Venturi Fuel Injection Nozzle for Gas Turbine Engines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turboprop engines used in small airplanes suffer from inefficiency due to high fuel consumption, making them economically unfeasible for smaller aircraft.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injection nozzle design for gas turbine engines that incorporates a Venturi nozzle and a baffle body to enhance fuel vaporization and mixing with air, even at lower fuel pressures, and adds hydrogen to the fuel-air mixture to improve combustion efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional fuel injection nozzles are used in small turboprop engines, then the engine structure is simple, but fuel consumption is high and efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the fuel injection nozzle by incorporating a Venturi effect structure with specific diameter ratios (0.4-0.6) and length ratios (2-4 times the nozzle diameter). This parameter optimization creates a low-pressure zone that enhances fuel atomization and mixing with air, improving combustion efficiency and reducing fuel consumption without increasing structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the Venturi effect, a pneumatic principle, to create a low-pressure zone in the fuel injection nozzle. The converging and diverging sections of the Venturi structure accelerate the fuel stream and draw in air, creating a fuel-air mixture that combusts more efficiently. This pneumatic mechanism improves engine efficiency and reduces fuel consumption while maintaining structural simplicity
2Reliability
If fuel pressure is increased to improve vaporization, then fuel vaporization improves, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The Venturi structure in the fuel injection nozzle creates a low-pressure zone that automatically enhances fuel atomization and air mixing without requiring additional external energy input or high fuel pressure. The device serves itself by using the fuel flow dynamics to create the conditions for efficient vaporization and mixing, thereby improving reliability while avoiding increased fuel consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the internal geometry parameters of the fuel injection nozzle, specifically the Venturi section diameter ratios (0.4-0.6) and length ratios (2-4 times the nozzle diameter). These parameter changes create an efficient low-pressure zone that enhances fuel vaporization through geometric design rather than relying on high fuel pressure, thus improving vaporization reliability without increasing fuel consumption
3Productivity
If hydrogen is added to the fuel-air mixture to improve combustion, then combustion efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel injection nozzle is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it atomizes fuel, mixes fuel with air through the Venturi effect, and accommodates hydrogen addition to the mixture. By making the nozzle multi-functional, the patent improves combustion efficiency through hydrogen enrichment without requiring separate systems for each function, thereby avoiding increased device complexity
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 novel fuel injection nozzle design reduces fuel consumption and air pollution while maintaining engine efficiency, making turboprop engines more suitable for small airplanes.
Implementation Method 1
a Venturi nozzle formed at the distal end of the air duct surrounding the fuel nozzle of the fuel duct. The Venturi nozzle has an inner diameter that varies over the length of the Venturi nozzle
Implementation Method 2
providing that fuel exiting at the fuel nozzle at the distal end of the fuel duct is surrounded by an air stream that prevents the fuel from sticking to parts of the fuel injection nozzle
Implementation Method 3
adds hydrogen to the fuel-air mixture to improve combustion efficiency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention concerns a fuel injection nozzle (24.7) for a combustion chamber (24.1) of a gas turbine assembly (20). The fuel injection nozzle (24.7) comprises a central fuel duct (24.7.1) having a distal end provided with a fuel nozzle (24.7.3). The central fuel duct (24.7.1) is configured for feeding fuel from a proximal end of the fuel duct to the fuel nozzle (24.7.3) at the distal end of the fuel duct (24.7.1). The fuel injection nozzle (24.7) further comprises a fuel intake connector (24.7.4) and a fuel return connector (24.7.5) that both are connected to the proximal end of the fuel duct (24.7.1) for feeding pressurized fuel into the fuel duct and allowing the fuel to circulate in an external fuel line. The fuel injection nozzle (24.7) further comprises a coaxial air duct (24.7.2) coaxially surrounding the fuel duct (24.7.1) and being configured for providing that fuel exiting at the fuel nozzle (24.7.3) at the distal end of the fuel duct (24.7.1) is surrounded by an air stream that prevents the fuel from sticking to parts of the fuel injection nozzle (24.7). According to the invention, the fuel injection nozzle (24.7) is provided with a Venturi nozzle (24.7.6) formed at the distal end of the air duct (24.7.2) surrounding the fuel nozzle 24.7.3 of the fuel duct (24.7.1). The Venturi nozzle (24.7.6) has an inner diameter that varies over the length of the Venturi nozzle (24.7.6) , i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the fuel injection nozzle, and that is larger at the beginning of the Venturi nozzle (24.7.6) and at the end of the Venturi nozzle (24.7.6) than in the middle of the Venturi nozzle (24.7.6).