The present invention relates to a multi-point fuel injector for use in a combustor of a gas turbine engine or other types of combustors.
One of the biggest challenges for gas turbines, especially for industrial applications, is to have good emission performance and combustion stability for a wide range of power settings and ambient condition. If one has an industrial gas turbine with low emissions of NOx, CO and UHC at 100% power, as one reduces the power, which is usually done by reducing the amount of fuel to the engine, the fuel/air mixture in the combustor typically gets leaner. The leaner mixture of fuel/air lowers the flame temperature and creates a flame which can be quenched relatively easily by a cooler combustor wall or cooling film on the combustor wall. The quenching effect creates excessive CO and UHC and high dynamic pressure. If they are not further oxidized, the CO and UHC become pollutants. The other issue associated with too lean fuel/air mixture is that it creates unstable combustion. Conversely, if one has a gas turbine with low NOx, CO, UHC and acoustics at part power condition, as one increases the power, which is usually done by increasing the amount of fuel to the engine, the fuel/air mixture in the combustor typically gets richer. The richer mixture of fuel/air raises the flame temperature and creates a flame which can generate more NOx. Similar situations can happen with different ambient temperatures. If one has a gas turbine with low NOx, CO, UHC and acoustics at high ambient temperature, as ambient temperature becomes lower, the flame temperature decreases which may create high CO, UHC and unstable flame. Or if one has a gas turbine with low NOx, CO, UHC and acoustics at low ambient temperature, as ambient temperature becomes higher, the flame temperature increases which may create excessive NOx.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-point fuel injector which addresses emission and stability problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method for injecting a fuel/air mixture into a combustor of a turbine engine or other applications which avoids creating excessive CO and UHC at wide power levels and ambient conditions.
The foregoing objects are attained by the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, a novel multi-point injector is provided. The multi-point injector broadly comprises a plurality of nozzles arranged in at least two arrays and means for independently controlling a fuel flow to each array of nozzles. Each of the nozzles in each array includes an outer body defining a fluid channel and vane means for creating a swirling flow within the fluid channel.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, a method for injecting a fuel/air mixture into a combustor of a gas turbine engine is provided. The method broadly comprises the steps of providing an injector having nozzles arranged in at least two arrays, injecting a fuel/air mixture into the combustor stage by supplying fuel in a first quantity to each nozzle in an outermost one of the arrays and supplying fuel in a second quantity to each nozzle in a second one of the arrays; and maintaining the outermost one of the arrays at a flame temperature high enough to maintain a stable and less polluting flame.
Other details of the multi-point staging strategy for low emissions and stable combustion of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict like elements.
Referring now to the drawings,
In accordance with the present invention, means for independently controlling the fuel flow rate for each of the rings 14, 16, 18, and 20 and the optional center nozzle are provided. The fuel flow rate controlling means comprises a different fuel circuit 22 for each ring 14, 16, 18, and 20 and the optional center nozzle. Each fuel circuit 22 may each comprise any suitable valve and conduit arrangement known in the art for allowing control over the flow rate of the fuel provided to each one of the rings 14, 16, 18 and 20 and to the optional center nozzle.
When power reduction is required or ambient temperature is reduced, instead of reducing fuel to all nozzles 12 to the same extent, the flow of fuel is reduced differently for each ring 14, 16, 18 and 20 and the optional center nozzle. The outermost ring 14 may be kept at a flame temperature that is high enough to keep the flame stable so that CO and UHC created from the combustor and dynamic pressure is low, but not so high that ring 14 creates excessive NOx. The other rings 16, 18, and 20 and the optional center nozzle are preferably fueled at lower fuel/air ratios. As a result, lower flame temperature occurs at these rings to achieve more power reduction or to accommodate lower ambient temperature. If desired, some or all of the other rings can be fueled at higher fuel/air ratios if better flame stability is wanted and if NOx limit and power setting/ambient temperature allow. Since nozzle rings 16, 18, and 20 do not interact with the cooler wall or cooling film on the combustor wall 24, the flame from the nozzles 12 in those rings will be less quenched, thus avoiding the creating of excessive CO and UHC. In this way, the CO and UHC emissions can be reduced at lower power settings of the engine or at lower ambient temperature. Since the nozzles 12 in ring 14 are kept at a high enough flame temperature as the power is reduced or ambient temperature is reduced, they can serve as flame stabilizers to stabilize the entire combustion process for all the nozzles 12 and extend lean blowout limit.
If desired, each ring 14, 16, 18, and 20 may define a zone and the injector may be provided with a means for controlling the flow of fuel to one zone as a function of the flow of fuel to a second zone.
The injector 10 and the method outlined above can be used in different kind of combustors (can or annular). In an annular burner as shown in
While
In the injector embodiments of the present invention, the centerbody portion 36 may be closed if desired or used to inject fuel or fuel/air mixture and an ignitor 38 may be positioned off center.
Each nozzle 12 used in the embodiments of
Each nozzle 12 used in the embodiments of
While swirling may be used in each nozzle 12, the present invention will work without swirling and thus vanes 44 may be omitted if desired.
Further, each nozzle 12 is provided with a fuel/air mixture. If desired, a fuel injection unit 49 may be placed adjacent the inlet 51 of the nozzle 12 for premixed flame or be placed adjacent to outlet 52 for diffusion flame. The fuel injection unit 49 may have one or more fuel inlets 50 for delivering fuel to the interior of the fuel injection unit 49. The fuel injection unit can also be an object hanging in the air stream. The fuel inlet 50 can be upstream or downstream of the vanes 44, in the area of the vanes 44, in the vanes 44, from the wall of the outer body 40, or from the inner body 42. The fuel inlets 50 may be supplied with fuel from one of the fuel circuits 22A, 22B, and 22C. While the fuel injection unit 49 and nozzle 12 may be separate elements, they could also be a single integral unit. Further, a diffusion or premixed pilot can be added to the inner body 42.
It should be noted that in an axial swirler design, the swirl vane angle does not have to be the same within the swirler, within the zone, or among different zones. Further, the outlet of all the nozzles does not have to be in one plane.
Also, in the hot zone near the wall 24, some swirlers can be kept cool, while others are kept hot, as long as the entire flame is stable.
Liquid fuel can be prevaporized or directly injected into the nozzle 12. For the direct injection of liquid fuel, in the axial swirler design of
It is also preferred that the nozzles 12 in each of the arrays in the embodiments of
Using the injectors 10 of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the production of low quantities of NOx, CO and UHC for extended power range and ambient conditions. For example, using the injector 10′ of
The injectors of the present invention don't turn fuel off to a particular array or ring. Fuel is always fed to each nozzle in each array or ring. Thus, in the injectors of the present invention, one does not have to worry about a disabled zone quenching an enabled zone. As a result, one does not have to have annular baffles and/or axial separation. In the injectors of the present invention, the various arrays or rings of nozzles 12 are designed to interact with each other.
It is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a multi-point staging for low emissions and stable combustion which fully satisfies the objects, means, and advantages set forth hereinbefore. While the present invention has been described in the context of specific embodiments thereof, other alternatives, modifications, and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art having read the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace those alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the broad scope of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/260,311, filed Sep. 27, 2002, entitled MULTI-POINT STAGING STRATEGY FOR LOW EMISSIONG AND STABLE COMBUSTION, by Alexander G. Chen et al.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10260311 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 11048419 | Jan 2005 | US |