Gas Turbine Combustor Fuel Nozzle Asymmetric Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The gas turbine combustor faces pressure loss due to flow separation behind fuel nozzles, leading to efficiency reduction, and existing solutions to reduce NOx emissions do not effectively address this issue without increasing pressure loss.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine combustor design featuring fuel nozzles with outward projections at their outer edges, directed towards the combustor center, to minimize flow separation and pressure loss while maintaining low NOx emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If multiple fuel nozzles are arranged on the upstream side of air hole plates, then mixing enhancement and combustion stability are improved, but pressure loss increases due to flow separation behind the fuel nozzles
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel nozzle is designed with an asymmetric projection structure on its outer edge, creating an asymmetric flow path that guides combustion air smoothly around the nozzle. This asymmetric geometry prevents symmetric flow separation that would otherwise occur behind the nozzle, reducing pressure loss while maintaining mixing enhancement and combustion stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection on the outer edge of the fuel nozzle features a curved surface that smoothly guides the combustion air flow around the nozzle. This curvature eliminates sharp edges that would cause flow separation, allowing the air flow to follow a smooth curved path and reducing pressure loss while still enabling effective fuel-air mixing.
2Productivity
If fuel nozzles are designed to enhance mixing, then combustion efficiency is improved, but flow separation occurs behind the nozzles causing pressure loss
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric projection structure on the fuel nozzle outer edge creates an asymmetric flow pattern that enhances mixing on the combustion side while minimizing flow separation on the downstream side. This asymmetric design allows the air flow to be deflected smoothly around the nozzle, reducing pressure loss while maintaining combustion efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved surface of the projection on the fuel nozzle outer edge smoothly guides the combustion air around the nozzle, preventing flow separation. This curvature allows the air flow to follow a smooth path, reducing turbulence and pressure loss while still achieving effective fuel-air mixing for high combustion efficiency.
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 design reduces pressure loss and maintains low NOx emissions, enhancing the combustor's efficiency and reliability by adjusting the flow around fuel nozzles and uniformizing the fuel-air ratio.
Implementation Method 1
a problem arises that when combustion air flows in the space wherein a plurality of fuel nozzles are lined on the upstream side of the air hole plates of the burners, a pressure loss due to separating of the flow generated behind the fuel nozzles is caused
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine combustor (2) comprising a burner (6) including a plurality of fuel nozzles (26) for injecting fuel, and an air hole plate positioned on a downstream side of the fuel nozzles (26). Each of the fuel nozzles and a plurality of air holes (32) are arranged in pairs. The combustor (2) further comprises a combustion chamber (5) for mixing fuel injected from the fuel nozzles configuring the burner and air injected from the air holes (32) and burning the mixed fuel. Each of the fuel nozzles (26) is provided with a projection being positioned on a downstream side of a flow of combustion air flowing around each of the fuel nozzles.