US 12,331,932 B2
Turbine engine fuel mixer
R Narasimha Chiranthan, Bengaluru (IN); Manampathy G. Giridharan, Evendale, OH (US); Ajoy Patra, Bengaluru (IN); Pradeep Naik, Bengaluru (IN); Perumallu Vukanti, Bengaluru (IN); Michael T. Bucaro, Arvada, CO (US); and Hiranya Kumar Nath, Bengaluru (IN)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/717,603.
Claims priority of application No. 202211005165 (IN), filed on Jan. 31, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0243502 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. F23R 3/28 (2006.01); F02C 7/22 (2006.01)
CPC F23R 3/286 (2013.01) [F02C 7/22 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbine engine, comprising:
a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the combustion section having a combustor with a fuel mixer receiving a hydrogen fuel flow and comprising:
an outer wall in annular arrangement, defining a longitudinal direction, and having a mixture outlet;
a base member positioned partially forward of the outer wall, extending interior of the outer wall, having an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall, and defining a first compressed air flow passage between the annular outer wall of the base member and the outer wall, with the first compressed air flow passage receiving a first air flow;
the first compressed air flow passage having a first air inlet arranged on the outer wall and receiving a first air flow;
a second compressed air flow passage between the annular inner wall of the base member and a centerbody, the second compressed air flow passage having a second air inlet receiving a second air flow, and the second compressed air flow passage forming an intersection with the first compressed air flow passage;
the center body positioned interior of the first compressed air flow passage and the second compressed air flow passage;
a common flow passage extending from the intersection to the mixture outlet and at least partially defined by the center body; and
a fuel supply passage having a fuel outlet fluidly coupled to the intersection and arranged to inject the hydrogen fuel flow as a sandwiched layer between the first air flow and the second air flow.
 
18. A method of mixing fuel in a combustor of a turbine engine, the method comprising:
flowing a first compressed air flow to a first compressed air flow passage positioned between an outer wall and a base member, the first compressed air flow passage receiving the first compressed air flow from a first air inlet positioned between the outer wall and the base member, wherein the base member is positioned partially forward of the outer wall, extending interior of the outer wall, having an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall, and defining the first compressed air flow passage between the annular outer wall of the base member and the outer wall;
flowing a second compressed air flow to a second compressed air flow passage; wherein the second compressed air flow passage is positioned between the annular inner wall of the base member and a centerbody, the second compressed air flow passage having a second air inlet receiving the second compressed air flow, and the center body is positioned interior of the first compressed air flow passage and the second compressed air flow passage;
converging the first compressed air flow and the second compressed air flow to meet at an intersection;
introducing an annular supply of hydrogen fuel between the first compressed air flow and the second compressed air flow at the intersection to form a mixture flow as a layered flow; and
flowing at least the mixture flow to a mixture outlet of a fuel mixer of the combustor.