US-12618564-B2 - Axial fuel stage injector with axially elongated mixing chambers, and combustor and gt system including same

Abstract

An axial fuel stage (AFS) injector includes a mixing member including axially elongated mixing chambers in fluid communication with a combustion liner of a combustor, and fuel injectors in opposing side walls of the mixing chambers. A high-pressure (HP) air injection member defines a set of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of each mixing chamber. A fuel plenum in the mixing member delivers fuel from a fuel source to each set of fuel injectors. Each set of HP air jets directs a HP air from a HP air source and, in some embodiments, to draw a low-pressure (LP) air from a LP air source to direct the LP air with the HP air into the inlet of a respective mixing chamber where fuel is injected. The axially elongated mixing chambers direct the air-fuel mixture into the combustion liner for combustion in a secondary combustion zone thereof.

Inventors

• Bradley D. Crawley
• Michael J. Hughes
• Wei Zhao

Assignees

• GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECHNOLOGY LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240509

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An axial fuel stage (AFS) injector for a combustor of a gas turbine (GT) system, the AFS injector comprising: a mixing member including: a first axially elongated mixing chamber, a second axially elongated mixing chamber, and a third axially elongated mixing chamber between the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber, each axially elongated mixing chamber including an inlet and an outlet, wherein each outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a combustion chamber of the combustor, and a set of fuel injectors defined in opposing side walls of each axially elongated mixing chamber; a high pressure (HP) air injection member defining a sets of HP air jets, each set of HP air jets being configured to direct HP air from a HP air source into the inlet of a respective axially elongated mixing chamber, wherein the sets of HP air jets each include a flared inlet having an outer radius, and the flared inlet of the HP air jets for the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers have a first outer radius larger than a second outer radius of the flared inlet of the HP air jets of the third axially elongated mixing chamber; and a fuel plenum defined in the mixing member, the fuel plenum configured to deliver fuel from a fuel source to each set of fuel injectors.
2. 2 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the third axially elongated mixing chamber extends radially at a perpendicular angle relative to a circumference of a combustion liner of the combustor, and the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber are angled in opposite circumferential directions relative to the third axially elongated mixing chamber.
3. 3 . The AFS injector of claim 2 , wherein the sets of HP air jets are configured to direct the HP air into a respective axially elongated mixing chamber at an angle identical to the angle of the respective axially elongated mixing chamber.
4. 4 . The AFS injector of claim 2 , wherein a selected set of HP air jets of the sets of HP air jets is configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the third axially elongated mixing chamber and includes a pair of axially offset rows of HP air jets.
5. 5 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the sets of HP air jets are configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers, and each HP air jet of the sets of HP air jets includes a radially inward extending collar having a first side thereof radially farther from the axially elongated mixing chamber than a second, opposite side thereof.
6. 6 . The AFS injector of claim 5 , wherein the first side of the collar of the sets of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers each includes an opening defined therein.
7. 7 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the sets of HP air jets includes a first set of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first axially elongated mixing chamber and a second set of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the second axially elongated mixing chamber; and wherein each of the first set of HP air jets and the second set of HP air jets has a lower number of HP air jets than a third set of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the third axially elongated mixing chamber.
8. 8 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein an arrangement of the sets of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers are the same, and the arrangement of the set of HP air jets is configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the third axially elongated mixing chamber is different from the sets of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers.
9. 9 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the fuel plenum extends within an upstream side wall of each of the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers, and wherein each set of fuel injectors is closer to the inlet than the outlet of a respective axially elongated mixing chamber of the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers.
10. 10 . The AFS injector of claim 9 , wherein the opposing side walls of the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers include a first side wall and an opposing second side wall, and wherein the set of fuel injectors defined in the first side wall is arranged in a different manner than the set of fuel injectors defined in the second side wall for each of the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers.
11. 11 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein each axially elongated mixing chamber has semi-circular opposing ends.
12. 12 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the mixing member includes a filter member upstream of the sets of HP air jets.
13. 13 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein the mixing member and the HP air injection member each include at least one mounting element configured to receive a fastener to couple the mixing member and the HP air injection member to a flow sleeve that at least partially surrounds a combustion liner that defines the combustion chamber.
14. 14 . The AFS injector of claim 1 , wherein each set of HP air jets of the sets of HP air jets is configured to draw a low-pressure (LP) air from an LP air source to direct the LP air with the HP air into the inlet of each respective mixing chamber; wherein the HP air source is in direct fluid communication with a compressor discharge of the GT system, and the LP air source is in fluid communication with a cooling passage defined along at least a portion of a combustion liner of the combustor; wherein the cooling passage is downstream of an impingement cooling member that is in direct fluid communication with the compressor discharge of the GT system.
15. 15 . A combustor for a gas turbine system, the combustor comprising: a combustor body including a combustion liner; and a plurality of axial fuel stage (AFS) injectors directed into the combustion liner, each AFS injector including: a mixing member including: a plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers defined in the mixing member, each axially elongated mixing chamber including an inlet and an outlet, wherein each outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a combustion chamber of the combustor, and a set of fuel injectors defined in opposing side walls of each axially elongated mixing chamber; a high pressure (HP) air injection member defining a sets of HP air jets, wherein each set of HP air jets is configured to direct HP air from a HP air source into the inlet of a respective axially elongated mixing chamber where fuel is injected by the set of fuel injectors; a filter member upstream of the sets of HP air jets; and a fuel plenum defined in the mixing member, the fuel plenum configured to deliver fuel from a fuel source to each set of fuel injectors.
16. 16 . The combustor of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers include a first axially elongated mixing chamber, a second axially elongated mixing chamber, and a third axially elongated mixing chamber between the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber.
17. 17 . A gas turbine (GT) system, comprising: a compressor section; a combustion section operatively coupled to the compressor section; and a turbine section operatively coupled to the combustion section, wherein the combustion section includes at least one combustor including: a combustor body including a combustion liner; a head end fuel nozzle assembly at a forward end of the combustor body; a plurality of axial fuel stage (AFS) injectors directed into the combustor body downstream of the head end fuel nozzle assembly, each AFS injector including: a mixing member including: a first axially elongated mixing chamber, a second axially elongated mixing chamber, and a third axially elongated mixing chamber between the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber, each axially elongated mixing chamber including an inlet and an outlet, wherein each outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a combustion chamber of the combustor, and a set of fuel injectors defined in opposing side walls of each axially elongated mixing chamber; a high pressure (HP) air injection member defining a sets of HP air jets, wherein each set of HP air jets is configured to direct HP air from a HP air source into the inlet of a respective axially elongated mixing chamber where fuel is injected by the set of fuel injectors, and the sets of HP air jets configured to direct the HP air into the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers each include a radially inward extending collar having a first side thereof radially farther from the axially elongated mixing chamber than a second, opposite side thereof; and a fuel plenum defined in the mixing member, the fuel plenum configured to deliver fuel from a fuel source to each set of fuel injectors.
18. 18 . The GT system of claim 17 , wherein the mixing member includes a filter member upstream of the sets of HP air jets.
19. 19 . The GT system of claim 17 , wherein each axially elongated mixing chamber has semi-circular opposing ends.
20. 20 . The GT system of claim 17 , wherein the mixing member and the HP air injection member each include at least one mounting element configured to receive a fastener to couple the mixing member and the HP air injection member to a flow sleeve that at least partially surrounds a combustion liner that defines the combustion chamber.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates generally to turbomachine combustors and, more specifically, to an axial fuel stage (AFS) injector with axially elongated mixing chambers, and a combustor and a gas turbine system including the same. BACKGROUND Gas turbine systems include a combustion section including a plurality of combustors in which fuel is combusted to create a flow of combustion gas that is converted to kinetic energy in a downstream turbine section. Current combustors include a head end fuel nozzle assembly for combusting fuel in a primary combustion zone and axial fuel stage (AFS) injectors for combusting fuel in a secondary combustion zone downstream of the primary combustion zone. Portions of an air supply, for example, from a compressor discharge casing, are delivered to the head end fuel nozzle assembly and the AFS injectors in various flow passages. Current AFS injectors present challenges relative to adequately mixing highly reactive fuels, like hydrogen, with air and to achieving desired low exhaust emissions and desired flame holding capability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION All aspects, examples and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible way. A first aspect of the disclosure includes an axial fuel stage (AFS) injector for a combustor of a gas turbine (GT) system, the AFS injector comprising: a mixing member including: a plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers defined in the mixing member, each axially elongated mixing chamber including an inlet and an outlet, wherein each outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a combustion chamber of the combustor, and a set of fuel injectors defined in opposing side walls of each axially elongated mixing chamber; a high pressure (HP) air injection member defining a set of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of each axially elongated mixing chamber; and a fuel plenum defined in the mixing member, the fuel plenum configured to deliver fuel from a fuel source to each set of fuel injectors, wherein each set of HP air jets is configured to direct a HP air from a HP air source into the inlet of a respective mixing chamber where fuel is injected by the set of fuel injectors. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the plurality of axially elongated mixing chambers include a first axially elongated mixing chamber, a second axially elongated mixing chamber, and a third axially elongated mixing chamber between the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the third axially elongated mixing chamber extends radially at a perpendicular angle relative to a circumference of the combustion liner, and the first axially elongated mixing chamber and the second axially elongated mixing chamber are angled in opposite circumferential directions relative to the third axially elongated mixing chamber. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the set of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of each mixing member are configured to direct the HP air into a respective axially elongated mixing chamber at an angle identical to the angle of the respective axially elongated mixing chamber. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the set of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the third axially elongated mixing chamber includes a pair of axially offset rows of HP air jets. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the sets of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers each include a radially inward extending collar having a first side thereof radially farther from the mixing member than a second, opposite side thereof. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the first side of the collar of the sets of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers each includes an opening defined therein. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the sets of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers each have a lower number of HP air jets than the set of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the third axially elongated mixing chamber. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and the sets of HP air jets each include a flared inlet having an outer radius, and the flared inlet of the HP air jets for the first and second axially elongated mixing chambers have a first outer radius larger than a second outer radius of the flared inlet of the HP air jets of the third axially elongated mixing chamber. Another aspect of the disclosure includes any of the preceding aspects, and an arrangement of the sets of HP air jets spaced from the inlet of the first and second axially elonga