Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
215 words
A method of operating a fuel injection staged high temperature combustor, said combustor including a pilot burning zone and a main burning zone communicating therewith, said method comprising: introducing at least one of a first low-BTU fuel and a high-BTU fuel and a first flow of swirling air into an upstream end of said pilot burning zone and mixing therein to form a first fuel-air mixture; introducing during at least a portion of the combustor's operation, the other of said first low-BTU fuel and said high-BTU fuel into said upstream end of said pilot burning zone to form a part of said first fuel-air mixture; igniting and burning said first fuel-air mixture in said pilot burning zone; flowing the combustion products from said pilot burning zone into an upstream end of said main burning zone; introducing at least a second low-BTU fuel and a second flow of swirling air into said main burning zone for mixing with said combustion products; and adjusting a relationship between said first and second low-BTU fuel, said high-BTU fuel and said first and second flow of swirling air to increase a temperature in said main burning zone an increment above a temperature in said pilot zone effective to maintain a local equivalence ratio in said combustor within a preselected range.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
215 words
A method of operating a fuel injection staged high temperature combustor, said combustor including a pilot burning zone and a main burning zone communicating therewith, said method comprising: introducing at least one of a first low-BTU fuel and a high-BTU fuel and a first flow of swirling air into an upstream end of said pilot burning zone and mixing therein to form a first fuel-air mixture; introducing during at least a portion of the combustor's operation, the other of said first low-BTU fuel and said high-BTU fuel into said upstream end of said pilot burning zone to form a part of said first fuel-air mixture; igniting and burning said first fuel-air mixture in said pilot burning zone; flowing the combustion products from said pilot burning zone into an upstream end of said main burning zone; introducing at least a second low-BTU fuel and a second flow of swirling air into said main burning zone for mixing with said combustion products; and adjusting a relationship between said first and second low-BTU fuel, said high-BTU fuel and said first and second flow of swirling air to increase a temperature in said main burning zone an increment above a temperature in said pilot zone effective to maintain a local equivalence ratio in said combustor within a preselected range.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 wherein he step of introducing a second low-BTU fuel and second flow of swirling air includes sequentially staging introducing a second and at least a third low-BTU fuels through at least first and second fuel passages into said main burning zone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of introducing at least one of a first low-BTU fuel and a high-BTU fuel includes introducing said high-BTU fuel into said pilot burning zone to enhance ignition before introducing said first low-BTU fuel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
116 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising forming said combustor with an outer shell wall and an inner liner wall coaxially within said outer shell wall defining therebetween a coolant channel, said coolant channel substantially enveloping both said pilot burning zone and said main burning zone introducing air to a counter-current flow relationship to the flow in said pilot and main burning zones to cool said liner and heating said air to produce hot air, the step of introducing a first flow of swirling air includes introducing at least a first flow of said hot air, and the step of introducing a second flow of swirling air includes introducing a second flow of said hot air.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adjusting said relationship includes continuing said adjusting until a temperature in said main burning zone is within about 250 C. of an adiabatic, stoichiometric, homogeneous equilibrium temperature limit.