Spontaneous ignition of fuel in a combustion chamber

Claim 1

An ignition system for a gas turbine having a combustion chamber, means for delivering pressurized fuel to said combustion chamber and means for supplying air to said combustion chamber to Support combustion of the fuel, said ignition system comprising means for heating all of the fuel before it enters said combustion chamber to a temperature at least as great as its flash point temperature at the ambient pressure in said combustion chamber, means for admitting the fuel of said combustion chamber, means for preventing the back flow of fuel through said fuel delivering means, said air supply means and said means for admitting the fuel being cooperatively associated to produce spontaneous and generally complete combustion of all of the fuel as the fuel admixes with the air in the combustion chamber, and means for shutting off the heating means after combustion of the fuel has commenced, said means for admitting fuel comprises a tubular outer casing, a tubular sleeve concentrically disposed within said casing, a shaft slidably supported within said sleeve, a valve seating member secured to the downstream end of said shaft, a support portion secured to the upstream end of said shaft, and a spring disposed between said support portion and said sleeve encompassing said shaft, which activates said seating member to admit the fuel to the combustion chamber, when the fuel reaches a predetermined pressure.