Modular Fuel Injector Assembly for Easy Gas Turbine Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel injectors for gas turbine engines are cumbersome to install and require significant disassembly for inspection, maintenance, and replacement, and integral fuel injector configurations necessitate replacing or modifying the engine casing.
Innovation Solution
A modular, replaceable fuel injector design with a threaded interface allows for installation and removal from the engine structure's exterior, featuring a fuel conduit, seal elements, and a fuel coupler with struts and ports for secure attachment and fluid coupling, enabling plug-and-play operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a modular fuel injector design with threaded interface is used, then ease of installation and removal is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components like fuel coupler, struts, and seal elements
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel injector is divided into separate modular components including a fuel injector body, a fuel coupler, seal elements, and mounting structures. This segmentation allows the fuel injector to be independently installed and removed from the engine structure without requiring disassembly of the entire engine, thereby improving ease of operation while managing device complexity through functional decomposition
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel injector is extracted as a removable component from the engine structure, connected via a threaded interface that allows it to be taken out for maintenance or replacement. This extraction principle enables the fuel injector to be serviced independently, improving operational ease without permanently integrating it into the engine structure
2Ease of manufacture
If an integral fuel injector configuration is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as the fuel injector cannot be replaced without replacing or modifying the engine casing
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a permanent engine structure component (the aperture and mounting interface) and a replaceable fuel injector assembly. This segmentation allows the fuel injector to be adapted, replaced, or upgraded independently of the engine structure, significantly improving adaptability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity for each individual component
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded interface and fuel coupler design create a universal mounting system that can accommodate different fuel injector models or configurations. This universality allows the same engine structure aperture to work with various fuel injector designs, enhancing adaptability without requiring modifications to the engine casing
3Strength
If existing fuel injector designs are used, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates as significant engine disassembly is required for fuel injector inspection, maintenance and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel injector system is segmented into a permanently integrated engine structure portion (aperture, threaded interface) and a removable fuel injector assembly. This segmentation maintains the structural integrity of the engine casing while enabling easy removal and installation of the fuel injector for maintenance, inspection, or replacement without significant engine disassembly
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel injector is designed to be extractable from the engine structure through a threaded interface, allowing it to be completely removed for repair or replacement. This extraction capability dramatically improves ease of repair by eliminating the need for engine disassembly, while the threaded connection maintains structural integrity when the fuel injector is installed
4Adaptability or versatility
If a modular fuel injector design is used, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple components including base, head, fuel coupler, and seal elements
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel injector is segmented into functional components (base, head, fuel coupler, seal elements) that are assembled into a single replaceable unit. This segmentation enables adaptability by allowing different component configurations or upgrades while maintaining a standardized external interface with the engine structure, managing complexity through modular functional decomposition
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional components including the fuel coupler, seal elements, and mounting structures are merged into a single integrated fuel injector assembly that interfaces with the engine structure through a standardized threaded connection. This merging improves adaptability by creating a self-contained replaceable unit while managing device complexity through integrated design
Data Source
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AI summary
An assembly is provided for an engine. This engine assembly includes an engine structure (22) and a fuel injector (24). The engine structure includes an injector aperture (34) and a fuel supply passage (42). The injector aperture extends longitudinally through the engine structure along a centerline (26). The fuel supply passage extends laterally within the engine structure to the injector aperture. The fuel injector is mated with the injector aperture. The fuel injector includes a nozzle passage (94) and a nozzle orifice (96). The nozzle passage extends longitudinally along the centerline within the fuel injector to the nozzle orifice. The nozzle passage is fluidly coupled with the fuel supply passage.