Supercritical or mixed phase multi-port fuel injector
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorTimothy C. Roesler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system includes a turbine engine with a fueling system including a valve fluidly coupled to a fuel supply on an upstream side and fluidly coupled to fueling passages on a downstream side. The valve maintains the fuel supply at a pressure greater than an ambient pressure. The system includes nozzle exits corresponding to the fueling passages, and the fueling passages flow fuel from the valve to each of the nozzle exits monotonically downward. The valve is a check valve or a controlled valve. The valve maintains the fuel supply at a pressure such that fuel in the fuel supply is a continuous fluid phase. The fuel leaves the nozzle exits to the combustion chamber of the turbine engine.
Claims26
A system, comprising:
- a turbine engine having a fueling system, the fueling system comprising:
- a fuel injector;
- a plurality of fueling passages within the fuel injector;
- a body;
- a valve in the body, the valve fluidly coupled to a fuel supply of a fuel on an upstream side and fluidly coupled to the fueling passages on a downstream side, wherein the valve is configured to maintain the fuel on the upstream side at a pressure at or greater than a critical pressure of the fuel;
- and
- an expansion chamber within the body interposed between the valve and the fueling passages,
- wherein the expansion chamber is configured to receive the fuel that passes through the valve,
- wherein each of the fueling passages has a corresponding inlet within the body, the inlets of the fueling passages are distributed over a surface of a disc, and each of the inlets is configured to receive a portion of the fuel from the expansion chamber, and
- wherein each of the fueling passages is configured to flow the portion of the fuel received from the expansion chamber monotonically downward.
A method comprising:
- maintaining a backpressure against a fuel supply on an upstream side of a valve for a turbine engine;
- selectively passing fuel through the valve within a housing;
- passing the fuel from the valve to an expansion chamber;
- distributing the passed fuel from the expansion chamber to a plurality of fuel passages through inlets arranged on a surface of a disc within the housing that faces an opening of the valve, the opening of the valve on a downstream side of the valve, the valve and the inlets included in a housing;
- flowing the passed fuel through the fuel passages to a plurality of nozzle exits outside of the housing;
- and
- injecting the passed fuel through the nozzle exits into a combustion chamber of the turbine engine.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a valve configured to maintain a fuel from a fuel supply at a fuel supply pressure;
- a plurality of fueling passages fluidly coupled to the valve, wherein each of the fueling passages has a corresponding inlet, the inlets of the fueling passages are distributed over a surface of a disc facing the valve, each of the inlets is positioned on the surface to receive a portion of the fuel from the valve, and wherein the valve and inlets are included in a body;
- a fuel injection nozzle configured to receive fluid flowing from the fueling passages, the fuel injection nozzle having an outlet fluidly coupled to a combustion chamber of a turbine engine, the fuel injection nozzle outside of the body that includes the valve and the inlets of the fueling passages;
- and
- a controller comprising a valve backpressure module structured to control, in response to a control signal, the valve to maintain the fuel supply pressure at or greater than a critical pressure of the fuel of the fuel supply.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a fuel supply for a turbine engine;
- a means for maintaining a specified pressure in the fuel supply, the means disposed within a housing, the specified pressure at or greater than a critical pressure of a fuel of the fuel supply;
- and
- a plurality of fueling passages fluidly coupling the means for maintaining the specified pressure to a plurality of nozzle exits, wherein each of the fueling passages has a corresponding inlet, the inlets of the fueling passages are positioned on a surface of a plate within the housing, the surface exposed to the means for maintaining the specified pressure, each of the inlets is positioned on the surface to receive a portion of fuel received from the means for maintaining the specified pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.