Patent ID: 9423133
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: F02C,F23C,F23R

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for assisting with combustion of fuel, the apparatus comprising: a swirler assembly having at least one swirler assembly inlet and at least one swirler assembly outlet at a downstream end of the swirler assembly, wherein the at least one swirler assembly outlet is longitudinally separated from the at least one swirler assembly inlet by a swirler body defining a swirler assembly inner wall, and the swirler assembly includes at least one swirler vane extending at least one of laterally inward and laterally outward from the swirler assembly inner wall to impart a helical aspect to a flow direction of combustion air through the swirler body and from the at least one swirler assembly outlet; a fuel nozzle, having a fuel nozzle mixing chamber, a fuel nozzle air inlet, and a fuel nozzle air outlet, the fuel nozzle mixing chamber being in fluid communication with both a fuel nozzle fuel reservoir and the fuel nozzle air inlet, the fuel nozzle air inlet allowing air to flow into the fuel nozzle, wherein fuel from the fuel nozzle fuel reservoir is directed into the fuel nozzle mixing chamber and, inside the fuel nozzle mixing chamber, the fuel combines with air therein to form a fuel-air mixture; at least one plasma generator located at least partially within the fuel nozzle and extending downstream of the at least one swirler assembly outlet, the plasma generator at least partially ionizing and/or dissociating the fuel-air mixture to generate an at least partially (Ionized/Dissociated) I/D fuel-air mixture comprising at least one of an at least partially ionized fuel-air mixture and an at least partially dissociated fuel-air mixture via a plasma generator discharge; a combustion chamber having a combustion chamber inlet in fluid communication with the at least one swirler assembly outlet, the combustion chamber having a combustion chamber outlet, the combustion chamber inlet and combustion chamber outlet being longitudinally separated by a combustion chamber internal volume including an (Reaction/Recirculation) R/R zone, a main flame, and a pilot flame, the combustion chamber inlet admitting the at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture from the plasma generator into the combustion chamber internal volume; wherein combustion air enters the at least one swirler assembly inlet, flows through the swirler body, and exits the swirler body through the at least one swirler assembly outlet, the combustion air flowing from the at least one swirler assembly outlet into the combustion chamber internal volume through the combustion chamber inlet; and wherein combustion of the at least partially I/D fuel-air mixture with the combustion air occurs at least partially within the combustion chamber internal volume to responsively produce products, the products exiting the combustion chamber internal volume through the combustion chamber outlet.