US 12,359,813 B2
Engine fuel nozzle and swirler
Pradeep Naik, Bengaluru (IN); Perumallu Vukanti, Bengaluru (IN); Michael T. Bucaro, Arvada, CO (US); Ajoy Patra, Bengaluru (IN); Manampathy G. Giridharan, Evendale, OH (US); Steven C. Vise, West Chester, OH (US); Michael A. Benjamin, West Chester, OH (US); Sripathi Mohan, Bengaluru (IN); R Narasimha Chiranthan, Bengaluru (IN); and Joseph Zelina, Waynesville, OH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Mar. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/691,781.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/294,593, filed on Dec. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0204213 A1, Jun. 29, 2023
Int. Cl. F23R 3/14 (2006.01); F23R 3/28 (2006.01); F23D 11/38 (2006.01)
CPC F23R 3/14 (2013.01) [F23R 3/286 (2013.01); F23D 11/383 (2013.01); F23D 2900/14701 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbine engine comprising:
a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustor section including a fuel nozzle assembly comprising:
a fuel nozzle defining a longitudinal axis and a radial axis orthogonal thereto, the fuel nozzle comprising:
a fuel passage terminating at an outlet, the fuel nozzle including a nozzle tip coaxial with the longitudinal axis, the fuel passage configured to exhaust a flow of fuel through the outlet;
a swirler configured to feed a swirled flow of compressed air that is mixed with the flow of fuel downstream of the outlet;
nozzle cap provided within the fuel passage to receive the flow of fuel therefrom, the nozzle cap including a set of openings to supply the flow of fuel therethrough, the set of openings arranged into a plurality of rows defined circumferentially relative to and spaced from the longitudinal axis, the plurality of rows having a first portion of rows of the plurality of the rows arranged in an area within an inner fifty percent of a radial extent of the nozzle cap, and a second portion of rows of the plurality of rows arranged in an area within an outer fifty percent of the radial extent of the nozzle cap;
wherein at least one opening in each row of the set of openings has a centerline oriented at a tangential angle relative to the radial axis, wherein the tangential angle of the at least one opening in each row of the plurality of rows arranged within the outer fifty percent of the radial extent of the nozzle cap increases as a radial distance from the longitudinal axis increases; and
a nozzle lip defined between the nozzle cap and the nozzle tip, coaxial with the fuel nozzle including an axial portion and a diverging portion extending from the axial portion, the axial portion defining a constant cross-sectional area downstream of the fuel nozzle cap coaxial with the fuel nozzle, and the diverging portion defining an increasing cross-sectional area coaxial with the fuel nozzle;
wherein:
the at least one opening in each row of the plurality of rows arranged within the inner fifty percent of the radial extent of the nozzle cap imparts no swirl motion to the fuel exiting the set of openings to form a no swirl flow of fuel;
the at least one opening in said each row of the plurality of rows arranged within the outer fifty percent of the radial extent of the nozzle cap imparts a swirl motion to the fuel exiting the at least one opening in said each row of the plurality of rows arranged within the outer fifty percent of the radial extent of the nozzle cap to form a swirling flow of fuel;
the no swirl flow of fuel and the swirling flow of fuel collectively form the flow of fuel that is exhausted through the outlet such that the flow of fuel has an average swirl of greater than 0 and less than 1.5.