CN106662329A - Fuel nozzle assembly with removable components - Google Patents

Abstract

A fuel nozzle assembly (10) for a gas turbine engine (12) is provided. The fuel nozzle assembly (10) includes a rocket unit (14) and a flow-guiding element, such as may include swirler elements, non-swirler elements, or a combination of swirler elements and non-swirler elements, with an aft end (18) in threaded engagement with a forward end (20) of the rocket unit (14). The fuel nozzle assembly (10) may include an oil tip (36) including a clocking feature with a mechanical constraint to orient the oil tip (36) at a predetermined angular orientation (42) relative to the swirler (16). The fuel nozzle assembly (10) may include one or more gas stage inlets (13, 15), one or more oil stage inlets (17, 19), and a flexible hose (26) to direct the oil to a plurality of rocket units (14).

Description

Fuel nozzle assembly with removable parts

This application claims the benefit of US Application 14/294,526, filed June 3, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The present invention relates to gas turbine engines, and more particularly, to fuel nozzle assemblies for combustors of gas turbine engines.

Background technique

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional fuel nozzle assembly 110 for a gas turbine engine. The fuel nozzle assembly 110 includes various components welded or brazed together, such as an oil tip 136 welded to the swirler 116, wherein the oil tip 136 has a predetermined angular orientation to optimize atomization of the oil and combustion performance. Additionally, a swirler 116 is welded to the rocket unit 114, wherein the swirler 116 has a predetermined angular orientation to optimize aerodynamic performance. However, in the event that the oil spray tip 136 or the swirler 116 needs to be serviced or replaced, one or more of the aforementioned welded connections must be removed, requiring complete disassembly and reassembly of the entire fuel nozzle assembly 110, and There are substantial costs and turnaround times involved.

Description of drawings

The invention is illustrated in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a conventional fuel nozzle assembly used in a gas turbine engine;

2 is a side perspective view of a fuel nozzle assembly of a gas turbine engine;

3A-3B are side cross-sectional views of the flame barrel unit-swirler interface of the fuel nozzle assembly of FIG. 2;

3C is an end cross-sectional view of the flame tube unit-swirler junction taken along line 3C-3C of FIG. 3B;

4 is a side cross-sectional view of a fuel nozzle-flame tube unit interface of a fuel nozzle assembly for use in a gas turbine engine;

5 is a side cross-sectional view of the swirler-spray tip interface of the fuel nozzle assembly of FIGS. 3A-3B ; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the swirler-spray head junction of FIG. 5 .

detailed description

Based on the above-discussed limitations of conventional fuel nozzle assemblies 110, the inventors realized that if the oil spray tip and swirler could be more easily removed from the fuel nozzle assembly, it would be possible without disassembling and reassembling the entire fuel nozzle assembly. Repair or replace oil spray head or swirler. Accordingly, the inventors have realized that a removable oil spray head and a removable swirler will significantly reduce the cost and turnaround time of repair or replacement. Based on these insights, the inventors proposed structural features for each of the oil spray head and the swirler to removably fasten the oil spray head and the swirler in the fuel nozzle assembly. In addition, in order to keep the oil spray head and the swirler in their respective predetermined angular orientations, the inventors propose a corresponding clocking feature to ensure that the oil spray head and the swirler are tightly locked in a removable manner. are oriented in their respective predetermined angular orientations when secured in the fuel nozzle assembly. It should be understood that aspects of the disclosed embodiments are not limited to flow directing elements comprising swirler elements (swirlers), as non-swirler elements may also be used as desired for a given application. For example, certain embodiments may include flow directing elements comprising non-swirler elements in combination with (or instead of) swirlers. Therefore, without limitation, aspects of the present invention, such as the above-mentioned structural features that may include indexing features, may be combined with swirler elements, non-swirler elements, or one or more swirler elements with a Or more combined flow guide elements that are not swirler elements.

FIG. 2 illustrates a fuel nozzle assembly 10 for a gas turbine engine 12 . The gas turbine engine 12 is capable of operating on gas or oil supply, therefore the fuel nozzle assembly 10 includes a pair of gas stage inlets 13, 15 for use when the engine is operating in the air supply mode and a pair of gas stage inlets for use when the engine is operating in the oil supply mode. Inlets 17, 19 for oil grades. However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to dual fuel nozzles, and embodiments of the invention may be adapted, for example, to single fuel gas turbine engines, such as gas turbine engines or oil turbine engines. Flexible hoses 26 are used to connect the stage inlets 17 , 19 to the plurality of staged column units 14 through the cover plate 21 . In an exemplary embodiment, flexible hose 26 may be made of, for example, stainless steel 316L material. A plurality of flow directing elements, such as swirlers 16, are removably connected to the flame column unit 14 in a manner discussed in more detail below for receiving fuel from the flame column unit 14 and for swirling the air and fuel. The mixture is delivered to a combustion chamber (not shown). As noted above, the flow directing element may be a non-swirler element in combination with (or instead of) the swirler. In the particular embodiment of Figure 2, eight staged flamebox units 14 and eight staged swirlers 16 are arranged in two stages, and thus four pieces of flexible hose 26 connect each stage inlet 17, 19 to each stage The four flame tube units 14. However, this specific staging arrangement is exemplary and embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific number of flame cartridge units or stages in a fuel nozzle assembly.

3A-3C illustrate the junction between the forward end 20 of the flame barrel unit 14 of the fuel nozzle assembly 10 and the rearward end 18 of the swirler 16 . As shown in FIG. 3B , the interface between the flame tube unit 14 and the swirler 16 includes a flat portion 58 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 which is in contact with the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14. The inner surface of the flat portion 59 engages. FIG. 3C illustrates an end cross-sectional view of the junction, where the flat portion 58 of the peripheral portion 56 of the swirler 16 is oriented radially with the flat portion 59 of the peripheral portion 57 of the flame tube unit 14 . Accordingly, the flats 58, 59 act as indexing features with mechanical constraints to orient the swirler 16 in a predetermined angular orientation 54 (FIG. 2) relative to the flame tube unit 14. In an exemplary embodiment, the flats 58, 59 orient the swirler 16 within an angular tolerance of the predetermined angular orientation 54, such as, for example, within an angular tolerance of +/- 1 degree. As illustrated in FIG. 3C , the diameter of the flat portion 59 of the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14 is larger than the diameter of the flat portion 58 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 by a radial gap 61 . In the exemplary embodiment, the radial gap 61 is less than the threshold gap such that the flats 58, 59 act as a mechanical constraint to maintain the radial orientation of the swirler 16 at the predetermined angular orientation 54 (FIG. 2). The flat portion 58 on the peripheral portion 56 of the rear end portion 18 of the swirler 16 is radially aligned with the flat portion 63 ( FIG. 2 ) on the peripheral portion of the outer surface of the swirler 16 . As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the predetermined angular orientation 54 of the swirler 16 aligns the flat 63 on the outer surface of the swirler 16 with the flat 60 on the outer surface of the adjacent swirler 16, The plurality of swirlers 16 are aligned and fit within the radial plane of the fuel nozzle assembly 10 . Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the predetermined angular orientation 54 of the swirler 16 orients the vanes 23 of the swirler 16 in a predetermined radial position for enhanced aerodynamic performance. Although FIG. 3C depicts the swirler 16 being aligned in a predetermined angular orientation 54 by aligning the flat portion 58 of the swirler 16 with the flat portion 59 of the flame tube unit 14, embodiments of the present invention may be utilized with Any type of indexing feature that is mechanically constrained to orient the swirler 16 in a predetermined angular orientation 54 .

After aligning the swirler 16 in the predetermined angular orientation 54 , the swirler 16 is removably secured to the flame column unit 14 . As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B , the rearward end 18 of the swirler 16 includes an outer radial lip 66 from which the flat portion 58 extends rearwardly a distance 71 to a tip 72 . Front end 20 of flame barrel unit 14 includes an inner radial lip 70 from which flat portion 59 extends forward a distance 73 to tip 68 . As illustrated in FIG. 3B , distance 71 is greater than distance 73 . For example, a seal 64 , such as a C-seal, is positioned between a tip 68 of the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14 and an outer radial lip 66 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 . The gas passage between the flame column unit 14 and the swirler 16 is sealed by a C-seal 64 . Additionally, vibrations at the junction of the flame tube unit 14 and the swirler 16 during operation of the fuel nozzle assembly 10 are absorbed over a distance 73 due to the small radial clearance 61, ie the swirler 16 is independent of the flame tube unit. 14 without vibrating. When the tip 72 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 comes into contact with the inner radial lip 70 of the front end 20 of the flame barrel unit 14, the seal 64 is compressed a predetermined amount. In an exemplary embodiment, the distances 71 , 73 may be subject to tightly controlled tolerances during casting or machining of the swirler 16 and flame tube unit 14 such that when the tip 72 contacts the inner radial lip 70 The seal 64 is compressed by a predetermined amount. In order to move the tip 72 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 in the rearward direction and into contact with the inner radial lip 70 , a nut 44 threadedly engaged with the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14 is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 3B , the inner radial lip 74 of the nut 44 contacts the front side of the outer radial lip 66 such that when the nut 44 is threadedly engaged with the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14, the swirler 16 The tip end 72 of the rear end portion 18 moves into contact with the inner radial lip portion 70 . As also shown in FIG. 3B , the nut 44 includes internal threads 46 that threadably engage external threads 48 on the front end 20 of the flame cartridge unit 14 . Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3A , the nut 44 includes a flat portion 45 along the outer surface so that the nut 44 can be tightened by, for example, a wrench or similar tightening tool. The nut 44 engages the front end 20 of the flame cartridge unit 14 until the tip 72 of the rear end 18 of the swirler 16 comes into contact with the inner radial lip 70 of the front end 20 of the flame cartridge unit 14, which indicates that the seal 64 is compressed by a predetermined amount. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 3B , to prevent disengagement of the nut 44 from the flame cartridge unit 14 during operation of the gas turbine engine 12 , a tack weld may be applied between the trailing end of the nut 44 and the flame cartridge unit 14 . Section 47.

3A-3B illustrate the oil tube 32 and oil spray head 36 for delivering oil through the fuel nozzle assembly 10 when operating in the oil fuel mode. However, when fuel nozzle assembly 10 is fuel-only and is operating in an air-only mode, oil lines 32 and oil spray tips 36 are absent because no oil is delivered through fuel nozzle assembly 10 . When the fuel nozzle assembly 10 is operating in the air supply only mode, and the swirler 16 of the fuel nozzle assembly 10 requires repair or replacement, the swirler 16 is removed from the fuel nozzle assembly 10 by the following steps. The tack welds 47 are first removed. Next, the nut 44 is disengaged from the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14 by disengaging the internal threads 46 of the nut 44 from the external threads 48 on the front end 20 of the flame tube unit 14 . The swirler 16 may then be removed from the front end 20 of the flame barrel unit 14 and serviced or replaced with a substitute swirler.

When the fuel nozzle assembly 10 is operating in the fuel only mode or in the dual fuel mode, the fuel nozzle assembly 10 is present with the oil tube 32 and the oil spray head 36 . Disengaging the fuel line 32 from the fuel nozzle assembly 10 is first performed prior to removal of the swirler 16 from the dual-fuel or fuel-only mode fuel nozzle assembly 10 and will now be discussed. FIG. 4 depicts the rear end 22 of the oil tube 32 which is welded to the oil tube extension 33 . A seal 34 is positioned between the rear end of the oil tube extension 33 and the front surface of the inner radial lip 29 of the compression fitting 28 . The extension screw 30 engages the rear surface of the inner radial lip portion 29 of the compression fitting 28 and engages internal threads in the tubing extension 33 to move the tubing extension 33 rearwardly and compress the rear end of the tubing extension 33 Seal 34 with inner radial lip 29 of compression fitting 28 to form a sealed joint. In an exemplary embodiment, the rear end of the oil tube extension 33 may include a cavity to receive the seal 34 . In an exemplary embodiment, the extension screw 30 may have a hexagonal internal drive feature with a bore through the center to allow passage of oil, for example. In another exemplary embodiment, the seal 34 may be, for example, a flat gasket. After the seal 34 is compressed between the tubing extension 33 and the compression fitting 28, the connector 27 of the flexible hose 26 (FIG. 2) engages the compression fitting 28 to connect the flexible hose via a compression fit 26.

The swirler 16 may need to be serviced or replaced when the fuel nozzle assembly 10 is operating in a fuel only mode or a dual fuel mode. First, the oil tube 32 is disengaged from the fuel nozzle assembly 10 by the following steps. The flexible hose connection 27 is disengaged from the compression fitting 28 by disengaging the internal threads 31 on the flexible hose connection 27 from the external threads 39 on the compression fitting 28 . This step provides access to the extension screw 30 , which then disengages the extension screw 30 from the tubing extension 33 . Fuel tube 32 and fuel tube extension 33 are now disengaged from fuel nozzle assembly 10 and can be removed together with swirler 16 for repair or replacement. After servicing or replacing the swirler 16, the oil line 32 can be fixed by engaging the extension screw 30 in the oil line extension 33 until the seal 34 is compressed, and then engaging the flexible hose connector 27 with the compression fitting 28. and fuel tube extension 33 are reconnected to fuel nozzle assembly 10 .

FIG. 5 illustrates the oil spray tip 36 removably secured to the swirler 16 in the fuel nozzle assembly 10 . In addition to the swirler 16, the oil spray head 36 is also removable from the fuel nozzle assembly 10 if maintenance or replacement is required. Regardless of whether the swirler 16 requires repair or replacement, the oil spray head 36 can be removed for repair or replacement. The oil spray head 36 is removably secured to the swirler 16 by using the following steps. As shown in FIG. 6 , first, the oil spray head 36 is passed through the central opening 89 in the nut 88 until the plurality of fingers 94 at the front end 93 of the nut 88 connect with the rear end 83 of the oil spray head 36 . The annular inclined portion 96 engages. The fingers 94 are separated by axial slots 95 such that the fingers 94 can be adjusted radially to expand and engage the annular ramp 96 . After the oil spray head 36 is tightened in the nut 88 , the oil spray head 36 is oriented radially at a predetermined angular orientation 42 relative to the swirler 16 using an indexing feature with mechanical constraints. The oil spray head 36 is radially aligned such that the radial projection 82 of the oil spray head 36 is received in one of the plurality of lobes 78 , thereby creating a predetermined angular orientation 42 of the oil spray head 36 , wherein , a plurality of lobes 78 are spaced at angular intervals 79 on the front end 18 of the swirler 16 . In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 5-6 , the twelve lobes 78 are separated by an angular spacing 79 of 30 degrees, so that the oil spray head 36 may be oriented in 30 degree increments, for example. Embodiments of the invention, however, are not limited to any specific number of lobes and angular pitches. In another exemplary embodiment, the lobes 78 are spaced, for example, within an angular tolerance of each angular spacing 79, such as within +/- 1 degree. As shown in FIG. 5 , the oil spray head 36 defines an opening 43 having radial holes 41 to direct oil for atomization during operation of the fuel nozzle assembly 10 . As understood by those skilled in the art, the radial holes 41 may be arranged asymmetrically in the opening 43 so that the desired atomization of the oil occurs at a predetermined angular orientation. After the radial protrusion 82 is received in the appropriate lobe 78 on the front end 84 of the swirler 16 , the oil spray head 82 is angularly secured in the predetermined angular orientation 42 . The nut 88 then engages the front end 81 of the swirler 16 such that the internal threads 90 of the nut 88 engage the external threads 92 on the front end 81 of the swirler 16 . As nut 88 engages front end 81 of swirler 16 , surface 86 ( FIG. 6 ) of oil spray head 36 moves and contacts seal 84 between annular surface 85 of front end 81 and oil spray head 36 . As surface 86 continues to move, seal 84 is compressed axially along annular surface 85 . The seal 84 is compressed by a predetermined amount when the surface 86 comes into contact with the stepped portion 87 of the front end portion 81 , which is positioned outside and in front of the annular surface 85 . The height of the step 87 above the annular surface 85 controls the predetermined amount by which the seal 84 is compressed. When the seal 84 is compressed a predetermined amount, the forward tip ( FIG. 5 ) of the oil tube 32 is aligned with the inlet of the opening 43 of the oil spray head 36 . The forward tip of the oil tube 32 is sealed to the inner surface of the swirler 16 in a manner similar to that understood by those skilled in the art. The rear end 97 of the nut 88 may be crimped into the groove 99 along the outer surface of the swirler 16 to secure the nut 88 and the oil spray head 36 to the front end 81 of the swirler 16 . The crimping of the rear end 97 can be performed by crimping tools known to those skilled in the art.

In the event that the oil spray head 36 requires realignment, repair or replacement, the following steps may be taken. First, the rear end 97 of the nut 88 is de-crimped from the slot 99 along the swirler 16 . The nut 88 then disengages the front end 81 of the swirler 16 , which moves the surface 86 of the oil spray head 36 forward from the annular surface 85 and decompresses the seal 84 . During disengagement of the threads of the nut 88 , the radial protrusion 82 moves away from the selected lobe 78 . If the oil spray head 36 needs to be realigned, then when the nut 88 is disengaged from the threads of the front end 81, by aligning the radial protrusion 82 with the appropriate lobe 78 and then placing the nut 88 along the swirler The front end 81 of 16 is rethreaded, so that the oil spray head 36 can be realigned relative to the swirler 16. If the oil spray head 36 needs to be repaired or replaced, the oil spray head 36 can be removed from the nut 88 and repaired or replaced with a replacement oil spray head. A repaired or replaced oil spray head may then be fastened to nut 88 and swirler 16 using the steps described above.

While various embodiments have been shown and described herein, it should be understood that these embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein. Accordingly, the invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. a kind of fuel nozzle assembly of gas-turbine unit, the fuel nozzle assembly includes:

Diversion member；And

Oil nozzle, the oil nozzle includes the indexing function part with mechanical constraint so that the oil nozzle is led relative to described Fluid element is oriented with predetermined angular orientation.

2. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, the fuel nozzle assembly also includes burner inner liner unit, and institute State the leading section of the rearward end of diversion member and the burner inner liner unit threadingly engage.

3. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 2, the fuel nozzle assembly is also including the burner inner liner unit The rearward end of oil pipe, the rearward end of the oil pipe is with the flexible hose for leading to the burner inner liner unit threadingly engage.

4. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein, the indexing function part includes：

Multiple elbows, circumference of the plurality of elbows around the leading section of the diversion member is spaced apart angular separation；With

Radially protruding part at the rearward end of the oil nozzle, the radially protruding part is optionally received in the plurality of So that the oil nozzle is oriented with predetermined angular orientation in an elbows in elbows.

5. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, the fuel nozzle assembly also includes seal, the seal Between the surface of the rearward end of the annular surface and the oil nozzle of the leading section of the diversion member, wherein, it is described close Sealing is compressed predetermined amount, the stepped portions based on the contact between the surface and the stage portion of the diversion member In the outside of the annular surface and positioned at the front portion of the annular surface.

6. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 5, the fuel nozzle assembly also includes the spiral shell with central opening Mother is to fasten the oil nozzle；

Wherein, the nut include external screw thread on internal thread, the internal thread and the leading section of the diversion member with The mode of screw thread engages to realize the contact between the surface and the stage portion.

7. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 6, wherein, the leading section of the nut includes multiple fingers, institute State multiple fingers separately enables the plurality of fingers to be radially adjusted to engagement positioned at the oil spray by axial groove The ring-type rake of the rearward end of head.

8. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein, the diversion member includes non-cyclone element.

9. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein, the diversion member includes cyclone element.

10. fuel nozzle assembly according to claim 1, wherein, the diversion member includes at least one non-cyclone The combination of element and at least one cyclone element.