Annular Turbine Injector Structure for Hydrogen Flashback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaseous fuels like hydrogen exhibit faster flame speeds, higher reactivity, and greater flammability, leading to issues such as flashback, autoignition, and flame holding, which can damage injectors in turbine engines.
Innovation Solution
An injector design that utilizes specific geometries and flow patterns to mix hydrogen fuel with air effectively, reducing the likelihood of flashback and autoignition by ensuring suitable intermixing and controlling the flame front.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If gaseous fuels like hydrogen are used in turbine engines, then carbon emissions are reduced, but flashback and autoignition risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The injector divides the fuel delivery system into multiple separate passages: a first fuel passage for supplying gaseous hydrogen fuel and a second fuel passage for supplying liquid hydrogen fuel. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each fuel type's delivery path, enabling effective use of low-emission gaseous hydrogen while maintaining safety through separate control mechanisms for each fuel state
Solution Approach 2:
The injector body acts as an intermediary structure that houses both gaseous and liquid fuel delivery systems, with the second fuel passage positioned to surround the first fuel passage. This intermediary arrangement allows liquid hydrogen to serve as a safety backup and control mechanism, preventing flashback and autoignition while enabling gaseous hydrogen combustion
2Device complexity
If injector design is simplified, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but reliability against flashback and autoignition deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The injector merges multiple fuel delivery functions into a single integrated body structure. The first and second fuel passages are combined within one injector assembly, with the second passage surrounding the first. This merging maintains reliability against flashback and autoignition while avoiding the need for multiple separate injector components, thus controlling device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The second fuel passage is nested within the injector body in annular arrangement about the first fuel passage. This nested configuration allows the liquid hydrogen delivery system to surround and protect the gaseous hydrogen delivery system, providing inherent safety against flashback and autoignition while maintaining a compact, integrated structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The injector design mitigates or eliminates flashback and autoignition, allowing for the use of low-emission fuels like hydrogen, thereby enhancing the durability and reducing carbon emissions in turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
An injector design that utilizes specific geometries and flow patterns to mix hydrogen fuel with air effectively, reducing the likelihood of flashback and autoignition by ensuring suitable intermixing and controlling the flame front
Data Source
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AI summary
A turbine engine (10) comprising a compression section (12), combustion section (14), and turbine section (16) is serial flow arrangement, with the combustion section (14) including an injector (100) for providing a mixture of fuel and air for combustion. The injector (100) includes a body (114), an inner nozzle (102) provided within the body (114) and defining an injector axis (112), and an outer nozzle (104) in annular arrangement about the inner nozzle. (102) A first fuel passage (120) fluidly couples to the inner nozzle (102) and a second fuel passage (164) fluidly couples to the outer nozzle (104). A first set of air conduits (174) are in annular arrangement about the body (114) interior of the outer nozzle (104) and a second set of air conduits (176) are in annular arrangement about the body (114) exterior of the outer nozzle (104).