Fuel Injector with Converging Passages for Vaporization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel delivery systems for gas turbine engines face inefficiencies in mixing fuel and air, particularly in enhancing the rate of vaporization of liquid fuel, which affects combustion performance.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injector design incorporating both plain jet airblast and fuel filming techniques, utilizing annular passageways and swirlers to atomize fuel by increasing its surface area through the use of multiple air passages and fuel conduits, allowing for efficient mixing and combustion in a gas turbine engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional fuel delivery systems are used, then the structure is simple, but the vaporization rate of liquid fuel is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel delivery system is divided into multiple separate fuel conduits (first fuel conduit and second fuel conduit) and multiple air passages (first air passage and second air passage). Each conduit and passage handles a portion of the fuel flow, allowing simultaneous atomization and filming processes that increase the total surface area of fuel exposed to air, thereby enhancing the vaporization rate while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-dimensional fuel delivery approach to a multi-dimensional configuration by arranging fuel conduits and air passages in three-dimensional space. The first and second fuel conduits are positioned at different locations and orientations, with air passages converging from multiple directions, creating a spatial arrangement that maximizes fuel-air contact surface area and enhances vaporization efficiency.
2Area of moving object
If fuel is delivered through a single conduit, then the device complexity is low, but the surface area for vaporization is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The single fuel delivery function is segmented into multiple fuel conduits (first fuel conduit and second fuel conduit) that deliver fuel through different paths. This segmentation allows the fuel to be distributed across multiple streams, each contributing to the total surface area available for vaporization, while the modular nature of the segmented conduits keeps the overall device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple fuel conduits and air passages are merged into a common combustion chamber where their outputs converge. The first and second fuel conduits deliver fuel that merges with air from multiple passages, creating a combined fuel-air mixture with enhanced surface area for vaporization. This merging approach consolidates the complexity of multiple conduits into a unified combustion process.
3Productivity
If air passages do not converge, then the structure is simpler, but the mixing efficiency of fuel and air is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air passages are configured to dynamically converge toward a common region, creating varying flow patterns and velocities as the air moves through the passages. This dynamic convergence enhances mixing efficiency by creating turbulent flow conditions and increasing the contact time between fuel and air streams, while the passages themselves maintain relatively simple geometric shapes to avoid excessive structural complexity.
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 fuel injector effectively enhances the vaporization rate of liquid fuel by creating a larger surface area, leading to improved combustion efficiency and performance in gas turbine engines across various applications.
Implementation Method 1
enhances the vaporization rate of liquid fuel by creating a larger surface area
Implementation Method 2
atomize fuel by increasing its surface area through the use of multiple air passages and fuel conduits
Implementation Method 3
utilizing annular passageways and swirlers to atomize fuel
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine fuel injector is disclosed having a plurality of fuel injection circuits that are structured to deliver fuel to air passageways. In one non-limiting embodiment, one of the fuel injection circuits includes a plain jet airblast injector that delivers fuel to an air passageway. In some applications the plain jet can extend across the air passageway and deliver a fuel to an opposite surface to form a fuel film. The fuel film can then be sheared between an air in the air passageway and an air in a nearby air passageway. Another of the fuel injection circuits includes a fuel filmer structured to deliver fuel to an air passageway that can then be sheared by an air in the air passageway and an air in the air passageway that included the plain jet airblast injector.