Project Title:

An Innovative Variable Geometry Advanced Dual-Lip Airblast Fuel Nozzle

94-1	01.02	4138		

An Innovative Variable Geometry Advanced Dual-Lip Airblast Fuel 
Nozzle

Abstract:

An innovative variable geometry dual-lip airblast fuel nozzle for 
current and future gas turbine combustors is proposed for 
development in this SBIR. The proposed nozzle design, which is a 
new propulsion system component, will control the nozzle effective 
flow area (ACd) over a wide range of engine power conditions 
resulting in a high quality fuel atomization particularly at start-
up and ground idle conditions. The proposed nozzle has a dual-lip 
design, which offers high turndown fuel/air ratios (10 to 1), and 
provides for a premixing capability of fuel and air prior to 
admission into the combustor primary zone. These design features 
will optimize the combustor performance in terms of producing lower 
NOx, CO, HC and satisfying the combustor performance and life 
goals. In this phase I SBIR, 2D and /or 3D CFD analysis will be 
performed to predict the effective flow area (ACd) of each air flow 
passage and compute the flow velocity and pattern for a number of 
designs concepts configurations. The best design(s) concepts 
screened by Phase I will further be optimized, designed, fabricated 
and tested in Phase II at Fuel Systems Textron Inc. Proof of best 
design concept in an engine sector under high pressure conditions 
will also be included in Phase II. The final product of this SBIR 
will be an advanced fuel nozzle that will have both commercial ar 
government applications in particular for the Advanced Subsonic 
Technology program.

The proposed airblast dual-lip fuel nozzle in this SBIR will 
improve the performance of gas turbine combustors such as light-up 
characteristics, lower NOx and CO, higher turndown fuel-air ratios 
and combustion efficiency. Such an improved nozzle design is always 
of great interest to government and commercial aviation firms.

Key Words

Engineering Research & Analysis Company 
4810 Mulford St., Suite # 1-E 
Skokie, IL 60077-3146