Burner Module Plate With Cavities For Gas Turbine Mixing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Microflame burners in gas turbines increase production costs and require complex designs to ensure efficient air-fuel mixing and power control, while also necessitating larger combustion chambers due to longer residence times, which are costly and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A cost-effective burner module design featuring a plate with cavities and through-channels for fuel and air mixing, allowing for quick and intensive mixing and reducing the combustion chamber size, enabling smaller, more efficient gas turbines with improved dynamic behavior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of stationary object

If microflame burners are used to reduce combustion chamber size, then production costs increase and design complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombustion chamber sizeVSAvoidburner design complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The burner is divided into multiple independent microflame burners (at least two) that are arranged in parallel within the combustion chamber. Each burner operates independently with its own fuel injection system, allowing the system to achieve sufficient mixing and combustion control while maintaining a compact overall structure. This segmentation enables cost-effective manufacturing through standardized components while reducing the combustion chamber volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If the number of microflame burners is increased to ensure sufficient mixing, then production costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair-fuel mixing qualityVSAvoidproduction cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Each microflame burner is designed with specific local characteristics including fuel passage arrangements and air inlet configurations optimized for its position in the combustion chamber. The burners incorporate local quality features such as varying fuel passage diameters and air-to-fuel ratio adjustments tailored to each burner's location, ensuring uniform mixing and combustion throughout the chamber while maintaining cost-effective manufacturing through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Volume of stationary object

If residence time in combustion chamber is reduced to decrease chamber size, then mixing quality may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombustion chamber sizeVSAvoidmixing ratio
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Air and fuel are mixed preliminarily within each microflame burner structure before entering the combustion chamber. The burners incorporate pre-mixing channels and air-fuel mixing zones that ensure thorough mixing occurs at the source, allowing the combustion chamber to be smaller while maintaining high mixing quality. This preliminary mixing action eliminates the need for large chamber volumes and extends residence time benefits to compact designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 burner module reduces production costs, minimizes combustion chamber size, enhances mixing ratios, saves materials, and improves the gas turbine's efficiency by reducing the surface area to be cooled, thus improving overall performance.

Implementation Method 1

The simple construction enables fuel and air (or an air-fuel mixture) to be mixed quickly and intensively

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

The supply of fuel with fuel connections not arranged parallel to the air flow leading to very good mixing ratios

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

The required residence time in the combustion chamber is reduced by the burner module according to the invention

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectResidence time reduction:

Implementation Method 4

The reduction in size of the combustion chamber also reduces the surface area of the combustion chamber to be cooled. Cooling air can be saved here, which improves the efficiency of the overall process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Data Source

PatentEP2588806B1Burner module
Publication Date: 2014.08.20 SIEMENS AG
  • EP2588806B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2588806B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2588806B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a burner module, comprising a plate (90) consisting of an upper face (92) and a lower face (91), wherein at least two cavities containing fuel (110) are provided in the lower face (91), and wherein a through-passage (98) extending from the lower face (91) to the upper face (92) of the plate (90) is present for guiding air (100). The air (100) flowing through the through-passage (98) forms an air flow direction (L), wherein a combustion chamber is provided downstream in the air flow direction (L). Inside the plate (90) at least two fuel connections (105) are provided, which lead from the at least two cavities to at least two opposite openings (101) in the through-passage (98), so that an injection of fuel (110) present in the cavities through the fuel connections (105) into the air (100) of the through-passage (98) is provided.