# US 12,601,485 B2 · Turbine engine with fuel nozzle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,601,485 B2 - Document ID: US12601485B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/613,824 - Filed: 2024-03-22 - Published: 2025-08-07 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-21 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Pradeep Naik; Perumallu Vukanti; Michael T. Bucaro; Steven C. Vise; Ajoy Patra; R Narasimha Chiranthan; Manampathy G. Giridharan; Michael A. Benjamin; Clayton S. Cooper; Dharmaraj Pachaiappan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12601485B2 ## CPC - F23R 3/14: by using swirl vanes - F23R 3/286: {having fuel-air premixing devices (F23R3/30 takes precedence)} - 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) ## Abstract An engine can utilize a combustor to combust fuel to drive the engine. A fuel nozzle assembly can supply fuel to the combustor for combustion or ignition of the fuel. The fuel nozzle assembly can include a swirler and a fuel nozzle to supply a mixture of fuel and air for combustion. Increasing efficiency and meeting emission needs can be met with the use of alternative fuels, which combust at higher temperatures or higher speeds than traditional fuels, requiring improved fuel introduction without the occurrence of flame holding or flashback. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A turbine engine comprising: a compressor section, combustor section, and turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustor section including a fuel nozzle assembly comprising: a fuel nozzle including a fuel passage defining a longitudinal axis, the fuel nozzle terminating at a nozzle tip; a swirler defining a swirler passage about the fuel nozzle, having a forward wall spaced from an aft wall, and having a center wall positioned between the forward wall and the aft wall; a set of vanes provided within the swirler; a lip extending downstream from the center wall relative to a flow direction through the swirler, and the lip terminating at an aft end; and a purge opening extending through the forward wall and exhausting to the swirler passage; wherein the nozzle tip is positioned aft of the aft end of the lip relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the aft end of the lip is positioned forward of the aft wall relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening is one of a set of purge openings in annular arrangement about the fuel nozzle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening is provided as an annular opening in annular arrangement about the fuel nozzle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening defines a purge axis and wherein the purge opening is arranged such that the purge axis defines an angle relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The turbine engine of claim 5, wherein the angle is between negative ten degrees and sixty degrees. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The turbine engine of claim 5, wherein the purge opening is oriented to impinge upon the fuel nozzle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening axially overlaps with the lip in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening extends through the forward wall along the fuel nozzle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the purge opening includes a semicircular cross-sectional shape. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising an annular groove arranged within the forward wall between the purge opening and the swirler passage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The turbine engine of claim 12, wherein the purge opening is provided as multiple purge openings in stacked arrangement exhausting to the annular groove. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the swirler passage defines a swirler height as a radial length between the fuel nozzle and the swirler in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the lip height can be between −0.9 times the swirler height to 0.9 times the swirler height. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The turbine engine of claim 14, wherein a swirler passage length is defined as an axial distance between the lip and the nozzle tip, and wherein the lip height can be between one to six times the swirler passage length. ### Claim 16 A fuel nozzle assembly comprising: a fuel nozzle including a fuel passage defining a longitudinal axis, the fuel nozzle terminating at a nozzle tip; a swirler defining a swirler passage about the fuel nozzle, having a forward wall spaced from an aft wall, and having a center wall positioned between the forward wall and the aft wall; a lip extending downstream from the center wall relative to a flow direction through the swirler, and the lip terminating at an aft end; and a purge opening extending through the forward wall and exhausting to the swirler passage; wherein the nozzle tip is positioned aft of the aft end of the lip relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The fuel nozzle assembly of claim 16, wherein the aft end of the lip is positioned forward of the aft wall relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The fuel nozzle assembly of claim 16, wherein the purge opening defines a purge axis and wherein the purge opening is arranged such that the purge axis defines an angle relative to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The fuel nozzle assembly of claim 18, wherein the purge axis orients the purge opening to impinge upon the fuel nozzle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The fuel nozzle assembly of claim 1, further comprising an annular groove arranged within the forward wall between the purge opening and the swirler passage.