Sequential Combustion Burner with Tilted Fuel Nozzle

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gas turbine burners face challenges in achieving low gas-pressure drop and homogeneous fuel-air mixing, especially at high inlet temperatures and with high reactivity fuels, while maintaining efficient combustion and reducing nitric oxide emissions.

Innovation Solution

A burner with a convexly curved, non-rectangular combustion chamber and a combined mixing and injection device featuring streamlined bodies with lobed trailing edges and multi-point fuel injection, which creates vortices for efficient mixing and reduces the need for high-pressure carrier air, allowing for low-pressure carrier air to be used for cooling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If high-pressure carrier air is used to penetrate fuel into vortices for mixing, then mixing quality is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixing qualityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the carrier air supply and fuel injection functions into a single integrated nozzle structure. The carrier air and fuel are mixed and injected together through the same nozzle, eliminating the need for separate high-pressure carrier air lines and reducing device complexity while maintaining effective fuel penetration and mixing quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The nozzle serves multiple functions: it supplies carrier air, injects fuel, and creates the mixing process all in one component. This multi-functional design replaces what would traditionally require separate systems for air supply and fuel injection, simplifying the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If residence time in mixing region is reduced to prevent auto ignition, then safety is improved, but mixing quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidmixing quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by using carrier air to pre-cool and dilute the fuel before injection, reducing the fuel's reactivity and self-ignition tendency. This allows the fuel-air mixture to be injected with sufficient momentum to penetrate vortices and achieve good mixing while the carrier air prevents auto-ignition during the injection process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

Carrier air acts as an intermediary substance between the fuel and the main combustion chamber. It provides a protective medium that prevents premature ignition while facilitating the mixing process, allowing the fuel to be distributed evenly without exceeding the self-ignition delay time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Power

If high inlet temperature is used to enhance efficiency, then power output is improved, but nitric oxide emissions increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower outputVSAvoidnitric oxide emissions
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary mixing of fuel and air in the nozzle before the mixture enters the high-temperature combustion chamber. This pre-mixing ensures homogeneous distribution of fuel throughout the air stream, promoting complete combustion at lower peak temperatures and reducing the formation of thermal nitric oxide emissions while maintaining efficient power generation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Speed

If momentum flux of fuel is increased to penetrate into vortices, then mixing penetration is improved, but pressure drop increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel penetration speedVSAvoidpressure drop
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses pneumatic principles by utilizing carrier air flow to transport and inject the fuel. The carrier air provides the necessary momentum for fuel penetration into the vortices without requiring the fuel itself to be pressurized to high levels, thereby achieving effective mixing while minimizing pressure drop across the injection system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

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

This design achieves low pressure drop, efficient fuel-air mixing, and reduced nitric oxide emissions, enabling increased gas turbine efficiency and the ability to handle high reactivity fuels without the need for high-pressure carrier air, while maintaining mechanical integrity and manufacturability.

Implementation Method 1

creates vortices for efficient mixing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVortex: Vortex Ring

Implementation Method 2

the momentum flux of the fuel is adjusted relative to the momentum flux of the main flow so as to penetrate in to the vortices

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMomentum flux: Conservation of Momentum

Implementation Method 3

the operating conditions allow self-ignition (spontaneous ignition or auto ignition) of the fuel air mixture without additional energy being supplied to the mixture

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAuto ignition: Combustion

Data Source

PatentEP3182013B1Burner for a sequential combustion chamber
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 ANSALDO ENERGIA SWITZERLAND AG
  • EP3182013B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3182013B1 patent drawingFigure 5a~5d
  • EP3182013B1 patent drawingFigure 6a~7b

AI summary

The present invention relates to a streamlined body (22) for a sequential gas turbine burner, the streamlined body (22) having two lateral surfaces that are arranged essentially parallel to a main-flow direction (14) with a central plane there-between, wherein the lateral surfaces are joined to one another at upstream sides of the lateral surfaces to form a leading edge of the body and are joined at downstream sides of the lateral surfaces to form a trailing edge of the body, the streamlined body (22) extending perpendicularly to the main-flow direction (14) and along a first transverse direction (49), and having a cross-section perpendicular to the first transverse direction (49) that is shaped as a streamlined profile, and being provided with a mixing structure and with at least one fuel nozzle (15) located at the trailing edge (24), wherein at least one fuel nozzle (15) provided at the trailing edge (24) is tilted to inject the fuel jet away from the wall towards a close vortex at an inclination angle with respect to the main flow direction (14) ranging from and including 0° to 60°.