Fuel injector architectures for turbine engines with multi-stage geometry, staged fuel injection, and hybrid swirl control
A fuel injector is provided for a turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section is serial flow arrangement. The fuel injector includes an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis. The injector passage exhausts at an injector outlet and defines a flow direction through the injector passage. A first converging portion is provided in the outer wall. A swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction. A first set of fuel passages are provided in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction.
1 . A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the fuel injector comprising:
an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis, the injector passage exhausting at an injector outlet and defining a flow direction through the injector passage;
a first converging portion provided in the outer wall;
a first set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction;
a second set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall and positioned downstream of the first set of fuel passages relative to the flow direction;
a second converging portion provided in the outer wall downstream of the first set of fuel passages relative to the flow direction; and
a swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction.
2 . The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the swirler assembly includes an axial swirler.
3 . The fuel injector of claim 2 , further comprising a centerbody positioned within the injector passage at the swirler assembly, and wherein the swirler assembly further comprises a set of vanes extending between the centerbody and the outer wall.
4 . The fuel injector of claim 1 , further comprising a set of turbulators extending from the outer wall into the injector passage in annular arrangement about the outer wall.
5 . The fuel injector of claim 4 , wherein the set of turbulators are provided upstream of the first set of fuel passages and downstream of the first converging portion, relative to the flow direction.
6 . The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the outer wall further comprises a first cylindrical portion and a second cylindrical portion, and wherein the first converging portion is positioned between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion.
7 . The fuel injector of claim 6 , wherein the first set of fuel passages are arranged in the second cylindrical portion.
8 . The fuel injector of claim 7 , wherein the outer wall further comprises a third cylindrical portion and the second converging portion is positioned between the second cylindrical portion and the third cylindrical portion.
9 . A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the fuel injector comprising:
an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis, the injector passage exhausting at an injector outlet and defining a flow direction through the injector passage;
a first converging portion provided in the outer wall;
a swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction;
a first set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction; and
a second set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall and positioned downstream of the first set of fuel passages relative to the flow direction.
10 . A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the fuel injector comprising:
an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis, the injector passage exhausting at an injector outlet and defining a flow direction through the injector passage;
a first converging portion provided in the outer wall;
a second converging portion extending from the first converging portion in the flow direction, and wherein the first converging portion converges at a different rate than that of the second converging portion;
a swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction; and
a first set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction.
11 . The fuel injector of claim 10 , further comprising an annular body positioned within the injector passage along the outer wall.
12 . The fuel injector of claim 11 , further comprising a set of flow passages extending through the annular body.
13 . The fuel injector of claim 12 , wherein the annular body includes a forward surface and a side surface, and wherein the set of flow passages include an inlet on the forward surface and an outlet in the side surface.
14 . A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the fuel injector comprising:
an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis, the injector passage exhausting at an injector outlet and defining a flow direction through the injector passage;
a first converging portion provided in the outer wall;
a swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction, wherein the swirler assembly is a radial swirler and comprises a first set of air passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall;
a first set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction; and
a second set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall and positioned downstream of the first set of fuel passages relative to the flow direction.
15 . The fuel injector of claim 14 , wherein the first set of air passages are unaligned with the longitudinal injector axis to impart a swirl to an airflow exhausting from the first set of air passages into the injector passage.
16 . The fuel injector of claim 14 , wherein the first set of air passages partially intersect one another within the outer wall.
17 . The fuel injector of claim 14 , wherein the radial swirler comprises a second set of air passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall and spaced from the first set of air passages.
18 . The fuel injector of claim 14 , wherein the first set of air passages define an air passage cavity within the outer wall.
19 . A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine comprising a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, the fuel injector comprising:
an outer wall surrounding an injector passage and defining a longitudinal injector axis, the injector passage exhausting at an injector outlet and defining a flow direction through the injector passage;
a first converging portion provided in the outer wall;
a swirler assembly configured to provide a swirled airflow to the injector passage upstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction wherein the swirler assembly includes an axial swirler provided within the injector passage and a radial swirler provided as a set of air passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall; and
a first set of fuel passages in annular arrangement about the outer wall fluidly exhausting to the injector passage downstream of the first converging portion relative to the flow direction.