# US 11,029,029 B2 · Fuel injector heat exchanger assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,029 B2 - Document ID: US11029029B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/238,979 - Filed: 2019-01-03 - Published: 2020-07-09 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-03 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Varun Swaminathan Lakshmanan; Michael Anthony Benjamin; Veeraraju Vanapalli; Karthikeyan Sampath - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029029B2 ## CPC - F23R 3/283: {Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances} - F23R 3/36: Supply of different fuels - F23R 2900/00004: Preventing formation of deposits on surfaces of gas turbine components, e.g. coke deposits - F23R: GENERATING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY, e.g. GAS-TURBINE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS (fluidised bed combustion apparatus specially adapted for operation at superatmospheric pressures F23C10/16) ## Abstract A fuel injector heat exchanger assembly is provided, in which the fuel injector assembly includes a body defining an outer surface and an inner surface. The body includes a plurality of walls in concentric arrangement. The plurality of walls defines a plurality of passages including a first passage surrounded by a second passage, and a third passage surrounding the second passage. Each passage is fluidly segregated from one another by the plurality of walls. A first conduit wall is defined through the body from the outer surface. The first conduit wall defines a first conduit in fluid communication with the second passage. The first conduit wall fluidly segregates the first conduit from the third passage. The first conduit is configured to admit a flow of fluid from outside the fuel injector into the second passage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel injector assembly, the fuel injector assembly comprising: a body defining an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the body comprises: a plurality of walls in concentric arrangement, wherein the plurality of walls defines a plurality of passages, wherein the plurality of passages comprises a first passage surrounded by a second passage, and further wherein the plurality of walls defines a third passage surrounding the second passage, wherein each passage is fluidly segregated from one another by the plurality of walls; a first conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface and extending radially through the third passage to the second passage, wherein the first conduit wall defines a first conduit in fluid communication with the second passage, and wherein the first conduit wall fluidly segregates the first conduit from the third passage, wherein the first conduit is configured to admit a flow of fluid from outside the fuel injector into the second passage; and a second conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface and extending radially through the third passage, wherein the second conduit wall defines a second conduit in fluid communication with the second passage, and wherein the second conduit wall fluidly segregates the second conduit from the third passage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuel injector assembly comprises a flange configured to couple to an outer casing, and wherein the fuel injector defines a first end proximate to the flange and a second end distal to the first end along the body, and wherein the first conduit wall is defined through the body at the first end. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fuel injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the second conduit is configured to egress the flow of fluid from the second passage to outside the fuel injector. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fuel injector assembly of claim 3, wherein the fuel injector assembly comprises a flange configured to couple to an outer casing, and wherein the fuel injector defines a first end proximate to the flange and a second end distal to the first end along the body, and wherein the second conduit wall is defined through the body at the first end, and further wherein the first conduit wall is defined through the body at the second end distal to the first second conduit wall at the first end. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fuel injector assembly of claim 1, further comprising a head extended from the body, wherein the head defines one or more fuel outlets through which a flow of fuel egresses the first passage and the third passage, and further wherein the head defines a working fluid outlet through which the flow of fluid egresses the second passage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fuel injector assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a fin structure comprising a plurality of fins extended from one or more of the plurality of walls into one or more of the plurality of passages, wherein the plurality of fins are in adjacent circumferential arrangement relative to a reference centerline axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fuel injector assembly of claim 6, wherein the plurality of fins of the fin structure are in adjacent radial arrangement relative to the reference centerline axis extended through the body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The fuel injector assembly of claim 7, wherein the plurality of fins is arranged along the circumferential direction and the radial direction to provide a helical arrangement through the one or more of the plurality of passages. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The fuel injector assembly of claim 6, wherein the fin structure is extended into the first passage, the third passage, or both, wherein the first passage and the third passage are each configured to provide a flow of fuel therethrough, and wherein the flow of fluid is compressed air. ### Claim 10 A heat engine, the heat engine comprising: an outer casing defining an exterior surface and an interior surface, wherein the outer casing defines a diffuser cavity therewithin receiving a flow of compressed air; a fuel injector assembly coupled to the exterior surface of the outer casing, wherein the fuel injector assembly comprises: a body defining an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the body comprises a plurality of walls in concentric arrangement, and wherein the plurality of walls defines a plurality of passages, wherein the plurality of passages comprises a first passage surrounded by a second passage, and further wherein the plurality of walls defines a third passage surrounding the second passage, wherein each passage is fluidly segregated from one another by the plurality of walls, and further wherein the body comprises a first conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface and extending radially through the third passage to the second passage, wherein the first conduit wall defines a first conduit in fluid communication with the second passage, and wherein the first conduit wall fluidly segregates the first conduit from the third passage, wherein the first conduit is configured to admit a flow of fluid from outside the fuel injector into the second passage, and further wherein the body comprises a second conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface and extending radially through the third passage, wherein the second conduit wall defines a second conduit in fluid communication with the second passage, and wherein the second conduit wall fluidly segregates the second conduit from the third passage; and a flange extended from the outer surface of the body, wherein the flange couples the fuel injector assembly to the exterior surface of the outer casing, and wherein the fuel injector assembly defines a first end proximate to the flange and a second end distal to the first end along the body. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The heat engine of claim 10, wherein the first conduit wall is defined through the body at the first end. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The heat engine of claim 10, the second conduit is configured to egress the flow of fluid from the second passage to outside the fuel injector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The heat engine of claim 12, wherein the second conduit wall is defined through the body at the first end, and further wherein the first conduit wall is defined through the body at the second end distal to the second conduit wall at the first end. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The heat engine of claim 13, wherein the second conduit wall is radially outward of the interior surface of the outer casing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The heat engine of claim 14, wherein the second conduit wall is radially inward of the exterior surface of the outer casing. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The heat engine of claim 10, wherein the plurality of walls of the fuel injector assembly comprises: a first wall extended inward of and spaced apart from the inner surface of the body, wherein the first passage is defined within the first wall; a second wall extended inward of the inner surface of the body and outward of the first wall, wherein the second wall is spaced apart from each of the inner surface of the body and the first wall, and wherein the second passage is defined between the first wall and the second wall, and further wherein the third passage is defined between the second wall and the inner surface of the body, and wherein the first conduit wall is extended through the body from the outer surface and coupled to the second wall. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The heat engine of claim 10, further comprising: a fuel system configured to provide one or more flows of de-oxygenated fuel to the first passage and the third passage of the fuel injector assembly, and wherein the second passage is configured to receive the flow of fluid from the diffuser cavity via the first conduit, and wherein the fuel injector assembly is configured to egress the flow of fluid via the second conduit, and wherein the one or more flows of fuel and the flow of fluid are in thermal communication within the body of the fuel injector assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The heat engine of claim 10, further comprising: a fin structure comprising a plurality of fins extended from one or more of the plurality of walls into one or more of the plurality of passages, wherein the plurality of fins are in adjacent circumferential arrangement relative to a reference centerline axis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The heat engine of claim 18, wherein the plurality of fins of the fin structure are in adjacent radial arrangement relative to the reference centerline axis extended through the body. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The heat engine of claim 19, wherein the plurality of fins is arranged along the circumferential direction and the radial direction to provide a helical arrangement through one or more of the plurality of passages.