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US 6,993,916 B2Granted
Burner tube and method for mixing air and gas in a gas turbine engine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Edward Johnson, Stanley Kevin Widener, Kevin Weston McMahan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid structure that combines characteristics of the DACRS and Swozzle burners to provide the high mixing ability of an axial flowing counter rotating vane swirler with good dynamic flame stability characteristics of a bluff center body.
Claims22
A burner for use in a combustion system of an industrial gas turbine, the burner comprising:
- an outer peripheral wall;
- a burner center body coaxially disposed within said outer wall;
- a fuel/air premixer including an air inlet, at least one fuel inlet, and a splitter ring, the splitter ring defining a first, radially inner passage, with respect to the axis of the center body, with the center body and a second, radially outer passage with the outer wall, the first and second passages each having air flow turning vanes which impart swirl to the combustion air passing through the premixer, said vanes connected respectively to said center body and said splitter ring and to said splitter ring and said outer wall;
- and
- a gas fuel flow passage defined within said center body and extending at least part circumferentially thereof, for conducting gas fuel to said fuel/air premixer.
2 more elements
A burner for use in a combustion system of an industrial gas turbine, the burner comprising:
- an outer peripheral wall;
- a burner center body coaxially disposed within said outer wall;
- a fuel/air premixer including an air inlet, at least one fuel inlet, and a splitter ring, the splitter ring defining a first, radially inner passage, with respect to the axis of the center body, with the center body and a second, radially outer passage with the outer wall, the first and second passages each having air flow turning vanes which impart swirl to the combustion air passing through the premixer, said vanes connected respectively to said center body and said splitter ring and to said splitter ring and said outer wall;
- an annular mixing passage defined between said outer wall and said center body, downstream of the turning vanes, said outer wall extending generally in parallel to said center body and in parallel to said axis of said center body, so that said mixing passage has a substantially constant inner and outer diameter along the length of the center body.
1 more element
A method of premixing fuel and air in a burner for a combustion system of a gas turbine, the burner including an outer peripheral wall;
- a burner center body coaxially disposed within said outer wall;
- a fuel/air premixer including an air inlet, at least one fuel inlet, and a splitter ring, the splitter ring defining a first, radially inner passage, with respect to the axis of the center body, with the center body and a second, radially outer passage with the outer wall, the first and second passages each having air flow turning vanes which impart swirl to the combustion air passing through the premixer, said vanes connected respectively to said center body and said splitter ring and to said splitter ring and said outer wall, at least some of said vanes comprising an internal fuel flow passage, the fuel inlet introducing fuel into said internal fuel flow passages;
- and a gas fuel flow passage defined within said center body and extending at least part circumferentially thereof, for conducting gas fuel to said fuel/air premixer;
- the method comprising:
- (a) controlling a radial and circumferential distribution of incoming air upstream of the fuel inlet;
- (b) flowing said incoming air into said first and second passages of said swirler assembly;
- (b) imparting swirl to the incoming air with said turning vanes;
- and
- (c) mixing fuel and air into a uniform mixture downstream of said turning vanes, for injection into a combustor reaction zone of the burner.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.