Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Walter Cornelius

Edward D Klomp

Thomas P Kosek

Hans P Fredriksen

A nozzle for injecting fuel into a combustion zone including a stationary nozzle body having a main fuel passage therethrough connected to a source of fuel under pressure, an auto-rotating tip disposed on the nozzle body for rotation about a main axis of the latter, a fuel distribution cavity between the tip and the nozzle body connected to the main fuel passage and filled with pressurized fuel, and a plurality of fuel passages in the tip exposed to pressurized fuel in the distribution cavity. Each of the fuel passages is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the main axis and is slanted relative to one of a corresponding plurality of radii emanating from the main axis so that jets of fuel issuing from the fuel passages develop reaction forces on the tip having components tangent to a circle about the main axis which reaction forces spin the tip to disperse fuel in the combustion zone in a volume of revolution about the main axis.

Fuel injection nozzle with auto-rotating tip

A low emission combustor assembly particularly suited for an automotive gas turbine engine has an inlet plenum supplied with regenerated compressor discharge, an exhaust plenum, a diffusion flame combustion chamber disposed between the inlet and exhaust plenums, and a catalytic combustion chamber also disposed between the inlet and exhaust plenums so that parallel flow paths are established between the inlet and exhaust plenums. During engine start-up, fuel is supplied only to the diffusion flame combustion chamber and regenerated compressor discharge simultaneously flowing through the catalytic combustion chamber heats the catalyst to operating temperature and cools and dilutes exhaust from the diffusion flame combustion chamber. When the catalyst reaches operating temperature fuel is directed only to the catalytic combustion chamber wherein an ultra lean air/fuel ratio mixture is catalytically oxidized, the exhaust from this reaction being cooled and diluted by regenerated compressor discharge simultaneously flowing through the diffusion flame combustion chamber.

Low emission combustor

An improved gas turbine engine combustor assembly particularly for automotive application including a primary reaction chamber disposed in a pressurized air plenum of the engine, fixed area air flow ports between the reaction chamber and the plenum, a prechamber housing at an upstream end of the reaction chamber having an annular fixed area air passage between the plenum and the reaction chamber, a radially expandable annular partition in the air passage dividing the latter into an inner annular prechamber portion and an outer annular excess air portion, and a fuel nozzle operative to spray fuel into the prechamber portion where it vaporizes and mixes with air passing through the prechamber portion to provide a combustible mixture of properly lean air-fuel ratio in the combustor. The flow areas of the prechamber portion and the excess air portion vary in mutually inverse relationship and combine to always substantially equal the flow area of the air passage.

Gas turbine combustor assembly

A combustion method and apparatus for gas turbine engines employs a combustion process and combustion liner structure adapted to promote complete combustion of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and minimize undesired combustion products. Compressed primary air flows radially inward into a prechamber into which fuel is sprayed. Except during start-up, the air is heated. Normally, the air mixes with and evaporates the fuel and the mixture flows through a throat into a reaction chamber. The upstream end of the reaction chamber is bounded by a biconical annular wall, the inner radial portion of which diverges sharply and the outer radial portion of which diverges less sharply. The liner wall downstream of the throat defines the reaction zone and a dilution zone to which secondary air is admitted. The areas of both the primary and the secondary air entrances are variable to maintain a lean fuel-air ratio in the reaction zone throughout the operating regime. The swirl angle of the entering primary air is variable. In starting combustion, the air is admitted with a very considerable degree of swirl, causing recirculation from the reaction chamber into the prechamber to facilitate ignition and promote fuel vaporization and stable combustion with a cold engine. After light-off, the quantity of primary air increases along with the fuel, and the primary air swirl is reduced or terminated so that the flame front is blown out of the prechamber into the reaction zone and no combustion takes place in the prechamber in the operating regime.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Walter Cornelius