# US 11,898,493 B2 · Systems for fuel injectors with fuel air heat exchangers

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- Number: US 11,898,493 B2
- Document ID: US11898493B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/202,662
- Filed: 2023-05-26
- Published: 2023-09-21
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-08-19
- Assignees: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
- Applicants: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
- Inventors: Jason A. Ryon; Gregory A. Zink; Brandon P. Williams; Lev A. Prociw
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898493B2

## CPC

- F02C 7/185: {Cooling means for reducing the temperature of the cooling air or gas}
- F02C 7/18: the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)}
- F02C 7/224: Heating fuel before feeding to the burner
- F23R 3/10: for primary air (F23R3/06, F23R3/045 take precedence)
- F23R 3/26: Controlling the air flow
- F23R 3/283: {Attaching or cooling of fuel injecting means including supports for fuel injectors, stems, or lances}
- F02C 6/08: the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor
- F02C 7/141: of working fluid
- F02C 7/222: {Fuel flow conduits, e.g. manifolds}
- F02C 9/16: Control of working fluid flow (F02C9/48 takes precedence; control of air-intake flow F02C7/057)
- F02C 9/18: by bleeding, bypassing or acting on variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or their stages {(F02C3/113 takes precedence)}
- F05D 2260/213: by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit
- F05D 2260/232: characterized by the cooling medium
- F05D 2270/303: Temperature
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- 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)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

A system includes an air manifold, a fuel manifold, and a plurality of fuel injectors. At least one of the fuel injectors includes a heat exchanger portion for supplying compressed, cooled air form the heat exchanger portion to the air manifold. An air valve is operatively connected to an outlet of the air manifold for controlling release of air from the air manifold. A controller is operatively connected to the air valve, wherein the controller includes machine readable instructions configured to control the air valve to regulate flow of air through the air valve based on fuel temperatures in the fuel channel. The machine readable instructions can be configured to cause the controller to flow air through the air valve in a heat exchange mode if a fuel temperature in the fuel injectors is below a predetermined fuel temperature.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of heat exchange for a gas turbine engine comprising:
a fuel heating mode comprising:
collecting air cooled by fuel from a fuel air heat exchanger portion of at least one fuel injector in a plurality of fuel injectors into an air manifold; and
supplying the air cooled by the fuel from the air manifold to one or more external compressed air systems;
and
a fuel cooling mode comprising:
preventing air flow out of the air manifold to the one or more external compressed air systems;
flowing cooling air into the air manifold; and
flowing the cooling air into the respective fuel air heat exchanger portion of the at least one fuel injector in a plurality of fuel injectors.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising
varying a flow of the air cooled by the fuel or a flow of the cooling air through the air manifold based on a fuel temperature in the plurality of fuel injectors.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, wherein
in the fuel heating mode:
the varying of the flow of the air cooled by the fuel includes increasing the flow of the air cooled by the fuel through the air manifold if the fuel temperature in the plurality of fuel injectors permits without exceeding a predetermined limit on the fuel temperature.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising
preventing the flow of the air cooled by the fuel or the flow of the cooling air through the air manifold in a neutral mode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising
in the fuel cooling mode:
supplying the cooling air to the air manifold from compressor discharge air that is pressure boosted to above compressor discharge air pressure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising
in the fuel cooling mode:
cooling the compressor discharge air prior to pressure boosting the compressor discharge air upstream of the air manifold.