Air directed fuel injection
View Patent ↗A combustion chamber for a gas turbine is provided. The combustion chamber has a pilot burner device, a fuel injector, an ignitor unit and an air blast injector. The pilot burner device has a pilot body with a pilot surface facing an inner volume of the combustion chamber. The fuel injector has a fuel outlet for injecting a fuel into the inner volume, wherein the fuel outlet is arranged at the pilot surface. The ignitor unit is arranged at the pilot surface such that fuel which passes the ignitor unit is ignitable. The air blast injector is adapted for injecting an air blast into the inner volume, wherein the air blast injector includes an air blast outlet arranged at the pilot surface such that the air blast is injectable in the direction to the fuel outlet and the ignitor unit for directing the fuel to the ignitor unit.
1. A combustion chamber for a gas turbine, the combustion chamber comprising a pilot burner device comprising a pilot body with a pilot surface which is facing an inner volume of the combustion chamber, wherein the pilot body is mounted to a hole in an end face of the combustion chamber such that the pilot surface is perpendicular to a flow of combustion gases in the inner volume, a fuel injector comprising a fuel outlet for injecting a fuel into the inner volume, wherein the fuel outlet is arranged at the pilot surface, an ignitor unit for igniting the fuel inside the inner volume, wherein the ignitor unit is arranged at the pilot surface such that the fuel which passes the ignitor unit is ignitable, and an air blast injector for injecting an air blast into the inner volume, wherein the air blast injector comprises an air blast outlet, wherein the air blast outlet comprises at least one aperture formed in the pilot surface and wherein the fuel outlet, the at least one aperture and the ignitor unit are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction such that air from the air blast injector is configured to direct the air blast in the circumferential direction toward the fuel outlet and then the ignitor unit, which is effective to direct the fuel to the ignitor unit.
2. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the fuel injector, the ignitor unit and the air blast injector are arranged along the circumferential direction around a centre axis of the pilot burner device.
3. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel injector comprises a fuel nozzle at the fuel outlet such that the fuel is injectable in an atomized manner.
4. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the air blast outlet is formed for injecting the air blast with an air blast spray cone.
5. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pilot body comprises a first passage which connects the inner volume with an environment of the pilot burner device,
wherein the fuel injector is inserted into the first passage,
wherein the pilot body further comprises a second passage which connects the inner volume with the environment of the pilot burner device, and
wherein the air blast injector is inserted into the second passage.
6. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pilot body comprises a common passage which connects the inner volume with an environment of the pilot burner device, and
wherein the fuel injector and the air blast injector are inserted into the common passage.
7. The combustion chamber according to claim 1 , further comprising
a further air blast injector for injecting a further air blast into the inner volume,
wherein the further air blast injector comprises a further air blast outlet which is arranged at the pilot surface such that the further air blast is injectable in a direction to the fuel outlet and the ignitor unit for directing the fuel to the ignitor unit.
8. A method for operating a combustion chamber, the method comprising inecting a fuel into an inner volume of the combustion chamber by a fuel injector, wherein the combustion chamber comprises a pilot burner device comprising a pilot body with a pilot surface which is facing the inner volume of the combustion chamber, wherein the pilot body is mounted to a hole in an end face of the combustion chamber such that the pilot surface is perpendicular to a flow of combustion gases in the inner volume, wherein the fuel injector comprises a fuel outlet which is arranged at the pilot surface, igniting the fuel inside the inner volume by an ignitor unit, wherein the ignitor unit is arranged at the pilot surface such that the fuel which passes the ignitor unit is ignitable, and injecting an air blast into the inner volume by an air blast injector which is arranged at the pilot surface, wherein the air blast injector comprises an air blast outlet, wherein the air blast outlet comprises at least one aperture formed in the pilot surface, and wherein the fuel outlet, the at least one aperture and the ignitor unit are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction such that air from the air blast injector is configured to direct the air blast in the circumferential direction toward the fuel outlet and then the ignitor unit, which is effective to direct the fuel to the ignitor unit.