Nozzle with flow equalizer

A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine having a combustor casing with an opening, the fuel injector comprising:

• a fitting for receiving fuel, said fitting designed to be located exterior to the combustor casing;
• a nozzle for dispensing fuel, said nozzle designed to be located within the combustor casing;
• a housing stem extending through the opening between and supporting the fitting and said nozzle, said housing stem having a primary fuel conduit and a secondary fuel conduit fluidly interconnecting the fitting and the nozzle, said nozzle including a primary fuel passageway and a secondary fuel passageway, said primary fuel passageway directing fuel from the primary fuel conduit to a primary discharge orifice at a discharge end of the nozzle and said secondary fuel passageway directing fuel from the secondary fuel conduit to a secondary fuel discharge orifice at the discharge end of the nozzle, the primary fuel passageway defined internally of the primary adapter, and the secondary fuel passageway defined between the primary adapter and an annular outer fuel conduit portion surrounding the primary adapter, the primary adapter having an outer surface with a radially-outwardly-projecting, continuously-annular geometry to restrict flow through the secondary fuel passageway and provide substantially uniform distribution of flow through the secondary fuel passageway downstream of the geometry.

A fuel injection assembly for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a combustor casing with an opening and a fuel injector, said fuel injector including:
• a) a fitting for receiving fuel, said fitting designed to be located exterior to the combustor casing;
• b) a nozzle for dispensing fuel, said nozzle designed to be located within the combustor casing;
• and
• c) a housing stem extending through the opening between and supporting the fitting and said nozzle, said housing stem having a primary fuel conduit and a secondary fuel conduit fluidly interconnecting the fitting and the nozzle, said nozzle including a primary fuel passageway and a secondary fuel passageway, said primary fuel passageway directing fuel from the primary fuel conduit to a central, primary discharge orifice at a discharge end of the nozzle and said secondary fuel passageway directing fuel from the secondary fuel conduit to an annular, secondary fuel discharge orifice at the discharge end of the nozzle, with the secondary discharge orifice concentrically surrounding the primary discharge orifice, the primary fuel passageway defined internally of the primary adapter, and the secondary fuel passageway defined between an inner cylindrical surface of an outer fuel conduit portion and an outer cylindrical surface of a primary adapter, the outer cylindrical surface of the adapter having a distinct, radially-outwardly projecting, continuously-annular shoulder at an upstream end of the adapter defining an annular orifice with the outer fuel conduit portion to restrict flow through the secondary fuel passageway and provide uniform distribution of flow through the secondary passageway downstream of the shoulder.