US 11,020,758 B2Granted

Device and method for fuel injection using swirl burst injector

AssigneeUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette

InventorLulin Jiang

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Flow blurring injection utilizes a two-phase concept to generate fine sprays immediately at the interior exit, rather than a typical jet which gradually disintegrates into ligaments and then finer droplets for a conventional injector. Therefore, clean combustion is achieved with the FB injection for fuels with distinct properties without fuel preheating or hardware modification. However, in addition to the droplets, the FB injection also produces ligaments for highly viscous liquids and relatively larger droplets at spray edge, resulting in difficulty in sustaining the flame and performs incomplete combustion and higher emissions close to the combustor all. The disclosed swirl burst injector and method utilizes the advantages of FB injection and swirl atomization to further improve atomization, and overcomes the limitations of FB injection, providing a sustainable way to use both conventional and alternative fuels with improved efficiency and minimized emissions. The fine atomization of the present invention can be also used in various applications where fine sprays are needed.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A swirl burst fuel injector comprising:

(a) an internal liquid tubing, comprising a liquid tip end with chamfered outside wall;
(b) an injector head;
(c) a chamfered injector exit;
(d) a bubble generation zone;
(e) one or more swirling paths;
(f) at least two swirling vanes;
(g) an atomizing gas channel;
(h) an injector orifice;
wherein a gap is present between the injector orifice and the liquid tip end, wherein gas bifurcation occurs wherein a portion of a gas flows into the bubble generation zone and a remaining portion of said gas exits through the chamfered injector exit;
wherein bubbles are formed in the portion of the gas flowing into the bubble generation zone;
wherein the at least two swirling vanes are contained in each swirling path;
and
wherein at least one of the swirling paths delivers gas into the bubble generation zone in a swirling mode;
wherein a mixing of the gas and the liquid occurs prior to its arrival at the chamfered injector exit;
wherein said bubbles undergo a pressure drop while passing through the chamfered injector exit;
and
wherein said pressure drop causes said bubbles to burst into fine droplets upon exiting the chamfered injector exit.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/656,456Filed 21 Jul 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 21 Jul 2016
Published: US 2018/0029054 A11 Feb 2018
Granted: 1 Jun 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B05B 7/0006
Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas:…
B05B 1/3405
Designed to influence the nature of flow of the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. to produce swirl: to produce swirl
F23D 11/007
With combinations of different spraying or vaporising means: combination of means covered by sub-groups F23D11/10 and F23D11/24
F23D 11/107
Medium and fuel meeting at the burner outlet: at least one of both being subjected to a swirling motion