US 10,704,786 B2Granted

Fuel injector including a lobed mixer and vanes for injecting alternate fuels in a gas turbine

AssigneeSiemens Energy, Inc.

InventorsWalter Ray Laster, Timothy A. Fox, Robert H. Bartley

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Abstract

A fuel injector for injecting alternate fuels having a different energy density in a gas turbine is provided. A first fuel supply channel (18) may be fluidly coupled to a radial passage (22) in a plurality of vanes (20) that branches into passages (24) (e.g., axial passages) to inject a first fuel without jet in cross-flow injection. This may be effective to reduce flashback in fuels having a relatively high flame speed. A mixer (30) with lobes (32) for injection of a second fuel may be arranged at the downstream end of a fuel delivery tube (12). A fuel-routing structure (38) may be configured to route the second fuel within a respective lobe so that fuel injection of the second fuel takes place radially outwardly relative to a central region of the mixer. This may be conducive to an improved (e.g., a relatively more uniform) mixing of air and fuel.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A fuel injector for a gas turbine, comprising:

a fuel delivery tube structure disposed along a central axis of the fuel injector, the fuel delivery tube structure surrounded by a shroud;
a first fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure;
a plurality of vanes arranged between the fuel delivery tube structure and the shroud;
a radial passage in each vane of the plurality of vanes, the radial passage in fluid communication with the first fuel supply channel to receive a first fuel, wherein the radial passage is configured to branch into a set of axial passages each axial passage of the set of axial passages having an aperture arranged to inject the first fuel in a direction of air flow;
and
a second fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure, the second fuel supply channel extending to a downstream end of the fuel delivery tube structure, wherein a mixer with a plurality of lobes for fuel injection of a second fuel is arranged at the downstream end, wherein the first fuel received in the first fuel supply channel comprises a lower density energy fuel relative to the second fuel received in the second fuel supply channel,
wherein the mixer comprises a fuel-routing centerbody,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a transition surface configured to transition fuel flow from the second fuel supply channel towards a conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a routing surface axially extending through the respective lobe, the routing surface disposed at a radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe to partially define the conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the conduit between a radially innermost portion of the respective lobe and the radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe is fully closed by the fuel-routing centerbody to block the second fuel, and
wherein the radially innermost portion of the respective lobe extends from the fuel-routing centerbody.

8 more elements

A fuel injector for a gas turbine, comprising:

a fuel delivery tube structure disposed along a central axis of the fuel injector, the fuel delivery tube structure;
a first fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure;
a plurality of vanes circumferentially disposed about the fuel delivery tube structure;
a radial passage in each vane of the plurality of vanes, the radial passage in fluid communication with the first fuel supply channel to receive a first fuel, wherein the radial passage is configured to branch into a set of axial passages each axial passage of the set of axial passages having an aperture arranged to inject the first fuel in a direction of air flow;
a second fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure, the second fuel supply channel extending to a downstream end of the fuel delivery tube structure, wherein a mixer with a plurality of lobes for fuel injection of a second fuel is arranged at the downstream end;
and
wherein the second fuel is routed within a respective lobe so that the fuel injection of the second fuel takes place radially outwardly relative to a central region of the mixer, wherein the first fuel received in the first fuel supply channel comprises a lower density energy fuel relative to the second fuel received in the second fuel supply channel,
wherein the mixer comprises a fuel-routing centerbody,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a transition surface configured to transition fuel flow from the second fuel supply channel towards a conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a routing surface axially extending through the respective lobe, the routing surface disposed at a radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe to partially define the conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the conduit between a radially innermost portion of the respective lobe and the radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe is fully closed by the fuel-routing centerbody to block the second fuel, and
wherein the radially innermost portion of the respective lobe extends from the fuel-routing centerbody.

9 more elements

A fuel injector for a gas turbine, comprising:

a fuel delivery tube structure disposed along a central axis of the fuel injector, the fuel delivery tube structure surrounded by a shroud;
a first fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure;
a plurality of vanes arranged between the fuel delivery tube structure and the shroud, respective vanes of the plurality of vanes including a passage in fluid communication with the first fuel supply channel to receive a first fuel;
and
a second fuel supply channel arranged in the fuel delivery tube structure, the second fuel supply channel extending to a downstream end of the fuel delivery tube structure, wherein a mixer with a plurality of lobes for fuel injection of a second fuel is arranged at the downstream end, wherein the second fuel is routed within a respective lobe so that the fuel injection of the second fuel takes place between a radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe and a radially outermost portion of the respective lobe, wherein the first fuel received in the first fuel supply channel comprises a lower density energy fuel relative to the second fuel received in the second fuel supply channel,
wherein the passage in the respective vanes comprises a radial passage, wherein the radial passage is configured to branch into a set of axial passages each axial passage of the set of axial passages having an aperture arranged to inject the first fuel in a direction of air flow,
wherein the mixer comprises a fuel-routing centerbody,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a transition surface configured to transition fuel flow from the second fuel supply channel towards a conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the fuel-routing centerbody comprises a routing surface axially extending through the respective lobe, the routing surface disposed at the radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe to partially define the conduit in the respective lobe,
wherein the conduit between a radially innermost portion of the respective lobe and the radially intermediate portion of the respective lobe is fully closed by the fuel-routing centerbody to block the second fuel, and
wherein the radially innermost portion of the respective lobe extends from the fuel-routing centerbody.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/540,405Filed 29 Jan 2015
Published: US 2017/0363291 A121 Dec 2017
Granted: 7 Jul 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

F23R 3/14
Inducing a vortex: by using swirl vanes
F23D 14/24
With separate air and gas feed ducts, e.g. with ducts running parallel or crossing each other: at least one of the fluids being submitted to a…
F23R 3/286
Characterised by the fuel supply: having fuel-air premixing devices
F23R 3/36
Characterised by the fuel supply: supply of different fuels