Patent ID: 8881995

Claim:
A spray nozzle for injecting fuel comprising: a) an inlet housing including a fuel inlet and first and second coolant ports, wherein the inlet housing defines an interior space and is configured to thermally isolate the interior space from external conditions during operation and to reduce heat soak back from the inlet housing to the interior space thereof after operation; b) a fuel conduit mounted in the interior space of the inlet housing in fluid communication with the fuel inlet for providing fuel to a spray nozzle mounted to the fuel conduit; c) a first coolant conduit mounted in the interior space of the inlet housing outboard of the fuel conduit and in fluid communication with the first coolant port of the inlet housing and with a nozzle tip region proximate an outlet end of the spray nozzle; and d) a second coolant conduit mounted in the interior space of the inlet housing outboard of the first coolant conduit and in fluid communication with the second coolant port of the inlet housing and with the nozzle tip region, wherein the first and second coolant conduits are configured and adapted to conduct coolant from one of the coolant ports to the nozzle tip region, and to conduct coolant from the nozzle tip region to the other of the coolant ports for cooling the nozzle tip region actively during operation, and wherein the first and second coolant conduits are configured and adapted to conduct coolant passively to cool the nozzle tip region after operation, wherein the fuel conduit is a first fuel conduit, wherein the spray nozzle is a first spray nozzle, wherein the fuel inlet is a first fuel stage inlet, wherein the inlet housing includes a second fuel stage inlet, and further comprising a second fuel conduit mounted in the interior space of the inlet housing outboard of the first fuel conduit, inboard of the second coolant conduit, and in fluid communication with the second fuel stage inlet of the inlet housing for providing fuel to a second spray nozzle mounted outboard of the first spray nozzle.