Airblast fuel injector

An airblast fuel injector for a fuel spray nozzle of a gas turbine engine, the fuel injector having an annular air passage for the passage of a swirling air flow therethrough, the swirling air flow being used by the fuel injector to produce an atomised fuel spray, wherein the annular air passage contains a swirler for producing the swirling air flow, the swirler comprising inner and outer side walls and a circumferential row of vanes which span inner and outer side walls of the annular air passage, viewed on a longitudinal section through the fuel injector, the annular air passage has a bend downstream of the swirler, the bend changing the direction of the annular air passage such that the annular air passage turns radially outwards downstream of the bend, each vane comprises a suction surface and a pressure surface, the vanes are configured to introduce a radial outward component to the air flow exiting the swirler, the radial component guiding the air flow around the bend, the vanes are leant to introduce the radial component to the air flow exiting the swirler such that, across each inter-vane passage formed by a suction surface of one vane and a facing pressure surface of a neighbouring vane, with increasing radial distance the lean inclines the suction surface towards the pressure surface, and an annular fuel passage coaxial with the annular air passage, the annular fuel passage feeding fuel into the annular air passage through a port located downstream of the bend at the side wall of the annular air passage which, viewed in the longitudinal section through the fuel injector, forms the inside of the bend.

An airblast fuel injector for a fuel spray nozzle of a gas turbine engine, the fuel injector having an annular air passage for the passage of a swirling air flow therethrough, the swirling air flow being used by the fuel injector to produce an atomised fuel spray, wherein the annular air passage contains a swirler for producing the swirling air flow, the swirler comprising inner and outer side walls and a circumferential row of vanes which span inner and outer side walls of the annular air passage, viewed on a longitudinal section through the fuel injector, the annular air passage has a bend downstream of the swirler, the bend changing the direction of the annular air passage such that the annular air passage turns radially outwards downstream of the bend, each vane comprises a suction surface and a pressure surface, the vanes are configured to introduce a radial outward component to the air flow exiting the swirler, the radial component guiding the air flow around the bend, the each vane comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, the leading and/or trailing edges of the vanes are forward swept to introduce the radial component to the air flow exiting the swirler, and an annular fuel passage coaxial with the annular air passage, the annular fuel passage feeding fuel into the annular air passage through a port located downstream of the bend at the side wall of the annular air passage which, viewed in the longitudinal section through the fuel injector, forms the inside of the bend.