# US 12,215,637 B2 · Liquid fuel system for a turbomachine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,637 B2 - Document ID: US12215637B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/943,506 - Filed: 2022-09-13 - Published: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2022-09-13 - Assignees: GE Infrastructure Technology LLC - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Baha Suleiman; Hatem M. Selim; Majed Sammak; Alaaeldin Elsaeed Dawood; Abdurrahman Abdallah Khalidi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215637B2 ## CPC - F02C 9/40: specially adapted to the use of a special fuel or a plurality of fuels - F02C 3/24: the fuel or oxidant being liquid at standard temperature and pressure - F02C 3/30: Adding water, steam or other fluids {for influencing combustion, e.g. to obtain cleaner exhaust gases (F02C7/141, F02C7/30, F01D21/00, F01K21/04, F23D11/10 take precedence)} - F02C 7/224: Heating fuel before feeding to the burner - F23R 3/36: Supply of different fuels - F05D 2260/213: by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit - 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 Liquid fuel systems and methods are provided. A liquid fuel system includes a mixing unit and a plurality of liquid fuel supply systems. Each liquid fuel supply system is fluidly coupled to the mixing unit. The liquid fuel system further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the mixing unit and the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems. The controller includes memory and one or more processors. The memory stores instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the liquid fuel system to perform operations including providing one or more liquid fuels from the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to the mixing unit. The operations further include mixing, with the mixing unit, the one or more liquid fuels to create a liquid fuel mixture. The operations further include providing the liquid fuel mixture to a combustion section of a turbomachine. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid fuel system for a turbomachine, the liquid fuel system comprising: an accessory system having a flow divider, wherein the flow divider includes an input line and a plurality of outlet lines each fluidly coupled to a combustion can of a plurality of combustion cans in a combustion section; a mixing unit disposed upstream of the flow divider and in fluid communication with the input line; a plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, each liquid fuel supply system fluidly coupled to the mixing unit; and a controller communicatively coupled to the mixing unit and the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, the controller comprising memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the liquid fuel system to perform operations including: providing two or more liquid fuels from the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to the mixing unit, wherein the two or more liquid fuels comprise a first liquid fuel from a first liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems and a second liquid fuel from a second liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, the second liquid fuel having a different chemical composition than the first liquid fuel; mixing, with the mixing unit, the two or more liquid fuels to create a liquid fuel mixture; and providing the liquid fuel mixture to each combustion can of the plurality of combustion cans in the combustion section of the turbomachine. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, further comprising a water supply system in selective fluid communication with the mixing unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The liquid fuel system as in claim 2, wherein the water supply system is communicatively coupled to the controller, and wherein the operations further include: providing water from the water supply system to the mixing unit while providing the two or more liquid fuels from the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to the mixing unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, wherein each liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems comprises a liquid fuel tank and a liquid fuel forwarding skid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems comprises a fuel heat exchanger immediately upstream of the mixing unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, further comprising a water supply system and a water manifold, the water supply system in selective fluid communication with the mixing unit and in fluid communication with the manifold, the water manifold in fluid communication with each combustion can of the plurality of combustion cans. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, wherein the first liquid fuel comprises one of a light diesel oil, a heavy fuel oil, a crude oil, liquefied natural gas, or an aqueous ammonia, and wherein the second liquid fuel comprises another of the light diesel oil, the heavy fuel oil, the crude oil, liquefied natural gas, or the aqueous ammonia. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The liquid fuel system as in claim 1, wherein the accessory system further includes a recirculating line, a pump, a filter, and a valve positioned on the input line. ### Claim 9 A liquid fuel system for a turbomachine, the liquid fuel system comprising: an accessory system having a flow divider, wherein the flow divider includes an input line and a plurality of outlet lines each fluidly coupled to a combustion can of a plurality of combustion cans in a combustion section; a mixing unit disposed upstream of the flow divider and in fluid communication with the input line; a fuel selection unit disposed upstream of the mixing unit; a plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, each liquid fuel supply system fluidly coupled to fuel selection unit; an aqueous ammonia supply system fluidly coupled to the mixing unit; and a controller communicatively coupled to the fuel selection unit, the mixing unit, and the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, the controller comprising memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the liquid fuel system to perform operations including: providing two or more liquid fuels from the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to the fuel selection unit, wherein the two or more liquid fuels comprise a first liquid fuel from a first liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems and a second liquid fuel from a second liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, the second liquid fuel having a different chemical composition than the first liquid fuel; selecting, within the fuel selection unit, a liquid fuel from the two or more liquid fuels; providing the selected liquid fuel to the mixing unit; providing aqueous ammonia from the aqueous ammonia supply system to the mixing unit; mixing, with the mixing unit, the selected liquid fuel and the aqueous ammonia to create the liquid fuel mixture; and providing the liquid fuel mixture to each combustion can of the plurality of combustion cans in the combustion section of the turbomachine. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The liquid fuel system as in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems comprises a fuel heat exchanger immediately upstream of the fuel selection unit. ### Claim 11 A method of supplying a liquid fuel mixture to a combustion section of a turbomachine, the method comprising: providing two or more liquid fuels from a plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to a mixing unit, wherein providing the two or more liquid fuels to the mixing unit comprises: providing a first liquid fuel from a first liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, and providing a second liquid fuel from a second liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, the second liquid fuel having a different chemical composition than the first liquid fuel; mixing, with the mixing unit, the two or more liquid fuels to create the liquid fuel mixture; and providing the liquid fuel mixture to an accessory system having a flow divider, wherein the flow divider includes an input line and a plurality of outlet lines each fluidly coupled to a combustion can of a plurality of combustion cans in the combustion section. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, further comprising providing water from a water supply system to the mixing unit while providing the two or more liquid fuels from the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems to the mixing unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, further comprising, for each liquid fuel supply system of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems, directing a respective liquid fuel from a liquid fuel tank to a liquid fuel forwarding skid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as in claim 13, wherein one or more liquid fuel supply systems of the plurality of liquid fuel supply systems comprises a fuel heat exchanger. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as in claim 14, further comprising heating a fuel of the one or more liquid fuels with the fuel heat exchanger. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, further comprising selectively providing water from a water supply system to the mixing unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method as in claim 11, wherein the first liquid fuel comprises one of a light diesel oil, a heavy fuel oil, a crude oil, liquefied natural gas, or an aqueous ammonia, and wherein the second liquid fuel comprises another of the light diesel oil, the heavy fuel oil, the crude oil, liquefied natural gas, or the aqueous ammonia.