Hydrogen Fuel Distributor With Swirl Mixing to Prevent Flashback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional combustor/fuel injector arrangements for gas turbine engines using non-carbon based fuels like hydrogen require unconventional designs to ensure stable combustion, maintain engine durability, and minimize emissions, while also adhering to existing engine dimensions to avoid aircraft design changes.
Innovation Solution
A fuel mixture distribution system with a fuel distributor that includes a mixing chamber and secondary air inlet to induce swirling flow, featuring angled air passages and fuel openings to ensure stable combustion and efficient mixing of hydrogen fuel with air, preventing flashback and minimizing emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hydrocarbon fuel injection arrangements are used, then the existing combustor dimensions can be maintained, but stable combustion cannot be achieved with hydrogen fuel
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel distributor is divided into multiple distributors arranged circumferentially, with each distributor having multiple fuel openings. This segmentation allows precise control of hydrogen fuel distribution while maintaining overall system reliability through redundancy and balanced flow distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional single-point or simple multi-point injection to a distributed circumferential injection arrangement. The fuel distributors are positioned at different angular positions around the combustor perimeter, creating a three-dimensional injection pattern that ensures stable combustion across the entire combustor volume.
2Reliability
If unconventional combustor/fuel injection arrangements are designed for hydrogen, then stable combustion is achieved, but engine size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel distributor design integrates multiple functions: it distributes hydrogen fuel circumferentially, mixes fuel with air through strategically positioned openings, and maintains combustion stability. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate heavy components, keeping engine weight comparable to conventional systems while achieving reliable hydrogen combustion.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the combustor receive optimized fuel injection characteristics. The circumferential arrangement of distributors with multiple openings creates localized injection zones tailored to specific combustor regions, ensuring uniform fuel distribution and stable combustion without requiring overall engine size increase.
3Productivity
If fuel distributors are positioned close to the combustor, then mixing efficiency improves, but flashback risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel distributors are positioned upstream in the combustor, allowing preliminary fuel injection and mixing before the main combustion zone. This preliminary action ensures fuel is adequately mixed with air in controlled regions before reaching high-temperature zones, improving mixing efficiency while preventing flashback by establishing stable mixture conditions in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The circumferential arrangement of fuel distributors creates a three-dimensional mixing pattern that distributes fuel injection throughout the combustor volume rather than concentrating it at a single location. This spatial distribution improves overall mixing efficiency while reducing localized fuel concentration that could lead to flashback.
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 system achieves stable combustion, improved engine durability, and reduced emissions by ensuring proper mixing and swirling of hydrogen fuel with air, maintaining engine performance without altering engine size or weight.
Implementation Method 1
secondary air inlet means (72) for introducing a secondary airflow into the air conduit (48) proximate to an exit opening (56) thereof to induce a swirling component into a fuel air mixture (38)
Implementation Method 2
The liquid fuel is atomized to induce mixing with the compressed airflow
Implementation Method 3
A fuel mixture distribution system with a fuel distributor that includes a mixing chamber and secondary air inlet to induce swirling flow, featuring angled air passages and fuel openings to ensure stable combustion and efficient mixing of hydrogen fuel with air
Data Source
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AI summary
A fuel mixture distribution system (35) for a turbine engine assembly (20) includes a combustor (26) that includes a wall (44) that defines a combustion chamber (46), a fuel mixture distributor that includes an air conduit (48) that defines a mixing chamber (52) that extends through the wall (44) along between an inlet (54) to an exit opening (56) to the combustion chamber (46), the air conduit shape is defined to achieve the desired mixing and prevent flashback at all operating conditions, and a fuel distributor (42; 58; 90; 98) extends into the mixing chamber (52) at a location upstream of the exit opening (56). The fuel distributor (42; 58; 90; 98) includes a plurality of fuel openings (68; 102; 112) where a fuel flow (38) is communicated and mixed with an airflow (40) passing through the mixing chamber (52).