# US 12,181,153 B2 · Fuel injector assembly for gas turbine engine

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- Number: US 12,181,153 B2
- Document ID: US12181153B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/113,457
- Filed: 2023-02-23
- Published: 2024-08-29
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2023-02-23
- Assignees: Rtx Corporation
- Applicants: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: Zhongtao Dai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181153B2

## CPC

- F23R 3/286: {having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence)}
- F02C 3/22: the fuel or oxidant being gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (F02C3/28 takes precedence)
- F23R 3/14: by using swirl vanes
- F23R 3/60: Support structures; Attaching or mounting means
- F23R 2900/00002: Gas turbine combustors adapted for fuels having low heating value [LHV]
- 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)
- 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)

## Abstract

An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a fuel injector assembly, and the fuel injector assembly includes an inner air swirler and a fuel swirler. The inner air swirler is configured to swirl inner air in a direction about an axis to provide inner swirled air. The fuel injector assembly is configured to inject the inner swirled air as an inner air flow along an inner air flow trajectory parallel with the axis. The fuel swirler is configured to swirl fuel in the direction about the axis to provide swirled fuel. The fuel injector assembly is configured to inject the swirled fuel as an annular fuel flow along a fuel flow trajectory parallel with the axis. The annular fuel flow is adjacent and circumscribes the inner air flow.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An assembly for a turbine engine, comprising:
a hydrogen fuel source; and
a fuel injector configured to receive hydrogen fuel from the hydrogen fuel source, the fuel injector including an air passage, a fuel passage and a fuel swirler within the fuel passage;
the air passage extending axially along an axis within the fuel injector to an air passage outlet, and the air passage configured to direct inner air out of the fuel injector through the air passage outlet;
the fuel swirler configured to swirl the hydrogen fuel to provide swirled hydrogen fuel;
the fuel passage extending axially along the axis within the fuel injector to a fuel passage outlet, the fuel passage configured to direct the swirled hydrogen fuel out of the fuel injector through the fuel passage outlet, and the fuel passage radially adjacent and circumscribing the air passage, wherein a downstream end of the fuel swirler is axially spaced from the fuel passage outlet along the axis;
the air passage configured to direct the inner air out of the fuel injector through the air passage outlet along a first trajectory; and
the fuel passage configured to direct the swirled hydrogen fuel out of the fuel injector through the fuel passage outlet along a second trajectory that is substantially parallel with the first trajectory when viewed in a plane parallel with the axis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, wherein
the fuel injector further includes an inner air swirler;
the inner air swirler is configured to swirl the inner air to provide swirled inner air; and
the air passage is configured to direct the swirled inner air out of the fuel injector through the air passage outlet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first trajectory and the second trajectory are substantially parallel with the axis.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuel swirler comprises an axial fuel swirler.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuel injector further comprises an air swirler within the air passage.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The assembly of claim 5, wherein the air swirler comprises an axial air swirler.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The assembly of claim 5, wherein
the fuel injector further includes a center body and a nozzle wall circumscribing the center body; and
the air swirler includes a plurality of air swirler vanes arranged circumferentially about the axis, and each of the plurality of air swirler vanes extends radially from the center body to the nozzle wall.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The assembly of claim 7, wherein an inner bore extends axially through the center body.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The assembly of claim 7, wherein a camber line of a first of the plurality of air swirler vanes is straight.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The assembly of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of a camber line of a first of the plurality of air swirler vanes is curved.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, wherein
the fuel injector further includes a nozzle inner wall and a nozzle outer wall circumscribing the nozzle inner wall; and
the fuel swirler includes a plurality of fuel swirler vanes arranged circumferentially about the axis, and each of the plurality of fuel swirler vanes extends radially from the nozzle inner wall to the nozzle outer wall.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The assembly of claim 11, wherein a camber line of a first of the plurality of fuel swirler vanes is straight.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The assembly of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of a camber line of a first of the plurality of fuel swirler vanes is curved.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a fuel injector assembly including the fuel injector and an outer air swirler configured to swirl outer air in the direction about the axis to provide outer swirled air;
the fuel injector assembly configured to inject the outer swirled air as an annular outer air flow along the axis.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The assembly of claim 14, wherein the outer air swirler comprises a radial air swirler.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The assembly of claim 14, wherein
the fuel injector assembly further includes a first swirler wall and a second swirler wall; and
the outer air swirler includes a plurality of air swirler vanes arranged circumferentially about the axis, and each of the plurality of air swirler vanes extends axially from the first swirler wall to the second swirler wall.