Differential pressure induced purging fuel injector with asymmetric cyclone

Abstract

A fuel injector includes an annular nozzle housing circumscribed about a nozzle axis and an annular fuel nozzle circumscribed about the nozzle axis within the housing. The annular fuel nozzle has at least one main nozzle fuel circuit, a pilot nozzle fuel circuit, and spray orifices extending radially away from the main nozzle fuel circuit through the annular fuel nozzle. Spray wells extend radially through the nozzle housing and are aligned with the spray orifices. An asymmetric cyclone means is located radially outwardly of the housing for generating a swirling flow around the nozzle and an asymmetric static pressure differential around the housing. The asymmetric cyclone means may be a symmetrical radial inflow swirler circumscribed about a cyclone axis that is not collinear with the nozzle axis or may have a plurality of angled flow swirling elements angled with respect to and asymmetrically circumscribed about the cyclone axis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.