. The guide passage 164 is also formed axially between and by the nozzle flow guide 90 and its flow guide outer surface 118 and the injector outer structure 86 and its outer structure base 124, where the flow guide outer surface 118 radially overlaps injector outer structure 86 and its outer structure base 124. The injector inner structure 84 and its nozzle flow guide 90 thereby form an inner peripheral boundary of the guide passage 164. The injector outer structure 86 and its outer structure base 124 form an outer peripheral boundary of the guide passage 164. With this arrangement, the guide passage 164 turns radially outward as the guide passage 164 extends away from the fuel passages 162 towards (e.g., to) an annular mixing cavity 166.
The mixing cavity 166 includes the mixing channel 140 and an annular volume axially between the mixing channel 140 and the nozzle flow guide 90 and its flow guide outer surface 118. The mixing cavity 166, more particularly, is formed by and axially between the injector outer structure 86 and its members 124 and 126 and the nozzle flow guide 90 and its flow guide outer surface 118, where the flow guide outer surface 118 forms a side peripheral boundary of the mixing cavity 166. The mixing cavity 166 is also formed radially within the injector outer structure 86 between the channel inner side 148 and the channel outer side 150. With this arrangement, the mixing cavity 166 fluidly couples the guide passage 164 and each of the inner air passages 142 to an annular fuel injector outlet 168. This injector outlet 168 is disposed at the injector distal end 82, and is formed by and extends radially between an outer distal end of the nozzle flow guide 90 and an outer corner between the channel outer side 150 and the flange downstream side 138.
During operation of the fuel injector 68 of
The fuel received by the fuel passages 162 and injected into the combustion chamber 64 through the injector head 80 may be a gaseous fuel (e.g., fuel in a gaseous phase) such as gaseous hydrogen (H2) fuel; e.g., hydrogen (H2) gas. With such a gaseous fuel, swirling the fuel and the air entering the mixing cavity 166 may facilitate improved emissions control, ignition and/or flame stability within the combustion chamber 64. However, mixing fuel and air within the mixing cavity 166 may also provide benefits for other gaseous fuels, including hydrocarbon fuels such as nature gas, propane and the like. Moreover, it is further contemplated the injector head 80 of the present disclosure may also provide improved combustion for various liquid fuels; e.g., a fuel in a liquid phase.
In some embodiments, referring to
While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the present disclosure as described herein includes several aspects and embodiments that include particular features. Although these features may be described individually, it is within the scope of the present disclosure that some or all of these features may be combined with any one of the aspects and remain within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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8348180 | Mao | Jan 2013 | B2 |
9752774 | Wang | Sep 2017 | B2 |
10228137 | Kopp-Vaughan | Mar 2019 | B2 |
11421883 | Binek | Aug 2022 | B2 |
20200139390 | Thomson | May 2020 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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06181997 | Jan 2015 | JP |
2014113105 | Jul 2014 | WO |