Turbine engine having a fuel nozzle assembly

Inventors: Karthikeyan Sampath (Bengaluru, IN); Maximilian Zahn (Munich, DE); Pradeep Naik (Bengaluru, IN); Prithiviraaj Pet T (Madurai, IN); Pabitra Badhuk (Jhargram, IN); Sibtosh Pal (Mason, OH); Michael T. Bucaro (Arvada, CO); Steven C. Vise (Loveland, OH); Steven Marakovits (Mason, OH)

Assignee: General Electric Company

F23R3/286 F02C7/22 F23D14/82 F23R3/04

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12704262
App. No.: 19/032,851
Granted: Aug 11, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A turbine engine comprising: a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustion section comprising a combustion chamber and a fuel nozzle assembly fluidly coupled with the combustion chamber at a fuel nozzle assembly outlet, wherein the fuel nozzle assembly comprises a gaseous fuel passage defined by an inner surface of a centerbody, a plurality of annularly shaped air supply passages circumscribing the centerbody including at least a first air supply passage and a second air supply passage circumscribing the first air supply passage, at least one splitter having an annular shape circumscribing the centerbody and separating adjacent air supply passages of the plurality of air supply passages, a fuel nozzle body circumscribing the plurality of air supply passages and the at least one splitter and at least one orifice plate disposed within one of the plurality of the air supply passages.

Claims (36)

1 . A turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustion section comprising:

a combustion chamber; and

a fuel nozzle assembly fluidly coupled with the combustion chamber at a fuel nozzle assembly outlet, wherein the fuel nozzle assembly comprises:

a centerbody having an outer surface and a nose confronting the combustion chamber;

a gaseous fuel supply passage located within the centerbody and having at least one gaseous fuel outlet including a first gaseous fuel outlet on the outer surface of the centerbody emitting a gaseous fuel;

a plurality of air supply passages circumscribing the centerbody, including at least a first air supply passage and a second air supply passage circumscribing the first air supply passage with one of the first air supply passage or the second air supply passage emitting air at a lower velocity than the other of the first air supply passage or the second air supply passage to generate a set of vortices circumscribing the gaseous fuel emitted from the first gaseous fuel outlet,

at least one splitter configured to separate at least two air supply passages of the plurality of air supply passages; and

a second gaseous fuel outlet disposed downstream of the at least one splitter and the first gaseous fuel outlet.

2 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fuel nozzle assembly is a gaseous fuel nozzle assembly.

3 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fuel nozzle assembly further comprises the at least one splitter having an annular shape circumscribing the centerbody.

4 . The turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the fuel nozzle assembly includes a fuel nozzle body circumscribing the centerbody and the plurality of air supply passages.

5 . The turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first air supply passage and the second air supply passage includes an orifice plate partially obstructing a flow of air therethrough.

6 . The turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the fuel nozzle body or the at least one splitter converge toward the centerbody upstream of the fuel nozzle assembly outlet.

7 . A turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, with the combustion section comprising:

a combustion chamber; and

a fuel nozzle assembly fluidly coupled with the combustion chamber at a fuel nozzle assembly outlet, wherein the fuel nozzle assembly comprises:

a first gaseous fuel passage defined by an inner surface of a centerbody and having a first gaseous fuel outlet;

a plurality of annularly shaped air supply passages circumscribing the centerbody including at least a first air supply passage and a second air supply passage circumscribing the first air supply passage;

at least one splitter having an annular shape circumscribing the centerbody and separating adjacent air supply passages of the plurality of air supply passages;

a fuel nozzle body circumscribing the plurality of air supply passages and the at least one splitter; and

at least one orifice plate disposed within one of the plurality of air supply passages,

wherein the fuel nozzle body further includes a second gaseous fuel outlet of a second gaseous fuel supply passage disposed downstream of the at least one splitter.

8 . The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein a downstream terminal end of the at least one splitter is disposed downstream of the at least one orifice plate and upstream of the fuel nozzle assembly outlet.

9 . The turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the downstream terminal end of the at least one splitter includes a chevron shaped portion including a set of triangle shaped turbulators each having a first edge and a second edge that converge at a major peak pointing towards the fuel nozzle assembly outlet and the combustion chamber.

10 . The turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein at least one turbulator of the set of turbulators further includes a set of triangle shaped mini turbulators, each of the mini turbulators having a smaller cross-sectional area than that of the set of turbulators and a minor peak pointing towards the fuel nozzle assembly outlet and the combustion chamber.

11 . The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the fuel nozzle assembly further includes a fuel post protruding from the fuel nozzle body upstream of the second gaseous fuel outlet.

12 . The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the at least one orifice plate is an annular shape and includes a plurality of apertures.

13 . The turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of apertures are shaped as circles, polygons, or a combination thereof.

14 . The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the at least one orifice plate is disposed within the second air supply passage.

15 . The turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the at least one orifice plate is a plurality of orifice plates and each of the plurality of air supply passages includes an orifice plate of the plurality of orifice plates disposed therein.

16 . The turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of air supply passages further includes at least a third air supply passage circumscribing the second air supply passage, and the at least one splitter is at least a first splitter separating the first air supply passage and the second air supply passage, and a second splitter separating the second air supply passage and the third air supply passage.

17 . The turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the at least one orifice plate includes at least a first orifice plate disposed within the first air supply passage and a second orifice plate disposed within the third air supply passage.

18 . The turbine engine of claim 17 , wherein the second air supply passage does not include an orifice plate.

19 . The turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein a downstream terminal end of the first splitter is disposed closer to the combustion chamber than a downstream terminal end of the second splitter.