Adjustable Gas Fuel Injector for Flow Rate Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine fuel injectors face excessive variation in flow rate due to manufacturing tolerances, necessitating calibration for precise fuel control to enhance durability and reduce emissions.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injector design with a conical distributor head, adjustable mounting stage, and threaded engagement mechanisms allows for selective adjustment of flow areas to calibrate fuel injectors for uniform fuel distribution, accommodating gaseous fuels like hydrogen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard fuel injectors are used with common manufacturing tolerances, then production cost and ease of manufacture are improved, but fuel flow rate variation becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The distributor head is made adjustable relative to the mounting stage via threaded engagement, allowing dynamic repositioning to compensate for manufacturing variations. The distributor can be rotated to different angular positions and axially adjusted to change the flow area, enabling calibration after manufacturing without requiring precision manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes geometric parameters of the fuel flow path by adjusting the distributor head position. By varying the angular orientation and axial distance of the distributor, the effective flow area is modified to compensate for manufacturing tolerances, achieving uniform fuel flow rates across multiple injectors.
2Manufacturing precision
If fuel injectors require calibration to achieve tight fuel flow control, then fuel distribution uniformity is improved, but device complexity and calibration time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable mounting stage with threaded engagement mechanisms allows simple rotational and axial adjustments of the distributor head. This dynamic positioning capability enables calibration through basic mechanical adjustments rather than complex procedures, reducing calibration complexity while achieving tight fuel flow control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the distributor head position is fixed, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to compensate for manufacturing tolerances is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The distributor head is designed with threaded engagement features that allow it to be rotated and axially positioned relative to the mounting stage. This creates a simple yet effective adjustment mechanism that provides adaptability for compensating manufacturing tolerances without significantly increasing device complexity.
Data Source
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Figure 4A~6
AI summary
A fuel injector (32) for a gas turbine engine combustor (26) includes a swirler (34), a mounting stage (38), and a distributor (36). The swirler (34) has a shaft (52), a collar (54), a throat section (56), and first and second axial ends (48, 50). The throat section (56) includes an inner radial surface (86) that defines a central passage (88) that extends between the swirler inner bore (160) and the collar (54). The collar (54) includes a plurality of apertures (78, 80) extending therethrough disposed radially outside of the central passage (88). The distributor (36) is selectively positionable relative to the throat section (56).