Annular fuel and air co-flow premixer
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsChristian Xavier Stevenson, Patrick Benedict Melton, William David York
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a premixer for a combustor including an annular outer shell and an annular inner shell. The inner shell defines an inner flow channel inside of the inner shell and is located to define an outer flow channel between the outer shell and the inner shell. A fuel discharge annulus is located between the outer flow channel and the inner flow channel and is configured to inject a fuel flow into a mixing area in a direction substantially parallel to an outer airflow through the outer flow channel and an inner flow through the inner flow channel. Further disclosed are a combustor including a plurality of premixers and a method of premixing air and fuel in a combustor.
Claims18
A premixer for a combustor comprising:
- an annular outer shell;
- an annular inner shell defining cylindrical inner flow channel inside of the inner shell and disposed to define an outer flow channel between the outer shell and the inner shell;
- a fuel discharge annulus disposed between the outer flow channel and the inner flow channel, wherein an exit of the fuel discharge annulus is substantially concentric with an exit of the inner flow channel, the fuel discharge annulus configured to inject a fuel flow into a mixing area in a direction substantially parallel to an outer airflow through the outer flow channel and an inner air flow through the inner flow channel;
- and
- a plurality of struts extending across the outer flow channel configured to convey one of the inner airflow or the fuel flow across the outer flow channel.
A combustor for a turbomachine comprising:
- a plurality of premixers, each premixer including:
- an annular outer shell;
- an annular inner shell defining a cylindrical inner flow channel inside of the inner shell and disposed to define an outer flow channel between the outer shell and the inner shell;
- a fuel discharge annulus disposed between the outer flow channel and the inner flow channel, wherein an exit of the fuel discharge annulus is substantially concentric with an exit of the inner flow channel, the fuel discharge annulus configured to inject a fuel flow into a mixing area in a direction substantially parallel to an outer airflow through the outer flow channel and an inner air flow through the inner flow channel;
- and
- a plurality of struts extending across the outer flow channel configured to convey one of the inner airflow or the fuel flow across the outer flow channel.
A method of premixing air and fuel in a combustor comprising:
- flowing an outer airflow along an outer airflow channel toward a mixing area;
- flowing an inner airflow along a cylindrical inner airflow channel toward the mixing area, the inner airflow channel defined by an annular inner shell;
- flowing one of the inner airflow or a fuel flow across the outer airflow channel;
- injecting the fuel flow into the mixing area from a fuel discharge annulus disposed between the inner airflow channel and the outer airflow channel, wherein an exit of the fuel discharge annulus is substantially concentric with an exit of the inner airflow channel, the fuel injected into the mixing area in a direction substantially parallel to the inner airflow and the outer airflow;
- and
- mixing the inner airflow, the outer airflow, and the fuel in the mixing area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.