Fuel Preheating Component for Consistent Gas Turbine Atomization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel properties, particularly viscosity, change significantly with temperature, affecting atomization in gas turbine engines, which impacts ignition and altitude relight performance and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A fuel pre-heating component with a housing and internal heating element is used to pre-heat fuel before injection, incorporating features like internal fuel channels, temperature control, and ignition sources to maintain optimal fuel temperature for consistent atomization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If fuel is injected at low temperature, then energy consumption is reduced, but atomization quality deteriorates and viscosity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel preheater performs preliminary heating of the fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. The heating element raises the fuel temperature to an optimal range (e.g., 50-150°C) to ensure proper atomization and combustion characteristics, thereby resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and atomization quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the fuel by introducing a controlled heating process. By adjusting the heating power and residence time in the preheater, the fuel temperature is optimized to achieve both energy efficiency and high-quality atomization, eliminating the need for specialized high-energy injectors.
2Device complexity
If fuel temperature is not controlled, then system complexity is reduced, but coking and incomplete combustion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel preheater system automatically maintains optimal fuel temperature through a self-regulating heating process. The heating element continuously adjusts to keep fuel within the optimal temperature range, preventing coking and incomplete combustion without requiring complex external control systems or specialized injectors.
3Manufacturing precision
If specialized injectors are used for cold weather operation, then atomization performance improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using specialized injectors designed for cold weather, the system performs preliminary heating of the fuel before injection. This approach allows standard injectors to operate effectively across all temperatures, reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining atomization performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel preheater acts as an intermediary component between the fuel storage and the injector. By conditioning the fuel temperature in this intermediate stage, the system enables standard injectors to achieve optimal performance without requiring specialized cold-weather designs.
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
Ensures consistent fuel atomization, reduces the need for specialized injectors, minimizes coking, and enhances combustion efficiency by promoting complete fuel evaporation and particulate consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element positioned inside the inner chamber, and a plurality of internal fuel channels disposed within the component housing and configured to be heated by the heating element
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel pre-heating component in a gas turbine engine includes a component housing extending around a central axis from a first end to a second end, wherein the component housing includes walls that define an inner chamber, a heating element positioned inside the inner chamber, and a plurality of internal fuel channels disposed within the component housing and configured to be heated by the heating element.