Hydrogen Injector Fairing and Annular Passage for Uniform Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engines face challenges in handling and efficiently combusting hydrogen fuel due to its different properties from liquid hydrocarbon fuels, requiring new injector designs that facilitate uniform mixing and safe combustion.
Innovation Solution
The engine incorporates a convergent-divergent nozzle head with a fairing and annular passage, featuring a fuel nozzle and gas nozzle, along with an open-cell metallic foam and surface treatments to enhance mixing and safety, allowing for the introduction of hydrogen and air into the combustor chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If liquid hydrocarbon fuels are used in conventional injectors, then efficient burning is achieved through atomization, but the system cannot accommodate hydrogen fuel which has different physical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The injector is designed with a convergent-divergent nozzle head that can handle both liquid hydrocarbon fuels and hydrogen fuel through a unified structure. The nozzle head includes a fuel nozzle for liquid fuel and a gas nozzle for hydrogen gas, allowing the same injector assembly to accommodate different fuel types without requiring separate specialized injectors for each fuel type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system accommodates different fuel types by changing the physical state and flow parameters of the fuel. Liquid hydrocarbon fuels are atomized into tiny droplets for efficient burning, while hydrogen is introduced as a gas through the gas nozzle. The convergent-divergent nozzle head is designed to handle both liquid and gas phases, adjusting the flow characteristics to match the specific fuel being used.
2Productivity
If hydrogen fuel is introduced into the combustor, then alternative fuel combustion is enabled, but uniform mixing with air is challenging due to hydrogen's gaseous state and different combustion properties
Solution Approach 1:
The injector divides the fuel delivery system into separate channels: a fuel nozzle for liquid hydrocarbon fuel and a gas nozzle for hydrogen gas. This segmentation allows each fuel type to be introduced and mixed according to its specific requirements, with the convergent-divergent nozzle head providing separate flow paths that optimize mixing for each fuel type while maintaining overall system efficiency.
3Reliability
If a convergent-divergent nozzle head is used for hydrogen combustion, then safe combustion is facilitated, but flame propagation control becomes critical
Solution Approach 1:
The convergent-divergent nozzle head acts as an intermediary structure between the fuel source and the combustor. It includes a fairing that extends through the convergent section and throat to define an annular passage, creating a controlled flow path that facilitates safe combustion while managing flame propagation. The nozzle head serves as a mediator that regulates the mixing and injection process, ensuring safe and controlled hydrogen combustion.
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
This design facilitates uniform mixing and safe combustion of hydrogen, ensuring efficient operation and preventing flame propagation, thereby optimizing engine performance.
Implementation Method 1
The fairing extends through the convergent section and through the throat to define an annular passage between the fairing and the convergent-divergent nozzle head that has an outlet in the divergent section
Implementation Method 2
The convergent-divergent nozzle head has in fluid communication in series a convergent section, a throat, and a divergent section
Data Source
AI summary
An injector for introducing hydrogen and air into a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine includes a convergent-divergent nozzle head, a fairing, a fuel nozzle, and an air nozzle. The convergent-divergent nozzle head has in fluid communication in series a convergent section, a throat, and a divergent section. The fairing extends through the convergent section and through the throat to define an annular passage between the fairing and the convergent-divergent nozzle head that has an outlet in the divergent section. The fuel nozzle has multiple feed conduits that open to the annular passage for providing hydrogen fuel. The gas nozzle is upstream of the convergent-divergent nozzle head for providing gas into the annular passage.