Fuel injector

A fuel injector comprising:

• a plurality of discrete fuel sources arranged to dispense fuel at an outer surface of an inner annular wall and supply the fuel to a surface of a prefilmer provided on an inner surface of an outer annular wall;
• wherein
• a surface of the prefilmer comprises a circumferential dispersion structure which, in use, spreads the fuel in a circumferential direction as it passes from an impingement point on the surface of the prefilmer to a downstream edge of the prefilmer,
• the circumferential dispersion structure comprises a plurality of radially convex portions spaced around a circumference of the surface of the prefilmer and separated from one another by a plurality of troughs, and
• the plurality of discrete fuel sources and the plurality of radially convex portions are arranged with respect to each other such that jets of fuel emerging from the discrete fuel sources impinge at peaks of the plurality of radially convex portions, whereby the plurality of radially convex portions cause the fuel to be dispersed from the points of impingement at the peaks in a circumferential direction towards adjacent ones of the plurality of troughs.

A fuel injector comprising:

• a circumferential dispersion structure which, in use, spreads fuel in a circumferential direction, the circumferential dispersion structure comprising
• a first surface which is an outer surface of an inner annular member, and
• a second surface which is an inner surface of an outer annular member, the inner annular member and the outer annular member being arranged in co-axial alignment;
• a plurality of discrete fuel sources spaced around a circumference of one of the first surface or the second surface;
• and
• a plurality of protruding walls or a plurality of recessed channels grouped together in sets, the sets of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels being configured and arranged to channel the fuel toward a circumferential direction, the sets of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels being spaced around a circumference of the other one of the first surface or the second surface and defining a prefilmer,
• wherein the plurality of discrete fuel sources and the sets of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels are arranged with respect to each other such that jets of fuel emerging from the plurality of discrete fuel sources impinge at a respective plurality of convergences of the sets of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels, each set of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels fanning from a point of impingement at the convergence, whereby the sets of the grouped plurality of protruding walls or the grouped plurality of recessed channels cause the fuel to be dispersed from the points of impingement at the convergences in a circumferential direction.