Reverse Purge Eductor for Turbomachine Fuel Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Residual fluids in turbomachines, such as gas turbine engines, can cause clogging and inefficiencies due to deposits and waste, and conventional purging methods often disrupt the operation with vibrations and fluid disturbances.
Innovation Solution
A reverse purge system that reverses the flow of fluids through the system using an eductor to drain residual fuels from fuel manifolds and premixers, reducing the disturbance and improving operational stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If forward purging is used to remove residual fuel from the turbomachine, then the residual fuel can be purged from the system, but it causes relatively high disturbance in operation due to vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies reverse purging instead of forward purging to remove residual fuel. The eductor creates a vacuum that pulls fuel backward through the fuel lines and premixers, achieving effective purging while minimizing vibration and operational disturbance to the turbomachine
2Device complexity
If residual fuel remains in the fuel manifolds and premixers, then the system structure is simple, but it causes clogging of fuel passages and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements purging as a preliminary action before fuel delivery or at scheduled intervals to prevent fuel deposits from accumulating and clogging the fuel passages. This proactive approach maintains fuel flow capability without requiring complex additional structures
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
The reverse purge system effectively removes residual fluids without causing significant operational disruptions, reducing clogging and improving the efficiency and reliability of turbomachines by minimizing fluid disturbances during the purging process.
Implementation Method 1
an eductor configured to reverse flow of the fluid in the one or more fluid lines during a reverse purge of the gas turbine system
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Systems and methods include one or more fluid lines configured to flow a fluid in a first direction in the gas turbine system 10. The systems and methods also include an eductor configured to reverse flow of the fluid in the one or more fluid lines during a reverse purge of the gas turbine system.