Gas turbine engines are widely used to power aircraft throughout the world. The engine provides thrust which powers the aircraft by burning a mixture of fuel and air in one or more combustors. A fuel nozzle sprays such mixture into each combustor in a form suitable for rapid mixing and efficient combustion.
The most common types of fuel nozzles use a pressure atomizing principle to provide a uniform distribution of fine fuel particles, or droplets, throughout the range of fuel flow conditions encountered during engine operation. In order to be commercially useful, fuel nozzles must be able to (a) efficiently atomize fuel at low air flow rates, (b) uniformly atomize fuel at high power regimes, and (c) provide predictable and controllable fuel spray characteristics over a range of engine operating conditions. Those skilled in the art recognize that other characteristics of fuel nozzles are also desired in addition to those enumerated above.
While progress has been made in designing fuel nozzles for gas turbine engine use, further improvements are required. The present invention provide such improvements.