Steam generator injector

An injector and combustion chamber assembly for mixing and delivering reactants including fuel and an oxidizer along with water into the combustion chamber, the assembly comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a water inlet coupled to a source of water;
• a face oriented adjacent the combustion chamber and facing the combustion chamber, said face including at least one outlet for a mixture of the fuel, the oxidizer and the water;
• a mixer for the fuel, the oxidizer, and the water, said mixer located upstream from said outlet;
• said face located between said mixer and said combustion chamber;
• wherein said mixer includes a first reactant mixer for the fuel from said fuel inlet and the oxidizer from said oxidizer inlet, and a second mixer for mixing water from said water inlet with a reactant mixture discharged from said first reactant mixer;
• wherein said mixer includes multiple separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a separate fuel outlet, and multiple separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to a separate oxidizer output, said fuel outlets and said oxidizer outputs oriented to discharge the fuel and the oxidizer into a common mixing region;
• and
• wherein said face includes mixture outlets passing through said face and into the combustion chamber for the fuel, oxygen and water mixture, and wherein said face additionally includes cooling holes passing therethrough which do not exit said face and into the combustion chamber, said cooling holes remaining spaced from said mixture outlets.

A method for delivering reactants and water into a combustion chamber, including the steps of:

• receiving fuel from a source of fuel;
• receiving oxidizer from a source of oxidizer;
• mixing the fuel from the source of fuel and the oxidizer from the source of oxidizer together before directing the fuel and the oxidizer into the combustion chamber;
• receiving water from a source of water;
• blending the water from the source of water with a fuel and oxidizer reactant mixture resulting from said mixing step before directing the fuel, oxidizer and water into the combustion chamber;
• directing the water, fuel and oxidizer mixture into the combustion chamber;
• wherein said mixing step includes the steps of dividing the fuel into separate fuel passageways, at least two of the passageways leading to a separate fuel outlet and dividing the oxidizer into separate oxidizer passageways, at least two of the passageways leading to a separate oxidizer output;
• locating the fuel outputs and the oxidizer outputs adjacent a mixing region;
• and
• wherein said mixing step includes the step of sizing the fuel outlets and the oxidizer outlets to have a size ratio of the sum of all of the fuel outlets to the sum of all of the oxidizer outlets similar to a preselected reactant mixture ratio for the fuel and the oxidizer.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein a ratio of the sum of all of said fuel outlet cross-sectional areas and the sum of each of said oxidizer output cross-sectional areas matches a preselected fuel and oxidizer reactant mixture ratio.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• a water inlet coupled to a source of water;
• means for blending the reactant mixture with the water;
• said face located downstream from said means for blending the reactant mixture with the water, such that the water is blended with the reactant mixture before the water from said water inlet passes beyond said face;
• and
• wherein said water inlet is split into multiple separate conduits said conduits leading to separate outflow ends adjacent a region where the fuel and oxidizer mixture is present, said outflow end of each said conduit having a cross-sectional area and water flow rate therethrough which correlates to a cross-sectional area and flow rate of the fuel and oxidizer mixture passing by said outflow end of said conduit at a blending ratio which matches a preselected ratio of water to fuel and oxidizer mixture, such that a desired mixture of fuel, oxidizer and water is blended together before passing through said face and into the combustion chamber.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet,
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein said multiple separate fuel pathways are located within a series of planar fuel platelets.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein said multiple separate oxidizer pathways are located within a series of planar oxidizer platelets.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein said multiple separate fuel pathways are located within a series of planar fuel platelets and wherein said multiple separate oxidizer pathways are located within a series of planar oxidizer platelets, at least two of said fuel platelets stacked with at least one oxidizer platelet there between.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber, the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein said multiple separate fuel pathways are located within a series of planar fuel platelets, wherein a center of said fuel platelets is open to define part of a mixing chamber, at least a portion of said separate fuel pathways extending toward a center of said platelet until said separate fuel pathways terminate at said fuel outlets.

An injection system for premixing reactants before delivery, such as into a combustion chamber the system comprising in combination:

• a fuel inlet coupled to a source of fuel;
• an oxidizer inlet coupled to a source of oxidizer;
• a plurality of separate fuel pathways located downstream from said fuel inlet, each said fuel pathway leading to a fuel outlet;
• a plurality of separate oxidizer pathways located downstream from said oxidizer inlet, each said oxidizer pathway leading to an oxidizer output;
• each said fuel outlet located adjacent to one of said oxidizer outputs, said outlets and said outputs located adjacent a mixing region where mixing of the fuel and the oxidizer occurs to create a reactant mixture including the fuel and the oxidizer;
• a face located downstream from said mixing region;
• and
• wherein a cross-sectional area of said oxidizer outputs is approximately twice as great as a cross-sectional size of said fuel outlets, and wherein a number of fuel outlets and a number of oxidizer outputs are substantially equal to each other.