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US 9,957,891 B2Granted
Fuel manifold cooling flow recirculation
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorFrederick Ehrwulf Van Alen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cooling flow recirculation in fuel manifolds, such as fuel manifolds associated with gas turbine engines is disclosed. An example system for jet pump driven recirculation of manifold cooling flow according to at least some aspects of the present disclosure may include a flow split valve having a spool valve disposed therein, the flow split valve having a pilot manifold and a main manifold attached thereto; a jet pump fluidically coupled to the pilot manifold, the jet pump being arranged to drive recirculation of a cooling flow through the main manifold via a cooling flow circuit in a pilot only mode of operation; and/or a fuel nozzle in fluid communication with the pilot manifold and the main manifold.
Claims20
A system for jet pump driven recirculation of manifold cooling flow comprising:
- a flow split valve having a spool valve disposed therein, wherein the spool valve divides the flow split valve into a fuel chamber and a cooling flow chamber;
- the flow split valve having a pilot manifold and a main manifold attached thereto, wherein:
- in a first position of the spool valve defining a pilot only mode, the fuel chamber is in fluid communication with the pilot manifold and the cooling flow chamber is in fluid communication with the main manifold, and
- in a second position of the spool valve defining a main plus pilot mode, the fuel chamber in fluid communication with both the pilot manifold and the main manifold, and the spool valve blocks fluid communication between the cooling flow chamber and the main manifold;
- a jet pump fluidically coupled to the pilot manifold, the jet pump being arranged to drive recirculation of a cooling fuel flow from the pilot manifold through the main manifold and through the cooling flow chamber defining a cooling flow circuit with a loop path in the pilot only mode of operation;
- and
- a fuel nozzle in fluid communication with the pilot manifold and the main manifold.
4 more elements
A fuel system, comprising:
- a pilot manifold fluidicaily coupled between a flow split valve and a fuel nozzle, the flow split valve having a spool valve disposed therein, wherein the spool valve divides the flow split valve into a fuel chamber and a cooling flow chamber;
- a main manifold fluidically coupled between the flow split valve and the fuel nozzle;
- wherein
- in a first position of the spool valve defining pilot only mode, the fuel chamber is in fluid communication with the pilot manifold and the cooling flow chamber is in fluid communication with the main manifold, and
- in a second position of the spool valve defining a main plus pilot mode, the fuel chamber in fluid communication with both the pilot manifold and the main manifold, and the spool valve blocks fluid communication between the cooling flow chamber and the main manifold:
- a jet pump operatively disposed in fluid communication with the pilot manifold such that a pilot flow stream from the flow split valve to the fuel nozzle through the pilot manifold flows through the jet pump and creates a low static pressure area therein;
- a cooling flow circuit operatively coupling the main manifold and the low static pressure area of the jet pump through the cooling flow chamber;
- and
- a cooling flow connector operatively coupling the main manifold and the pilot manifold downstream of the jet pump;
- wherein, in the pilot only mode, a cooling fuel flow is established with a loop path from the pilot manifold, through the cooling flow connector, through the main manifold toward the flow split valve, and through the cooling flow circuit to the low static pressure area of the jet pump;
- and
- wherein, in the main plus pilot mode, a main flow stream is established in the main manifold from the fuel chamber of the flow split valve to the fuel nozzle.
9 more elements
A method of operating a fuel system comprising:
- a flow split valve having a spool valve disposed therein, wherein the spool valve divides the flow split valve into a fuel chamber and a cooling flow chamber;
- wherein
- in a first position of the spool valve defining a pilot only mode, the fuel chamber is in fluid communication with a pilot manifold and the cooling flow chamber is in fluid communication with a main manifold, and
- in a second position of the spool valve defining a main plus pilot mode, the fuel chamber in fluid communication with both the pilot manifold and the main manifold, and the spool valve blocks communication between the cooling flow chamber and the main manifold;
- the method comprising:
- directing a pilot flow stream from the fuel chamber of the flow split valve to a fuel nozzle via the pilot manifold, the pilot manifold including a jet pump fluidically coupled thereto such that the pilot flow stream through the jet pump creates a low static pressure area within the jet pump;
- upon selection of the pilot only mode, providing a cooling fuel flow through the main manifold from approximate the fuel nozzle to the cooling flow chamber of the flow split valve with a loop path, including directing the cooling fuel flow from the pilot manifold to the main manifold approximate the fuel nozzle and directing the cooling fuel flow from the cooling flow chamber of the flow split valve to the low static pressure area of the jet pump via a cooling flow circuit;
- and
- upon selection of the main plus pilot mode, providing a main flow stream from the fuel chamber of the flow split valve to the fuel nozzle via both the pilot manifold and the main manifoid.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.