General Electric Company

Venugopal Polisetty

Karthick Kaleeswaran

Anand Prafulchandra Desai

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.

Method for operating an air-staged diffusion nozzle

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.

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Andhra Pradesh, India

Venugopal Polisetty