With Attendant Coaxial Air Swirler Patents (Class 60/748)
  • Patent number: 8661824
    Abstract: An airblast fuel nozzle assembly (10) comprising a sleeve structure having a series of coaxial sleeves forming an inner-air circuit, an outer-air circuit, a main-fuel-feed circuit, and a pilot-fuel-feed circuit. The pilot-fuel-feed circuit includes a channel (44), and a discharge region (45) with exits (46). The exits (46) have a combined cross-sectional area that is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the channel (44) upstream of the discharge region (45). In this manner, the pilot-fuel-feed circuit itself can provide a relatively large pressure drop across the channel region (44), and thereby assist in self atomization during ignition stages of engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Pelletier, Michael K. Teter
  • Patent number: 8661822
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a variable geometry resonator configured to couple to a fluid path upstream from a combustor of a turbine engine. The variable geometry resonator is configured to dampen pressure oscillations in the fluid path and the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ilya Slobodyanskiy, John Lipinski, Shiva Srinivasan, Dmitry Tretyakov
  • Patent number: 8661825
    Abstract: A unitary fuel injection manifold for a secondary fuel nozzle improves fuel-air mixing and offers flexibility to alter the mixing profile through adaptability to a variety of number, types, and orientation of discharge outlets to the combustion air mixing space around the secondary fuel nozzle. An aerodynamic surface with reduced extension into the mixing space reduces pressures drop and interference with design airflow. Manifold integrity is enhanced by elimination of fillet welds to mount external pegs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Divyang Rajendra Desai, Sandeep Gopalakrishna, Kodukulla Venkat Sridhar, Amit Monga
  • Patent number: 8661779
    Abstract: A fuel injector (36) for alternate fuels (26A, 26B) with different energy densities. Vanes (47B) extend radially from a fuel delivery tube structure (20B) with first and second fuel supply channels (19A, 19B). Each vane has first and second radial passages (21A, 21B) communicating with the respective fuel supply channels, and first and second sets of apertures (23A, 23B). The first fuel supply channel, first radial passage, and first apertures form a first fuel delivery pathway providing a first fuel flow rate at a given fuel delivery pathway backpressure that is essentially common to both sets of fuel delivery pathway apertures. The second fuel supply channel, second radial passage, and second apertures form a second fuel delivery pathway providing a second fuel flow rate that may be at least 1 about twice the first fuel flow rate at the given fuel delivery pathway backpressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter R. Laster, Weidong Cai, Timothy A. Fox, Kyle L. Landry
  • Patent number: 8656699
    Abstract: A combustion burner 10A according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a fuel nozzle 110; a burner tube 120 forming the air passage 111 between the burner tube 120 and the fuel nozzle 110; swirler vanes (swirler vanes) 130 arranged in a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction on the external circumferential surface of the fuel nozzle 110, each extending along the axial direction of the fuel nozzle 110, and gradually curving from upstream toward downstream; and a liquid fuel injecting hole 133A from which a liquid fuel is injected to a surface of each of the swirler vanes 130. The combustion burner 10A also includes multi-purpose injecting holes 11-1 to 11-3 as a cooling unit that cools a part of a vane pressure surface 132a of the swirler vane 130 on which the liquid fuel LF hits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Saito, Koichi Ishizaka, Satoshi Tanimura
  • Patent number: 8650881
    Abstract: A method for controlling a gas turbine combustion system includes supplying an ultra low calorific fuel to a combustor of the combustion system through a first fuel circuit, controlling a supply of the ultra low calorific fuel through a second fuel circuit as required to control the volumetric flow of the ultra low calorific fuel through the combustor, and combusting the ultra low calorific fuel in the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Steve Ziminsky, Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8640463
    Abstract: A swirler for fuel injection in a gas turbine engine includes a frustoconical swirler body. A first and a second air flow path direct air in generally opposed circumferential directions into the swirler. These air paths intermix and create turbulence. As this turbulence encounters fuel droplets, the fuel is atomized, and uniformly distributed within the air flow. A shear layer is created adjacent an inner surface of the swirler body. In a separate feature, a third air flow path is directed into the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Albert K. Cheung
  • Publication number: 20140026579
    Abstract: A burner for a gas turbine includes a burner housing, and a pilot combustor having a supply module providing pilot fuel and pilot air into a pilot combustion room being enclosed by a pilot combustor housing having a tapered exit with a throat of a defined length into the resulting main flow direction. The throat discharges a concentration of radicals are and heat generated in the pilot combustion room into a main combustion room enclosed by the burner housing. The interior cross section area of the throat deviates from a circle by means of flow guiding elements provided as protrusions with a defined radial height or as recesses with a defined depth extending longitudinally along the direction of the burner axis to give the discharging flow a defined velocity distribution with regard to a circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Inventors: Andreas Karlsson, Magnus Persson
  • Publication number: 20140026580
    Abstract: A combustor dome and heat-shield assembly comprises a heat-shield having a first opening therethrough. A swirler extends through the first opening and captures the heat-shield. A dome having a second opening therethrough and has an upstream side and a downstream side. The swirler extends through the second opening from the downstream side to the upstream side to capture the heat-shield on the downstream side, and a retaining clip engages the swirler to secure the swirler and the heat-shield on the dome.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald B. Pardington, Paul Yankowich, Nagaraja S. Rudrapatna, Thomas Frank Johnson
  • Publication number: 20140020397
    Abstract: A combustion chamber for a gas turbine is proposed. The combustion chamber has a wall section and a brim element. The wall section has an inlet aperture for injecting a cooling medium into the combustion chamber. The brim element is mounted to an inner face of the wall section. The brim element is formed in such a way that a projected area of the brim element onto the inner face along a direction of a normal of the inner face at least partially covers the inlet channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventor: Ulf Nilsson
  • Publication number: 20140013764
    Abstract: An axial swirler for a gas turbine burner includes a vane ring with a plurality of swirler vanes circumferentially distributed around a swirler axis. Each of the swirler vanes includes a trailing edge. In order to achieve a controlled distribution of the exit flow velocity profile and/or the fuel equivalence ratio in the radial direction. The trailing edge is discontinuous with the trailing edge having a discontinuity at a predetermined radius.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventors: Fernando BIAGIOLI, Naresh ALURI, Madhavan Narasimhan POYYAPAKKAM, Jan CERNY
  • Publication number: 20140000263
    Abstract: A system comprising a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a mounting base and an inlet flow conditioner extending directly from the mounting base in a downstream direction. Moreover, the inlet flow conditioner structurally supports the fuel nozzle without a central support member extending directly from the mounting base inside the inlet flow conditioner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Kevin Weston McMahan, Carl Robert Barker
  • Publication number: 20140000264
    Abstract: A combustion burner 10A according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a fuel nozzle 110; a burner tube 120 forming the air passage 111 between the burner tube 120 and the fuel nozzle 110; swirler vanes (swirler vanes) 130 arranged in a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction on the external circumferential surface of the fuel nozzle 110, each extending along the axial direction of the fuel nozzle 110, and gradually curving from upstream toward downstream; and a liquid fuel injecting hole 133A from which a liquid fuel is injected to a surface of each of the swirler vanes 130. The combustion burner 10A also includes multi-purpose injecting holes 11-1 to 11-3 as a cooling unit that cools a part of a vane pressure surface 132a of the swirler vane 130 on which the liquid fuel LF hits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Saito, Koichi Ishizaka, Satoshi Tanimura
  • Patent number: 8607571
    Abstract: A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine includes a nozzle body defining a central axis and having a main fuel circuit. An air circuit is formed within the nozzle body inboard of the main fuel circuit. A primary pilot fuel circuit is formed within the nozzle body inboard of the air circuit. A secondary pilot fuel circuit is formed within the nozzle body inboard of the air circuit and outboard of the primary pilot fuel circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Delavan Inc
    Inventors: Brandon P. Williams, Jeremy T. Rhyan
  • Patent number: 8601819
    Abstract: Electric fields control an electric combustion. Plasmas are created by a dielectrically impeded discharge. At least one part of the fuel is mixed with water vapor in the supply line and is subjected to a plasma discharge in a compact reactor that is in close contact with the burner in terms of reaction kinetics. In the associated device, a plasma reactor for creating a reactive plasma gas with at least one supply line for the fuel gas-water vapor mixture and an electric energy supply is integrated into the burner. The device provides suitable flow guidance of the fuel gas-air mixture, of the fuel gas-water vapor mixture, and of the reactive plasma gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Hammer, Dieter Most
  • Patent number: 8601818
    Abstract: The burner (1) of a gas turbine includes a swirl generator (2) and, downstream of it, a mixing tube (3). The swirl generator (2) is defined by at least two walls facing one another to define a conical swirl chamber (5) and is provided with nozzles (6) arranged to inject a fuel and apertures (7) arranged to feed an oxidizer into the swirl chamber (5). The burner (1) includes a lance (9) which extends along a longitudinal axis of the swirl generator (2) and is provided with side nozzles (11) for ejecting a fuel within the burner (1). The side nozzles (11) have their axes (12) inclined with respect to the axis of the lance (9) and can be positioned along the axis of the burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Adnan Eroglu
  • Publication number: 20130318992
    Abstract: The present application provides a combustor for combusting a number of flows of air and a number of flows of fuel. The combustor may include a central swirler for producing a high swirl quench air flow, a number of trapped vortex cavities surrounding the central swirler for producing a flow of combustion gases, a brief severe quench zone downstream of the trapped vortex cavities to quench the flow of combustion gases between an outer quench air flow and the high swirl quench air flow, and an expansion zone downstream of the brief severe quench zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: William Francis Carnell, JR., Gregory Allen Boardman
  • Patent number: 8596074
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor is provided, which comprises: a combustion chamber having an axial direction and a radial direction; air passages for feeding an air stream into the combustion chamber which are oriented such that the flowing direction for each air stream flowing into the combustion chamber includes an angle with the combustion chamber's radial direction so as to introduce a swirl in the in-flowing air and an angle of at least 60° with the combustion chamber's axial direction; and fuel injection openings which are located in the air passages. Each air passage defines a turning flow path with a turning between 70° and 150° in a radial direction of the combustion chamber and a turning between 0° and 235° in an axial direction of the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ulf Nilsson, Peter Senior
  • Patent number: 8590311
    Abstract: An improved mixing tube design and fuel nozzle that allows for a more uniform and thorough mixing of fuel and air being fed to the combustor of a gas turbine engine, wherein each of a plurality of mixing tubes comprises a pair of concentric hollow cylinders that define a ring-like, annular path for the flow of fuel between the two hollow cylinders in each mixing tube, a plurality of air injection slots formed in the concentric hollow cylinders defining corresponding air flow paths from the outside into the interior of each mixing tube, and one or more fuel injection ports formed in selected ones of the plurality of air injection slots that allow for the flow of fuel from the annular path formed by the hollow cylinders into the air flow path, resulting in significantly better mixing and improved thermodynamic behavior of the fuel and air mixture downstream of the nozzle and upstream of the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nishant Govindbhai Parsania, Gregory Allen Boardman
  • Patent number: 8590864
    Abstract: A semi-tubular vane air swirler is provided. In one embodiment the air swirler is a deep drawn sheet metal component having a first and a second set of semi-tubular vanes formed therein. In one embodiment the semi-tubular air vanes include a first and a second portion formed by upsetting the sheet metal in opposing directions to create mirrored vane geometry, thereby doubling the open area of the vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignees: Woodward FST, Inc., Woodward, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew S. Anderson, John P. McClure, Clark Fraser Paterson
  • Patent number: 8590312
    Abstract: A device for injecting a mixture of air and fuel into a turbomachine combustion chamber includes a centering ring for centering an injector and a primary swirler situated downstream from the ring, the ring including axial air-passing orifices and the swirler including curved air-passing channels, a number of orifices in the ring being no greater than a number of channels in the swirler, and downstream outlets of the orifices in the ring being situated between the channels in the swirler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventor: Denis Jean Maurice Sandelis
  • Patent number: 8590313
    Abstract: A precision counter-swirl combustor that includes an annular combustor having a forward end, an aft end opposite the forward end, and an interior. The aft end being proximal to a gas turbine. The combustor further includes a fuel inlet and swirler operatively connected to the forward end and at least one air inlet. The air inlet is equipped with a chute that extends into the interior of said combustor. The combustor is secured to a fixed structure proximate the forward end of the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Charles B. Graves, William G. Cummings
  • Publication number: 20130298561
    Abstract: A system includes a multi-tube fuel nozzle having an inlet plate and a plurality of tubes adjacent the inlet plate. The inlet plate includes a plurality of apertures, and each aperture includes an inlet feature. Each tube of the plurality of tubes is coupled to an aperture of the plurality of apertures. The multi-tube fuel nozzle includes a differential configuration of inlet features among the plurality of tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Michael John Hughes
  • Patent number: 8572981
    Abstract: A combustor structure includes a combustor fuel-air mixing apparatus having a mainstream airflow region. One or more concavities are disposed within the mainstream airflow region of the fuel-air mixing apparatus. At least one fuel injection hole is disposed within an upstream base region of at least one concavity. Passing a stream of air through the main airflow region causes fuel injected into the upstream base region of at least one concavity to passively mix with a naturally oscillating vortex of air within the concavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Publication number: 20130283805
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a center body configured to receive a first portion of air and to deliver the air to a combustion region. The fuel nozzle also includes a swirler configured to receive a second portion of air and to deliver the air to the combustion region. The swirler includes an outer shroud wall, an inner hub wall, and a swirl vane. The swirl vane includes a radial swirl profile at a downstream edge of the swirl vane. The radial swirl profile includes a region extending from the outer shroud wall to a first transition point and a second region extending from the transition point to the inner hub wall. At least one of the first and second regions is substantially straight and at least one of the first and second regions is arcuate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Baifang Zuo
  • Patent number: 8561409
    Abstract: A quarl of a burner for a gas turbine engine is provided. Fuel and air is mixed and provided to the burner. The quarl is arranged to house a main flame. Stability is achieved by a quarl, which is formed from a plurality of quarl sections, wherein each quarl section includes the configuration of the conical shell of a truncated cone and are distributed consecutively one after the other in the downstream direction of the burner, wherein a most narrow part of the shell of a downstream quarl section surrounds the widest part of the shell of the closest upstream quarl section and wherein an annular channel for premixed air and fuel is arranged between two consecutive quarl sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Vladimir Milosavljevic
  • Publication number: 20130269351
    Abstract: A micromixer assembly of a turbine system includes a plate having at least one aperture comprising a receiving diameter. Also included is at least one tube having an inlet and an outlet for receiving a flow and dispersing the flow to a combustor, wherein the at least one tube includes an inner diameter and an outer diameter, wherein the outer diameter is configured to fit within the receiving diameter of the at least one aperture, wherein the at least one tube is operably coupled at a location on the outer diameter to the receiving diameter of the at least one aperture by exerting a radial force on the inner diameter of the tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zhaoli Hu, Mark Lawrence Hunt, Chandrudu Srikanth Kottilingam, James Christopher Monaghan, John Drake Vanselow
  • Publication number: 20130269352
    Abstract: A gas-turbine burner having a plurality of main swirl generators which each have an inlet flow opening formed by the main swirl generator edge is provided. In order to achieve a uniform flow of combustion air through the main swirl generator, the gas-turbine burner has an inlet-flow guide means with a flow guide surface which runs from one of the inlet-flow openings to an adjacent inlet-flow opening, to which the main swirl generator edges which form the inlet-flow openings are connected, and the flow guide surface widens from there radially upwards. The main swirl generators are central-symmetrically arranged around a pilot burner and the flow guide surface runs radially outside the main swirl generators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Angel, Drew Ehlert, Matthias Hase, Michael Huth, James Marshall, Yevgeniy Shteyman
  • Patent number: 8555646
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christian Xavier Stevenson, Patrick Benedict Melton, William David York
  • Patent number: 8555650
    Abstract: A combustion device includes: a combustion liner in which a combustion chamber is formed; a main burner provided at a top portion of the combustion liner and including a premix passage configured to annularly inject a pre-mixed gas of a fuel and air into the combustion chamber and a radial swirler configured to introduce the fuel and the air to the premix passage in a radially inward direction; and a fuel injection pipe configured to inject the fuel to the radial swirler from an entrance side of the radial swirler, and the radial swirler is divided into a plurality of swirler stages by dividing plates in an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kashihara, Yasushi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 8555649
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle air swirler assembly has a slotted cap to provide stress-relief. The stress-relief slits in the cap have an axial and a tangential component to impart a swirl to the air leaking therethrough in the same direction as that of the air exiting the swirler body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Bhawan B. Patel, Oleg Morenko, Nagaraja Rudrapatna
  • Patent number: 8549860
    Abstract: A method for the combustion of hydrogen-rich, gaseous fuels in combustion air in a burner of a gas turbine includes injecting the hydrogen-rich, gaseous fuel at least partially isokinetically with respect to the combustion air such that the partially hydrogen-rich, gaseous fuel is injected at least partially in the same direction and at least partially at the same velocity as the combustion air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Richard Carroni, Stefano Bernero, Fernando Biagioli, Thierry Lachaux
  • Publication number: 20130232978
    Abstract: A fuel-air premixer for a combustor of a turbine engine includes a central passage along an axis. The central passage is operable to communicate an unswirled airflow. An outer annular passage is located around the axis and includes a multiple of first swirl vanes that are operable to communicate a first swirled airflow in a first direction. An inner annular passage is located around the axis between the central passage and the outer annular passage. The inner annular passage includes a multiple of second swirl vanes that are operable to communicate a second swirled airflow in a second direction different than the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Inventors: Zhongtao Dai, Jeffrey M. Cohen, Kevin E. Green
  • Patent number: 8528338
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating an air-staged diffusion nozzle for a gas turbine combustor to cool the nozzle tip and improve mixing of gas fuel and air within a downstream burner space. Air is mixed with the gas-fuel in an outer swirler and expanded in a downstream burner tube space. Compressed air from a cooling air cavity in the nozzle flows through an inner swirler, passing downstream from the tip of the nozzle to the burner tube space, cooling the nozzle tip and improving the mixing of the gas-fuel with air, thereby reducing emissions from the gas turbine and reducing soot formation in startup. Direction and rotation of the discharged air from the nozzle tip into the burner space may be arranged to promote nozzle tip cooling and gas-fuel mixing with air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anand Prafulchandra Desai, Karthick Kaleeswaran, Venugopal Polisetty
  • Patent number: 8528334
    Abstract: An injector for a gas turbine combustor including a catalyst coated surface forming a passage for feed gas flow and a channel for oxidant gas flow establishing an axial gas flow through a flow conditioner disposed at least partially within an inner wall of the injector. The flow conditioner includes a length with an interior passage opening into upstream and downstream ends for passage of the axial gas flow. An interior diameter of the interior passage smoothly reduces and then increases from upstream to downstream ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Partha Dutta, Kenneth O. Smith, Frank J. Ritz
  • Patent number: 8528337
    Abstract: An injection system for fuel and air that includes a number of lobes positioned adjacent to each other. Each of the lobes has a trailing end. A number of jets may be positioned adjacent to the trailing end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Gilbert Otto Kramer
  • Patent number: 8522555
    Abstract: A system comprising a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a mounting base and an inlet flow conditioner extending directly from the mounting base in a downstream direction. Moreover, the inlet flow conditioner structurally supports the fuel nozzle without a central support member extending directly from the mounting base inside the inlet flow conditioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Kevin Weston McMahan, Carl Robert Barker
  • Patent number: 8522561
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for a turbine engine has a central body member with a pilot, a surrounding barrel housing, a mixing duct and an air inlet duct. The fuel nozzle additionally has a main fuel injection device located between the air inlet duct and the mixing duct. The main fuel injection device is configured to introduce a flow of fuel into the barrel member to create a fuel/air mixture which is then premixed with a swirler. The fuel/air mixture then further mixes in the mixing duct and exits the nozzle into a combustor for combustion. The geometry of the fuel nozzle ensures that pressure waves from the combustor do not create a time varying fuel to air equivalence ratio in the flow through the nozzle that achieves a resonance with the pressure waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. C. Rogers, Christopher Z. Twardochleb, James W. Blust, Mario E. Abreu, Donald J. Cramb
  • Patent number: 8522556
    Abstract: In an air-staged diffusion nozzle for a gas turbine combustor, air is mixed with the gas fuel and expanded in a downstream burner tube. Introduction of air, passing downstream from the tip of the nozzle to the burner tube space forces hot gases away from and cools the nozzle tip. Air flow through an inner swirler or through cooling holes on the nozzle tip may be arranged to establish a cooling flow volume and direction that advantageously interacts with gas fuel-air flow from an outer swirler to improve fuel-air mixing in the burner tube, helping to reduce emissions and soot formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anand Prafulchandra Desai, Karthick Kaleeswaran, Venugopal Polisetty
  • Patent number: 8517719
    Abstract: A simple, economical and reliable swirl register [1000] is described for use with a wall burner of a commercial boiler. It employs a number of spaced swirl blocks [1150] that connect side plates [1110, 1120]. A number of moveable vanes [1130] are provided in the air ducts [1155] created between the swirl blocks [1150]. The vanes [1130] are attached to vane rods [1160] that operate the vanes [1130]. The swirl blocks [1150] are lightweight and rigid structures for holding the side plate [1110] a fixed distance from side plate [1120]. The block construction reduces binding of the vanes [1130] as the swirl register [1000] receives differential heating. The vane rods [1160] extend through a windbox front plate [1250] outside of the windbox area. A linkage assembly [1200] rotates the vane rods [1160]. A motor and gearbox [1230] cause all vanes [1130] to rotate the same amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Oliver G. Briggs, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8511091
    Abstract: A swirler is provided for a fuel injector of a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The swirler is for directing an airflow into the combustor so as to atomize fuel exiting the fuel injector. The swirler has one or more passages for channelling the airflow. Each of the passages is configured to rotate the airflow channelled by that passage about a swirl axis of the swirler, such that on exiting the passage the airflow has an exit swirl angle and a direction of rotation relative to the swirl axis. The swirler is configured such that the exit swirl angle and/or the direction of rotation may be selectively varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Martin S. Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8511088
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor, which can enable only a swirler and a heat shield to be readily taken out from the combustor upon the exchange the swirler and the heat shield. The gas turbine combustor includes: a combustion cylinder; a fuel injection unit for supplying fuel to a head portion of the combustion cylinder; a support member configured for allowing the fuel injection unit to be supported by the combustion cylinder; and a heat shield adapted for heat-insulating the support member from combustion gas in the combustion chamber, wherein the fuel injection unit includes a fuel injection valve for injecting the fuel, and a swirler for supplying compressed air to the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve while swirling the compressed air. The swirler and heat shield are connected together, constituting a swirler unit. This swirler unit is detachably attached to the support member via a fastening member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tohru Imamura, Hideki Ogata, Kunio Hidani
  • Patent number: 8511087
    Abstract: Disclosed is a gas turbine fuel injector and swirler assembly, including: a delivery tube structure arranged on a central axis of the fuel injector and swirler assembly, a first fuel supply channel arranged in the delivery tube structure, a shroud surrounding the delivery tube structure, swirl vanes arranged between the delivery tube structure and the shroud, a radial passage in each swirl vane, communicating with the first fuel supply channel, a set of apertures open between the radial passage and the exterior surface of said each swirl vane, wherein a second fuel supply channel is arranged in the delivery tube structure extending to a downstream end of the delivery tube structure and a mixer with lobes for fuel injection is arranged at the downstream end. Further disclosed is an assembly method for assembling a fuel injector and swirler assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Atkiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Timothy A. Fox, Steven Williams, Ulrich Wörz, Jaap Van Kampen
  • Publication number: 20130205788
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a premix burner of a combustion chamber of a gas turbine with at least one annular duct for supplying air and fuel, including a radially outer and a radially inner combustion chamber wall relative to a burner central axis and with at least one swirler arranged in the duct, said swirler including several flow-guiding elements distributed around the circumference of the duct cross-section, characterized in that at least one radially inner duct wall is provided in the area of the flow-guiding elements with a concave recess of the annular groove type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventor: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
  • Patent number: 8505304
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for use with a combustion chamber defined within a gas turbine engine and a method for assembling the same are provided. The fuel nozzle includes a swirler assembly and a burner tube that is coupled to a support flange in a detachable manner such that an inner surface of the burner tube circumscribes an outer surface of the swirler assembly during fuel nozzle operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Geoffrey D. Myers, Scott Simmons, Stephen R. Thomas, Donald Mark Bailey, David Martin Johnson
  • Patent number: 8505302
    Abstract: The present application provides a premixer for a combustor. The premixer may include a fuel plenum with a number of fuel tubes and a burner tube with a number of air tubes. The fuel tubes extend about the air tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jong Ho Uhm, Balachandar Naidu, Willy Steve Ziminsky, Gilbert Otto Kraemer, Ertan Yilmaz, Benjamin Lacy, Christian Stevenson, David Felling
  • Patent number: 8499564
    Abstract: A pilot burner (150, 350) for a gas turbine engine delivers an inner non-swirling fuel-oxidant mixture surrounded by an outer swirling fuel-oxidant mixture, thereby providing enhanced mixing with no recirculation zone. At least one fluid-restricting inlet port (166, 366) provides an oxidant to an inner mixing passage (160, 360). The inner mixing passage (160, 360) includes a plurality of fuel outlets (168). An outer annular mixing passage (180) receives oxidant from an upstream port (181) surrounding the inner mixing passage and includes at least one swirler element (186, 386) and fuel outlets (188).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott M. Martin, Robert J. Bland, Anil Gulati
  • Publication number: 20130192243
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle assembly for use with a turbine engine includes at least one fuel conduit coupled to at least one fuel source. The fuel nozzle assembly also includes at least one swirler that includes at least one wall having a porous portion. The at least one wall is coupled to the at least one fuel conduit. The porous portion is formed from a material having a porosity that facilitates fuel flow therethrough. At least one fuel flow path is thereby defined through the porous portion of the at least one wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: Matthew Patrick Boespflug, Seyed Gholamali Saddoughi, Grover Andrew Bennett, JR., John Thomas Herbon
  • Patent number: 8495881
    Abstract: A system comprises a turbine combustor cap. The turbine combustor cap includes a plurality of segments. Each segment of the plurality of segments has edges abutting at least two fuel nozzle receptacles. Moreover, each segment of the plurality of segments does not completely surrounding any one fuel nozzle receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kara Johnston Edwards, Kevin Weston McMahan, Thomas Edward Johnson, Jonathan Dwight Berry
  • Publication number: 20130186094
    Abstract: An axial flow fuel nozzle for a gas turbine includes a plurality of annular passages for delivering materials for combustion. An annular air passage receives compressor discharge air, and a plurality of swirler vane slots are positioned adjacent an axial end of the annular air passage. A first next annular passage is disposed radially inward of the annular air passage and includes first openings positioned adjacent an axial end of the first annular passage and downstream of the swirler vane slots. A second next annular passage is disposed radially inward of the first annular passage and includes second openings positioned adjacent an axial end of the second annular passage and downstream of the first openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventors: Nishant Govindbhai Parsania, Geoffrey D. Myers, Gregory Allen Boardman