Combustor with a pre-nozzle mixing cap assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRobert Joseph Rohrssen, Patrick Benedict Melton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present application and the resulting patent provide a pre-nozzle mixing cap assembly positioned about a cap member of a combustor for mixing a flow of air and a flow of fuel. The pre-nozzle mixing cap assembly may include a fuel plenum in communication with the flow of fuel and a number of tubes in communication with the flow of air and extending through the fuel plenum. Each of the tubes may include a number of fuel holes therein such that the flow of fuel in the fuel plenum passes through the fuel holes and mixes with the flow of air.
Claims20
A pre-nozzle mixing cap assembly positioned about a cap member
- of a combustor for mixing a flow of air and a flow of fuel upstream of one or more fuel nozzles, comprising:
- a fuel plenum in communication with the flow of fuel;
- a plurality of tubes in communication with the flow of air and extending through the fuel plenum, wherein the fuel plenum is positioned about a downstream end of the plurality of tubes;
- each of the plurality of tubes comprising a plurality of fuel holes therein such that the flow of fuel in the fuel plenum passes through the plurality of fuel holes and mixes with the flow of air upstream of the one or more fuel nozzles;
- and
- an air plenum with the plurality of tubes extending therethrough, wherein the air plenum is positioned at an upstream end of the plurality of tubes, wherein the air plenum is positioned forward of the fuel plenum.
A method of mixing a flow of air and a flow of fuel about a cap member with a number of fuel nozzles of a combustor, comprising:
- providing the flow of air to a plurality of tubes positioned about the cap member;
- providing the flow of fuel to a fuel plenum surrounding a downstream end of the plurality of tubes;
- passing the flow of fuel through a plurality of fuel holes in each of the plurality of tubes;
- mixing the flow of air and the flow of fuel in and/or downstream of the plurality of tubes
- I and upstream of the fuel nozzles;
- providing a compressor discharge pressure airflow to an air plenum positioned an upstream end of the plurality of tubes, wherein the air plenum is positioned forward of the fuel plenum;
- and
- passing the compressor discharge pressure airflow from the air plenum over each of the plurality of tubes to a cap face of the cap member.
A pre-nozzle mixing cap assembly positioned about a cap member of a combustor for mixing a flow of air and a flow of fuel upstream of one or more fuel nozzles, comprising:
- a fuel plenum in communication with the flow of fuel;
- a plurality of tubes in communication with the flow of air and extending through the fuel plenum, wherein the fuel plenum is positioned about a downstream end of the plurality of tubes;
- each of the plurality of tubes comprising a plurality of fuel holes therein such that the flow of fuel in the fuel plenum passes through the plurality of fuel holes and mixes with the flow of air upstream of the one or more fuel nozzles;
- and
- an air plenum positioned adjacent to the fuel plenum with the plurality of tubes extending therethrough, wherein the air plenum is positioned at an upstream end of the plurality of tubes,
- wherein the air plenum is positioned forward of the fuel plenum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.