Modular Gas Turbine Combustor Injection Head Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing modular injection heads for gas turbines are complex and costly to assemble due to numerous components and intricate connections, requiring additional components for vibration damping and thermal expansion compensation, which complicates the manufacturing and maintenance processes.
Innovation Solution
A modular injection head design featuring a swirler with streamlined hollow vanes and a fuel insert with a plenum assembly and injector fingers, where the components can be manufactured separately and assembled using additive manufacturing techniques, with a clamping bolt for central fixation and radial reinforcing ribs to manage thermal stress and pressure differences, simplifying assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional injection head design with multiple components and intricate connections is used, then functional requirements are met, but assembly complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple traditional components (delivery pipes, distributor rings, compensators, bellows) into a single integrated injection head assembly. The modular design combines the swirler, fuel insert, and connecting structures into one unified component that can be manufactured as a single piece or pre-assembled module, eliminating numerous separate connections and reducing assembly complexity while maintaining connection reliability through integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The injection head is segmented into functional modules (swirler section, fuel insert section, injector fingers) that can be manufactured separately using additive manufacturing and then assembled. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual modules while reducing the overall assembly complexity compared to traditional designs with numerous small components and connections
2Reliability
If numerous additional components are added for vibration damping and thermal expansion compensation, then operational reliability improves, but manufacturing complexity and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates vibration damping and thermal expansion compensation functions directly into the injection head structure itself, eliminating the need for separate compensators and bellows. The unified modular design incorporates these protective functions within the main assembly, improving operational reliability while simplifying manufacturing by reducing the total number of components that need to be produced and assembled
3Strength
If complex assembling process with numerous welding seams and junctions is used, then structural integrity is achieved, but maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injection head is designed as a modular assembly with distinct functional sections (swirler, fuel insert, injector fingers) that can be manufactured separately and connected through simplified interfaces. This segmentation reduces the number of welding seams and junctions compared to traditional designs, maintaining structural integrity while enabling easier disassembly and maintenance. Individual modules can be replaced without dismantling the entire structure
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables selective replacement of worn or damaged components (such as injector fingers or fuel insert) without replacing the entire injection head. This approach simplifies maintenance by allowing individual parts to be discarded and replaced while recovering and retaining the functional modules that are still in good condition, reducing maintenance time and cost
Data Source
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AI summary
An injection head for a gas turbine combustor, the injection head comprising a swirler (18) and a fuel insert (20) extending about a central axis (A). The swirler (18) comprises a plurality of streamlined hollow vanes (21), extending radially around the central axis (A), and flow channels (22) defined between adjacent vanes (21). The swirler (18) comprises a first shell (18a), defining a leading portion of the vanes (21) and a second shell (18b), defining a trailing portion of the vanes (21), the first shell (18a) and the second shell (18b) being joined to one another at a junction surface (S) transverse to the central axis (A). The fuel insert (20) comprises a plenum assembly (30) extending about the central axis (A) and a plurality of injector fingers (31, 32) extending radially outward from the plenum assembly (30) and provided each with at least a respective fuel nozzle (35). The injector fingers (31, 32) are at least in part enclosed within respective hollow vanes (21) and the fuel nozzles (35) are arranged through the second shell (18b).