Monolithic Fuel Injector via Direct Metal Laser Sintering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas turbine fuel injection nozzles require intricate assembly and expensive EDM procedures to form small, low-angle fuel injection holes, leading to potential leaky joints and the need for post-machining, which complicates the manufacturing process and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) for rapid manufacturing of a monolithic fuel injection head, eliminating joints and traditional machining processes by building the nozzle layer by layer from a CAD model using metal powders, allowing for precise integration of complex geometries and features like internal baffles and cooling fins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional braze joints and EDM procedures are used to manufacture fuel injection nozzles, then manufacturing precision can be achieved, but the number of joints increases leading to higher leak risk and increased manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (upstream and downstream plates, tubes, and walls) into a single monolithic structure manufactured by DMLS. This eliminates all braze joints between components, thereby eliminating the leak risk associated with joints while maintaining the precision required for fuel injection holes through the additive manufacturing process's inherent accuracy.
2Strength
If many braze joints are used to seal hydrogen fuel, then structural integrity is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases due to expensive EDM procedures and intricate assembly methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components into a single monolithic structure manufactured by DMLS, eliminating the need for expensive braze joints and EDM procedures. The additive manufacturing process inherently provides the necessary structural integrity and sealing for hydrogen fuel without requiring costly post-manufacturing operations or specialized assembly methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical joining methods (braze joints, EDM machining) with a digital additive manufacturing process. The DMLS process uses computer-controlled laser sintering of metal powder to create the monolithic structure, substituting mechanical assembly operations with a fully automated additive process that is both cheaper and more reliable.
3Reliability
If intricate assembly methods are used to meet performance criteria, then fuel injection performance is optimized, but manufacturing complexity and process time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (plates, tubes, walls) into a single monolithic structure manufactured by DMLS. This eliminates all assembly operations and reduces manufacturing complexity to a single additive manufacturing process, while the inherent precision of DMLS ensures that fuel injection performance criteria are met without requiring intricate post-assembly adjustments.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional layer-by-layer manufacturing is used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but production speed is reduced compared to monolithic approaches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a digital CAD model as a template that is sliced into thin layers (0.02 mm) and processed layer-by-layer through DMLS. This digital copying approach allows for complex geometries to be manufactured efficiently, as the same digital model can be reused and the layer thickness can be optimized for both accuracy and manufacturing speed, achieving both flexibility and productivity.
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
DMLS reduces the risk of leaks, eliminates the need for expensive EDM operations, and enables the creation of complex designs that were previously unproduced reliably and economically, improving the efficiency and reliability of fuel injection nozzles by ensuring sound interfaces and precise feature placement.
Implementation Method 1
the laser fusing programmed areas of each powder layer in succession to the underlying layer
Implementation Method 2
wherever the laser beam strikes the powder, the powder melts into a solid
Implementation Method 3
wherever the laser beam strikes the powder, the powder melts into a solid
Data Source
AI summary
A monolithic fuel injection head for a fuel nozzle includes a substantially hollow vesicle body formed with an upstream end face, a downstream end face and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, an internal baffle plate extending radially outwardly from a downstream end of the bore, terminating short of the peripheral wall, thereby defining upstream and downstream fuel plenums in the vesicle body, in fluid communication by way of a radial gap between the baffle plate and the peripheral wall. A plurality of integral pre-mix tubes extend axially through the upstream and downstream fuel plenums in the vesicle body and through the baffle plate, with at least one fuel injection hole extending between each of the pre-mix tubes and the upstream fuel plenum, thereby enabling fuel in the upstream plenum to be injected into the plurality of pre-mix tubes. The fuel injection head is formed by direct metal laser sintering.