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US 6,484,489 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for mixing fuel to decrease combustor emissions
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMichael Jerome Foust, Hukam Chand Mongia
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMichael Jerome Foust, Hukam Chand Mongia
Estimating the term…
A combustor for a gas turbine engine operates with high combustion efficiency and low carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and smoke emissions during low, intermediate, and high engine power operations is described. The combustor includes a mixer assembly including a pilot mixer and a main mixer. The pilot mixer includes a pilot fuel injector, at least one swirler, and an air splitter. The main mixer extends circumferentially around the pilot mixer and includes a plurality of fuel injection ports and a conical air swirler upstream from the fuel injection ports. During idle engine power operation, the pilot mixer is aerodynamically isolated from the main mixer, and only air is supplied to the main mixer. During increased power operations, fuel is also supplied to the main mixer, and the main mixer conical swirler facilitates radial and circumferential fuel-air mixing to provide a substantially uniform fuel and air distribution for combustion.
A method for operating a gas turbine engine to facilitate reducing an amount of emissions from a combustor including a mixer assembly including a pilot mixer and a main mixer, the pilot mixer including a pilot fuel nozzle and a plurality of axial swirlers, the main mixer including a main swirler and a plurality of fuel injection ports, said method comprising the steps of:
A combustor for a gas turbine comprising:
A mixer assembly for a gas turbine engine combustor, said mixer assembly configured to control emissions from the combustor and comprising a pilot mixer and a main mixer, said pilot mixer comprising a pilot fuel nozzle, and a plurality of axial swirlers upstream and radially outward from said pilot fuel nozzle, said main mixer radially outward from and concentric with respect to said pilot mixer, said main mixer comprising an axial swirler, a plurality of fuel injection ports and a swirler upstream from said fuel injection ports, said main mixer swirler comprising at least one of a conical main swirler and a cyclone swirler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.