Purge system for dual-fuel gas turbine engine

Abstract

A dual-fuel turbine engine is a type of turbine engine that can operate using two different fuel sources, such as liquid fuel (e.g., diesel) and natural gas. For liquid fuels, the turbine engine includes a primary line to facilitate engine startup and a secondary line to modify power output. Generally, the turbine engine only uses one type of fuel for combustion at a time. The fuel lines and passages in the fuel nozzles that carry the unused fuel source should preferably be purged and sealed by a purging system to reduce coking. However, conventional purge systems typically purge and seal only the secondary line for liquid fuels. As a result, the passages in the fuel nozzles connected to the primary line are prone to coking. To address this problem, a purge system is disclosed that purges and seals the primary line and, optionally, the secondary line.