An atomizing burner and corresponding method for turning an atomizing burner from an ON state to an OFF state. The burner has independently controllable flows of atomizing air, combustion air, and fuel flow, the burner in the ON state having flow values of burner parameters including flow of atomizing air, flow of combustion air, and fuel flow. The method includes: changing, in response to an OFF instruction, flow of at least one of the flow of atomizing air, combustion air and/or fuel to a lower non-zero value; first discontinuing, after a first period of time since the changing, flow of fuel and flow of atomizing air; maintaining, for a second period of time since the first period of time, flow of combustion air; second discontinuing, after the maintaining, flow of combustion air; wherein the maintaining prevents buildup of excess heat inside the burner during the transition to the OFF state.

A fuel swirler, for a gas turbine engine, has a primary cone housing defining an interior chamber. The interior chamber has an inlet in communication with a source of pressurized fuel. The interior chamber has a transition portion and a socket portion with an axisymmetric interior surface. A swirler core is disposed within the interior chamber. The swirler core has a downstream end and an upstream shank portion having an exterior surface mating the axisymmetric interior surface of the socket portion. The shank portion has a plurality of axially extending grooves. The grooves are disposed axisymmetrically about the exterior surface of the shank portion.

A burner apparatus and process are described. The burner apparatus includes an inlet chamber in communication with a combustion chamber. The combustion chamber has a cylindrical shape defining a longitudinal axis and a radial direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. The combustion chamber has an upstream end and a downstream end, and an air inlet is disposed in the inlet chamber. A pilot, a fuel gas inlet, and a refractory material are disposed in the combustion chamber downstream of the air inlet. A mixed gas inlet is positioned downstream of the fuel gas inlet and the pilot in the combustion chamber. The mixed gas inlet includes a manifold having an inlet, a body, and a plurality of nozzles.

A heater comprises a combustion chamber and a jacket extending about the combustion chamber. There is a fan having an output which communicates with the combustion chamber to provide combustion air. There is also a fuel delivery system having a variable delivery rate. A burner assembly is connected to the combustion chamber. The burner assembly has a burner mounted thereon adjacent the combustion chamber. The burner receives fuel from the fuel delivery system. There is an exhaust system extending from the combustion chamber. An oxygen sensor is positioned in the exhaust system to detect oxygen content of exhaust gases. There is a control system operatively coupled to the oxygen sensor and the fuel delivery system. The control system controls the delivery rate of the fuel delivery system according to the oxygen content of the exhaust gases.

A heater comprises a combustion chamber and a jacket extending about the combustion chamber. There is a fan having an output which communicates with the combustion chamber to provide combustion air. There is also a fuel delivery system having a variable delivery rate. A burner assembly is connected to the combustion chamber. The burner assembly has a burner mounted thereon adjacent the combustion chamber. The burner receives fuel from the fuel delivery system. There is an exhaust system extending from the combustion chamber. An oxygen sensor is positioned in the exhaust system to detect oxygen content of exhaust gases. There is a control system operatively coupled to the oxygen sensor and the fuel delivery system. The control system controls the delivery rate of the fuel delivery system according to the oxygen content of the exhaust gases.

An atomizing burner and corresponding method for turning an atomizing burner from an ON state to an OFF state. The burner has independently controllable flows of atomizing air, combustion air, and fuel flow, the burner in the ON state having flow values of burner parameters including flow of atomizing air, flow of combustion air, and fuel flow. The method includes: changing, in response to an OFF instruction, flow of at least one of the flow of atomizing air, combustion air and/or fuel to a lower non-zero value; first discontinuing, after a first period of time since the changing, flow of fuel and flow of atomizing air; maintaining, for a second period of time since the first period of time, flow of combustion air; second discontinuing, after the maintaining, flow of combustion air; wherein the maintaining prevents buildup of excess heat inside the burner during the transition to the OFF state.

An atomizing burner and corresponding method for turning an atomizing burner from an ON state to an OFF state. The burner has independently controllable flows of atomizing air, combustion air, and fuel flow, the burner in the ON state having flow values of burner parameters including flow of atomizing air, flow of combustion air, and fuel flow. The method includes: changing, in response to an OFF instruction, flow of at least one of the flow of atomizing air, combustion air and/or fuel to a lower non-zero value; first discontinuing, after a first period of time since the changing, flow of fuel and flow of atomizing air; maintaining, for a second period of time since the first period of time, flow of combustion air; second discontinuing, after the maintaining, flow of combustion air; wherein the maintaining prevents buildup of excess heat inside the burner during the transition to the OFF state.

A fuel injection nozzle for a combustion turbine engine has thermal stress-relief vanes, which accommodate and relieve localized thermal stresses within its monolithic, three-dimensional nozzle structure, imparted by heat transfer during engine combustion. At least one first vane is coupled to opposing, spaced nozzle sleeves at both ends. At least one cantilever-like second vane is coupled to one of the opposing sleeves on one end, while the other free or floating end is spaced by a second vane gap from the other opposing sleeve. Some embodiments include a plurality of second vanes, which have locally varying orientation, and/or structure, and/or second vane gaps, for normalizing spatially and/or temporally thermal stresses within the nozzle structure. The monolithic structure is fabricated, in some nozzle embodiments, by additive manufacturing.

A fuel injection nozzle for a combustion turbine engine has thermal stress-relief vanes, which accommodate and relieve localized thermal stresses within its monolithic, three-dimensional nozzle structure, imparted by heat transfer during engine combustion. At least one first vane is coupled to opposing, spaced nozzle sleeves at both ends. At least one cantilever-like second vane is coupled to one of the opposing sleeves on one end, while the other free or floating end is spaced by a second vane gap from the other opposing sleeve. Some embodiments include a plurality of second vanes, which have locally varying orientation, and/or structure, and/or second vane gaps, for normalizing spatially and/or temporally thermal stresses within the nozzle structure. The monolithic structure is fabricated, in some nozzle embodiments, by additive manufacturing.

A direct fuel injection system (206) is shown for injecting hydrogen fuel into a gas turbine combustor, the fuel injection system comprising a plurality of fuel injector blocks (1202). Each fuel injector block includes one or more air admission ducts (1603) for receiving air from a diffuser and an air outlet for delivering air into a mixing zone for combustion with fuel. Each fuel injector block also includes a fuel admission duct or aperture having a fuel inlet for receiving fuel (F) from a manifold, and a fuel outlet for delivering fuel into the mixing zone.