Patent ID: 8181891

Claim:
A monolithic fuel injection head for a fuel nozzle comprising: a substantially hollow vesicle body formed with an upstream end face, a downstream end face and a peripheral wall extending therebetween; a center opening in the upstream end face defined by a bore extending partially through said vesicle body, said bore adapted to receive a fuel feed tube; an internal baffle plate extending radially outwardly from a downstream end of said bore, terminating short of said peripheral wall, thereby defining upstream and downstream fuel plenums in said vesicle body, in fluid communication by way of a radial gap between said baffle plate and said peripheral wall, such that, in use, fuel will flow from the fuel feed tube into said downstream fuel plenum, through said radial gap and into said upstream plenum; and a plurality of integral pre-mix tubes extending axially through said upstream and downstream fuel plenums in said vesicle body and through said baffle plate, with inlets at said upstream end face and outlets at said downstream end face, with at least one fuel injection hole extending between each of said pre-mix tubes and said upstream fuel plenum, thereby enabling fuel in said upstream plenum to be injected into said plurality of pre-mix tubes.