Method and apparatus for assisting with the combustion of fuel by using a plasma generator within a fuel nozzle

An apparatus for assisting with the combustion of fuel, the apparatus comprising:

• a fuel nozzle, having a fuel nozzle mixing chamber, a fuel nozzle air inlet, and a fuel nozzle air outlet, the fuel nozzle mixing chamber being in fluid communication with both a fuel nozzle fuel reservoir and the fuel nozzle air inlet, the fuel nozzle air inlet allowing combustion air to flow into the fuel nozzle, wherein fuel from the fuel nozzle fuel reservoir is directed into the fuel nozzle mixing chamber and, inside the fuel nozzle mixing chamber, the fuel combines with air therein to form a fuel-air mixture;
• at least one plasma generator located at least partially within the fuel nozzle, the plasma generator at least partially ionizing and/or dissociating the fuel-air mixture to generate an at least partially ionized/dissociated fuel-air mixture (“at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture”) comprising at least one of an at least partially ionized fuel-air mixture and an at least partially dissociated fuel-air mixture via a plasma generator discharge, the plasma generator discharge in electrical communication with the plasma generator and the fuel nozzle;
• a combustion chamber having a combustion chamber inlet in fluid communication with the fuel nozzle air outlet, the combustion chamber having a combustion chamber outlet, the combustion chamber inlet and outlet being longitudinally separated by a combustion chamber internal volume including a reaction/recirculation (“R/R”) zone, a main flame, and a pilot flame, the combustion chamber inlet admitting the at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture from the plasma generator into the combustion chamber internal volume;
• wherein combustion of the at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture with the combustion air occurs at least partially within the combustion chamber internal volume to responsively produce products, the products exiting the combustion chamber internal volume through the combustion chamber outlet.

A method for assisting with the combustion of fuel comprising:

• providing an apparatus including:
• a fuel nozzle, having a fuel nozzle mixing chamber, a fuel nozzle air inlet, and a fuel nozzle air outlet, the fuel nozzle mixing chamber being in fluid communication with both a fuel nozzle fuel reservoir and the fuel nozzle air inlet, the fuel nozzle air inlet allowing air to flow into the fuel,
• at least one plasma generator located at least partially within the fuel nozzle, and
• a combustion chamber having a combustion chamber inlet in fluid communication with the swirler assembly outlet, the combustion chamber having a combustion chamber outlet, the combustion chamber inlet and outlet being longitudinally separated by a combustion chamber internal volume, the combustion chamber internal volume including a reaction/recirculation (“R/R”) zone, a main flame, and a pilot flame;
• providing fuel to the fuel nozzle mixing chamber from the fuel nozzle fuel reservoir,
• creating a fuel-air mixture by combining fuel and air within the fuel nozzle mixing chamber;
• creating a plasma field with a plasma generator located at least partially within the fuel nozzle;
• creating, with the plasma generator, an at least partially ionized/dissociated fuel-air mixture (“at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture”) comprising at least one of an at least partially ionized fuel-air mixture and an at least partially dissociated fuel-air mixture from at least a portion of the fuel-air mixture;
• combusting at least a portion of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber with the plasma field generated from the at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture to produce products;
• locating an ignition source at least partially within a selected one of the fuel nozzle mixing chamber and the combustion chamber;
• and
• altering the rate of at least partial fuel-air ionization and/or dissociation with the ignition source responsive to variant operating conditions.