Turbine Fuel Injector Polygonal Nozzle Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel injectors for turbine engines face challenges in reducing manufacturing costs, assembly time, and achieving precision fuel injection.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injector assembly with a nozzle passage featuring a non-annular, non-circular cross-sectional geometry, such as a square or diamond shape, and a tapered design to minimize surface finish variations, allowing for additive manufacturing with reduced dimensional and geometric deviations, thereby enhancing fuel metering precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional fuel injector designs are used, then manufacturing and assembly are simpler, but manufacturing costs are higher and assembly time is longer
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel nozzle and fuel injector body are merged into a single integrated component manufactured via additive manufacturing. This eliminates separate machining operations and assembly steps, reducing manufacturing cost and assembly time despite the complex polygonal internal geometry of the nozzle passage.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle passage cross-sectional geometry is changed from traditional circular or annular shapes to polygonal shapes (triangle, square, rectangle). This parameter change enables additive manufacturing advantages while maintaining functional performance, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and geometric complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional nozzle passages are used, then manufacturing is easier, but dimensional and geometric deviations are higher
Solution Approach 1:
The cross-sectional geometry parameter is changed to polygonal shapes, which inherently reduce surface finish variations and dimensional deviations compared to curved geometries. This parameter change improves manufacturing precision while the additive manufacturing process maintains ease of production.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention deliberately avoids curved geometries in favor of polygonal shapes with straight edges and flat surfaces. This inverse application of the curvature principle reduces surface finish variations and dimensional deviations in additive manufactured components, improving manufacturing precision.
3Measurement precision
If precise fuel injection is achieved through traditional methods, then fuel metering is accurate, but manufacturing costs and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple components (fuel nozzle, injector body, passage) are merged into a single additive manufactured part. This integration achieves precise fuel metering through the polished internal surfaces and accurate geometries of additive manufacturing, while eliminating multiple assembly steps to reduce assembly time.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle passage internal surfaces are polished and finished during the additive manufacturing process itself, before final assembly. This preliminary action ensures precise fuel metering characteristics are built-in during manufacturing, eliminating the need for post-assembly adjustments or additional machining operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (20) is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine apparatus (20) includes a fuel nozzle (26). The fuel nozzle (26) includes a nozzle passage (42) and a nozzle orifice (52). The nozzle passage (42) extends longitudinally along a centerline (50) within the fuel nozzle (26) to the nozzle orifice (52). The nozzle passage (42) has a solid polygonal cross-sectional geometry at the nozzle orifice (52).