Fluid manifold

Details Fluid manifold Fluid manifold

1998-12-14

2001-06-05

Kim, Ted (Department: 3746)

Power plants

Combustion products used as motive fluid

Combustion products generator

C137S56100R, C060S746000, C060S749000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06240732

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fluid manifold and in particular to a fluid manifold for use in the combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine.
Industrial gas turbines are required to meet stringent emission levels. It is known that the production of NOx and CO is a function of the combustion flame temperature which in turn depends upon the combustor air inlet temperature, temperature rise of the combusting fuel/air mixture and the air inlet pressure. In order to limit the production of NOx and CO the temperature and residence time should be controlled.
Series staged combustion controls the levels of NOx and CO produced. In series staged combustion a number of separate combustion zones are used, each being fed by the previous stage. The sequential nature of the staging, whereby combustion products from upstream flames become mixed with downstream flames, provides added benefit to emissions since the undesired combustion emissions from upstream have a chance to be converted to the desired combustion products in the downstream flame. Further the higher the number of stages, the smaller the temperature range required for each stage resulting in the lowest maximum temperature attained by each stage and hence minimum NOx. Each stage provides lean combustion, that is combustion of fuel in air where the fuel to air ratio is low.
In multi-staged combustion chambers the fuel is premixed with air in separate premixing ducts for each stage. Fuel manifolds may be used to feed the fuel into the premixing ducts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a fluid manifold which distributes a fluid such as fuel uniformly and which discharges the fuel at a velocity which enhances mixing of the fuel with air downstream of the manifold.
According to the present invention a fluid manifold comprises a plurality of annular chambers in flow series and having barriers therebetween, fuel being fed into the first annular chamber and circulates circumferentially therethrough before being passed through a barrier to the next annular chamber, the fuel circulating circumferentially around each annular chamber prior to its discharge through a final barrier which changes the velocity of the fuel flow discharging therefrom.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the fluid manifold has two annular chambers in flow series, the first annular chamber being larger than the second annular chamber. The fluid flow in the first annular chamber circulates in the opposite direction to the fluid flow in the second annular chamber.
Preferably the barrier between the first and second annular chambers has a plurality of apertures therein. The apertures in the barrier between the first and second annular chambers may be angled to increase the resistance to the passage of fluid from the first annular chamber to the second annular chamber.
The final barrier through which the fluid discharges from the manifold has a plurality of small apertures therein which decelerate the fluid. The apertures may be angled radially to remove any swirl from the fluid discharged from the manifold.
Preferably the fluid manifold is annular and may be used with a liquid or gaseous fluid.
A manifold in accordance with the present invention is for use in a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine. In particular the manifold is for use in a combustion chamber having multiple combustion chambers in flow series. Each manifold is located in a premix duct of one stage of a multi-staged combustion chamber. The manifold is located by swirler vanes in the premix duct which swirl air, the swirled air mixing with the fuel discharged from the manifold in the premixing duct.


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patent: 4492563 (1985-01-01), Reinhold
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patent: 5319935 (1994-06-01), Toon et al.
patent: 5365738 (1994-11-01), Etheridge
patent: 5615555 (1997-04-01), Mina
patent: 6109308 (2000-08-01), Yoneda et al.

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