Method and apparatus for purging of gas turbine injectors
AssigneeDelavan Inc.
InventorsGregory S. Nesbitt, Robert D. Shoemaker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The purging of residual fuel. In gas turbine combustor fuel injectors is disclosed in which the fuel injector includes a fuel element having a first and second fuel passage for discharging the fuel to the combustor of the gas turbine. Upon interruption of the fuel to the fuel element, high pressure air is passed through an air passage to the first fuel passage to force the fuel in the reverse direction through the first fuel passage, through the second fuel passage, and discharge the residual fuel in each of the passages to the combustor through the second fuel passage.
Claims34
A fuel injector for the combustor of a gas turbine, comprising:
- a fuel element having first and second fuel passages, said first and second fuel passage each having a discharge orifice adjacent an end of the element, and an inlet at a location spaced from said end for receiving fuel from a fuel supply source;
- an air passage in said element communicating with said first fuel passage to communicate high pressure air to said first passage to purge the residual fuel from said first and second fuel passages through the discharge orifice of said second fuel passage when the supply of fuel to said first and second fuel passages is interrupted;
- said fuel element having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- said discharge orifices of said first and second fuel passages are spaced from said longitudinal axis by substantially the same distance for each.
A fuel injector system for the combustor of a gas turbine comprising:
- at least one fuel element, said fuel element having first and second fuel passages each of which has a discharge orifice to discharge fuel from each said passage into the combustor adjacent an end of the element;
- fuel control means for initiating and interrupting the flow of fuel to said fuel element;
- first and second fuel conducting passages for communicating fuel from said fuel control means to the respective first and second fuel passages of said fuel element;
- a source of air under pressure communicating with said fuel element and its first fuel passage to purge said first and second fuel passages and said first and second fuel conducting passages of residual fuel and discharging said purged residual fuel into the combustor from the discharge orifice of said second fuel passage when the supply of fuel to said fuel element is interrupted;
- said fuel element having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- said discharge orifices of said first and second fuel passages are spaced from said longitudinal axis by substantially the same distance for each.
A method of supplying fuel to the combustor of a gas turbine, comprising:
- supplying fuel to first and second fuel passages on a fuel injector element, and discharging the fuel from said fuel passages into the combustor of the gas turbine;
- interrupting the fuel to said first and second fuel passages;
- supplying air under pressure to said first fuel passage on the fuel injector element when the supply of fuel is interrupted to purge any residual fuel remaining in said fuel passages through said first fuel passage to said second fuel passage, and from said second fuel passage to the combustor to burn the purged fuel;
- said fuel injector element having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- the fuel is discharged from discharge orifices of said first and second fuel passages which orifices are spaced from said longitudinal axis by substantially the same distance for each.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.