WO2007083088A1 - Method and apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007083088A1
WO2007083088A1 PCT/GB2007/000085 GB2007000085W WO2007083088A1 WO 2007083088 A1 WO2007083088 A1 WO 2007083088A1 GB 2007000085 W GB2007000085 W GB 2007000085W WO 2007083088 A1 WO2007083088 A1 WO 2007083088A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
liquid
droplets
vibration
applying
carrying means
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2007/000085
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Anthony Archer
Original Assignee
Power Generation Technology Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Power Generation Technology Limited filed Critical Power Generation Technology Limited
Publication of WO2007083088A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007083088A1/en

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
    • F23L—SUPPLYING AIR OR NON-COMBUSTIBLE LIQUIDS OR GASES TO COMBUSTION APPARATUS IN GENERAL ; VALVES OR DAMPERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CONTROLLING AIR SUPPLY OR DRAUGHT IN COMBUSTION APPARATUS; INDUCING DRAUGHT IN COMBUSTION APPARATUS; TOPS FOR CHIMNEYS OR VENTILATING SHAFTS; TERMINALS FOR FLUES
    • F23L7/00—Supplying non-combustible liquids or gases, other than air, to the fire, e.g. oxygen, steam
    • F23L7/002—Supplying water
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B17/00—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups
    • B05B17/04—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods
    • B05B17/06—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods using ultrasonic or other kinds of vibrations
    • B05B17/0607—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods using ultrasonic or other kinds of vibrations generated by electrical means, e.g. piezoelectric transducers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B17/00—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups
    • B05B17/04—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods
    • B05B17/06—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods using ultrasonic or other kinds of vibrations
    • B05B17/0607—Apparatus for spraying or atomising liquids or other fluent materials, not covered by the preceding groups operating with special methods using ultrasonic or other kinds of vibrations generated by electrical means, e.g. piezoelectric transducers
    • B05B17/0653—Details
    • B05B17/0669—Excitation frequencies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B5/00—Electrostatic spraying apparatus; Spraying apparatus with means for charging the spray electrically; Apparatus for spraying liquids or other fluent materials by other electric means
    • B05B5/025—Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns
    • B05B5/053—Arrangements for supplying power, e.g. charging power
    • B05B5/0533—Electrodes specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of electrodes
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
    • F02C7/00—Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants
    • F02C7/12—Cooling of plants
    • F02C7/14—Cooling of plants of fluids in the plant, e.g. lubricant or fuel
    • F02C7/141—Cooling of plants of fluids in the plant, e.g. lubricant or fuel of working fluid
    • F02C7/143—Cooling of plants of fluids in the plant, e.g. lubricant or fuel of working fluid before or between the compressor stages
    • F02C7/1435—Cooling of plants of fluids in the plant, e.g. lubricant or fuel of working fluid before or between the compressor stages by water injection
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
    • F02M25/00—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture
    • F02M25/022—Adding fuel and water emulsion, water or steam
    • F02M25/0221—Details of the water supply system, e.g. pumps or arrangement of valves
    • F02M25/0225—Water atomisers or mixers, e.g. using ultrasonic waves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
    • F02M25/00—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture
    • F02M25/022—Adding fuel and water emulsion, water or steam
    • F02M25/025—Adding water
    • F02M25/028—Adding water into the charge intakes
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
    • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
    • F04D29/58—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer
    • F04D29/582—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
    • F04D29/5846—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps cooling by injection
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B1/00—Nozzles, spray heads or other outlets, with or without auxiliary devices such as valves, heating means
    • B05B1/14—Nozzles, spray heads or other outlets, with or without auxiliary devices such as valves, heating means with multiple outlet openings; with strainers in or outside the outlet opening
    • B05B1/20—Arrangements of several outlets along elongated bodies, e.g. perforated pipes or troughs, e.g. spray booms; Outlet elements therefor
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
    • Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T50/00—Aeronautics or air transport
    • Y02T50/60—Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and apparatus of delivering a liquid in droplet form, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to the delivery of droplets of water into an air inlet of an engine, for example a gas turbine.
  • Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the problems with the prior art, including, but not limited to, those set out above.
  • an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form comprising:- carrying means for carrying a liquid and having at least one outlet; and
  • vibration applying means for applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
  • the advantage is provided that significantly smaller droplets are formed than if the vibrations are not used.
  • the acoustic energy within the liquid causes it to divide into separate bodies which continue to divide into ever smaller droplets until the acoustic energy is dissipated.
  • the liquid forms into smaller droplets than can be created using standard droplet forming devices such as nozzles. If the acoustic energy is applied to the liquid within the carrying means or pipe, the acoustic energy can continue to cause the droplets to divide into smaller droplets, even after they have exited the outlet or nozzle and thereby produce a very fine mist of water droplets.
  • the apparatus is used on the inlet to an engine, such as a gas turbine, the water droplets are able to pass into the turbine, providing the cooling effect to increase the mass air flow, without causing damage to the turbine blades.
  • the droplets are considerably smaller than could be achieved in the prior art, typically around one thousandth the volume, the droplets always follow the path of air.
  • the air stream generated around the compressor blades as they rotate causes the droplets to roll over the blade on a cushion of air. There is therefore very little or no contact between the blades and the droplet and there is no separation of water from the airstream and therefore no pooling of the water within the compressor. It is thus not necessary to have drains within the compressor to remove the excess water.
  • the very fine droplets are able to pass further into the turbine thereby applying their cooling effect further into the turbine's compressor.
  • the apparatus may further comprise charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid.
  • the droplets formed by the liquid are similarly charged with either a negative or positive charge. This charge will cause the droplets to repel one another and once formed, they are much less likely to conglomerate to form larger droplets. Therefore when apparatus of this kind is used at the inlet to an engine, such as a gas turbine, the small droplet size can be maintained and as a result the damage to turbine blades is reduced or eliminated since no large droplets are formed.
  • the size of the droplet that can be formed can typically be below 3 microns and if the water is superheated, the temperature above 100 0 C, droplet sizes below 1 micron can be achieved. These droplet sizes are maintained because the similar charge in each droplet reduces the likelihood of collision between droplets maintaining their size.
  • At least one said outlet comprises a respective nozzle.
  • said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means.
  • the vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
  • said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
  • an engine comprising:- an engine ;
  • the method may further comprise charging at least some of said liquid.
  • At least some of said liquid is expelled from said carrying means via at least one nozzle.
  • said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
  • the vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
  • said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
  • an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form comprising :-
  • carrying means for carrying a liquid, said carrying means having at least one outlet adapted to deliver said liquid to at least one engine; and charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid, wherein at least some of said liquid forms droplets on exiting at least one said outlet.
  • the apparatus may further comprise vibration applying means for applying vibrations to at least some of said liquid.
  • said vibration applying means applies vibration to said liquid in said carrying means prior to exiting at least one outlet.
  • said vibration has at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
  • the apparatus may further comprise at least one nozzle located at said outlet for forming said droplets.
  • said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
  • an engine comprising: -
  • a method of delivering liquid in droplet form comprising the steps of:-
  • said droplets are formed by applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
  • said vibration is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
  • the vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
  • said droplets are formed by at least one nozzle located at said outlet.
  • said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form to a gas turbine engine
  • Figure 2a is a perspective view of a section of the pipe of the apparatus of Figure 1;
  • Figure 2b is a perspective cut away view of a vibrating device of the apparatus of Figure 2a;
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the charging device of the apparatus of Figure 1;
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of the charging device of Figure 3;
  • Figure 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the pipework of the apparatus of Figure 1;
  • Figure 6 is a perspective view of the outlet nozzle manifold of the apparatus of Figure 1.
  • an apparatus 10 for delivering a liquid in droplet form has a liquid carrying means in the form of main supply pipe 12, flexible hoses 14 and outlet manifolds 16 which have outlets in the form of nozzles 18.
  • the apparatus 12 has vibration applying means in the form of sonic unit 20 which applies vibration, in the form of sound waves, to the liquid in pipe 12.
  • the apparatus 10 also has charging means, in the form of an electrical charging unit 22 which applies an electrical charge to the liquid in pipe 12.
  • the apparatus 10, and in particular the nozzles 18 and outlet manifolds 16, are located adjacent an air inlet or turbine bellmouth 24 of a gas turbine engine.
  • the bellmouth 24 is located within a plenum 26 of the gas turbine engine.
  • the sonic unit contains one or more sonic horns 28 which apply sound waves into pipe 20, and therefore into the liquid contained therein. To ensure efficient transfer of the sound waves to the liquid the sonic unit is welded to the pipe by welds 30.
  • the charging unit 22 includes a charging grid 32 having openings 34 and dividers 36. As the liquid passes through openings 34, formed by dividers 36 apply the either positive or negative electrical charge to the liquid passing through pipe 12.
  • the charging grid 32 is sealed and electrically isolated between pipe manifolds 38 by seals 40.
  • the charging grid 32 is connected to an electrical supply by cable 42.
  • a liquid typically demineralised water
  • the water can be heated and is typically within the temperature range of 0 0 C to 300 0 C.
  • the sonic unit 20 applies acoustic pulses having a frequency between 80 KHz and 40 MHz.
  • This is preferably applied in half second pulses of different frequency, one frequency being between 80 KHz and 40 MHz and the other between 80 KHz and 120 MHz.
  • the water then passes through the charging unit 22 and a charge of between 15 milliamps and 30 amps is applied to the water by charging grid 32. It should be noted that the charging and sonic units can be swapped so that the charge is applied to the water before the vibrations.
  • this vibrational energy causes the water to split into water droplets which continue to split to a size of a few microns and in the case of superheated water (above 100 0 C) to droplet sizes below 1 micron.
  • the water in droplet form continues to pass along the short distance along pipe 12, through flexible hoses 14, along outlet manifold 16, to outlet nozzles 18 in the form of closely spaced droplets. These droplets pass through nozzles 18 becoming separate from each other in the atmosphere. Because the droplets all have the same charge, that is they are either all positively or all negatively charged, they repel each other and are less likely to conglomerate together into larger droplets.
  • the volume of water passing through nozzles 18 and into turbine bellmouth 24 is controlled by a control valve (not shown) in pipe 12.
  • the control valve is operated via an operating panel which also controls the acoustic energy and charge applied to the water (also not shown) .
  • the volume of water passing through the nozzles is at a rate so as to increase the mass air flow by between 1% and 4%.
  • the air entering the inlet is at a uniform temperature. This is achieved by controlling, or tuning, the amount of water droplets being directed to any portion of the turbine bellmouth.
  • the temperature of the air entering the turbine bellmouth will vary due to varying speeds of air passing into the turbine bellmouth. These temperatures can be made uniform by varying the volume of water droplets passing into each section of the turbine bellmouth.
  • a signature for the velocities of air passing into the bellmouth can be obtained using velocity predicting software which produces an image in which the colours vary dependent upon the velocity of the air and also highlights dead spots.
  • the nozzles can then be tuned to introduce more water into the faster moving sections which will have the effect of balancing these sections by applying a uniform wall of water into the turbine bellmouth.
  • the droplet delivery apparatus may be used in conjunction with other engines.
  • the same benefit can be obtained by- cooling the air entering a turbo charger of a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine.
  • a jet engine such as an aero-engine can benefit from the addition of a water droplets to cool the intake air.
  • This method and apparatus could be used to reduce the droplet size in paint spraying to produce an even finer finish.
  • the finer spray could also provide advantages if used in conjunction with heat exchangers, air-conditioning and refrigeration units and in centrifugal compressors.
  • the pipe 12, hoses 14, manifolds 16 or nozzles 18 could equally be charged and thereby apply the charge to the liquid.
  • both the charge and vibrational energy could be applied to the droplets once they have exited through nozzles 18.
  • the charging and sonic units could be located on the manifolds 16 and even attached to nozzles 18.
  • the vibrational energy can be applied to the liquid in the form of in any way which will cause the water molecules to vibrate at a frequency suitable to cause the water droplets to split into smaller droplets. For example this can be by the application of magnetic pulses.
  • the charge can also be a magnetic charge and can be applied at the same time as, or separately from, applying magnetic pulses.
  • the hoses 14 can be rigid or flexible.

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for delivering a liquid in droplet form is disclosed. The apparatus includes one or more pipes (12, 14, 16) for carrying a liquid to multiple nozzles. The apparatus (10) also includes a vibration producer (20) for applying vibration to the liquid, typically in the form of sound waves at a frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz. The apparatus (10) further includes charging means (22) for applying an electrical charge to the liquid. As a result a mist of extremely small droplets is produced, the charge on the droplets reduces the collisions and coagulation of the droplets.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Delivering Liquid in Droplet Form
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of delivering a liquid in droplet form, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to the delivery of droplets of water into an air inlet of an engine, for example a gas turbine.
It has been known since the 1940s that the addition of water, in droplet form, into the inlet of a gas turbine engine increases efficiency of that engine by evaporating and cooling the inlet air thereby increasing the air mass flow through the engine.
However, because the use of such droplets has resulted in problems of erosion and corrosion damage to the turbine blades of a gas turbine, such watering systems have not been adopted. The problem of erosion results from the size of the droplets being too large and therefore colliding with the turbine blades before they evaporate to provide the cooling effect on the inlet air. Furthermore, the large droplet size results in the water separating from the air stream and forming into pools within the compressor. As a result it is not just the blades of the compressor which become corroded and drains must be added to remove the excess water.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the problems with the prior art, including, but not limited to, those set out above.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form, the apparatus comprising:- carrying means for carrying a liquid and having at least one outlet; and
vibration applying means for applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
By applying vibrational energy, in the form of sound waves, to a liquid which is either in droplet form or about to be formed into droplets, the advantage is provided that significantly smaller droplets are formed than if the vibrations are not used. The acoustic energy within the liquid causes it to divide into separate bodies which continue to divide into ever smaller droplets until the acoustic energy is dissipated. As a result, the liquid forms into smaller droplets than can be created using standard droplet forming devices such as nozzles. If the acoustic energy is applied to the liquid within the carrying means or pipe, the acoustic energy can continue to cause the droplets to divide into smaller droplets, even after they have exited the outlet or nozzle and thereby produce a very fine mist of water droplets. As a result, if the apparatus is used on the inlet to an engine, such as a gas turbine, the water droplets are able to pass into the turbine, providing the cooling effect to increase the mass air flow, without causing damage to the turbine blades. Furthermore, because the droplets are considerably smaller than could be achieved in the prior art, typically around one thousandth the volume, the droplets always follow the path of air. The air stream generated around the compressor blades as they rotate causes the droplets to roll over the blade on a cushion of air. There is therefore very little or no contact between the blades and the droplet and there is no separation of water from the airstream and therefore no pooling of the water within the compressor. It is thus not necessary to have drains within the compressor to remove the excess water. Furthermore, the very fine droplets are able to pass further into the turbine thereby applying their cooling effect further into the turbine's compressor. The apparatus may further comprise charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid.
By applying an electrical charge to the liquid, the droplets formed by the liquid are similarly charged with either a negative or positive charge. This charge will cause the droplets to repel one another and once formed, they are much less likely to conglomerate to form larger droplets. Therefore when apparatus of this kind is used at the inlet to an engine, such as a gas turbine, the small droplet size can be maintained and as a result the damage to turbine blades is reduced or eliminated since no large droplets are formed.
By combining the vibrational energy and charging the liquid, the size of the droplet that can be formed can typically be below 3 microns and if the water is superheated, the temperature above 100 0C, droplet sizes below 1 micron can be achieved. These droplet sizes are maintained because the similar charge in each droplet reduces the likelihood of collision between droplets maintaining their size.
In a preferred embodiment at least one said outlet comprises a respective nozzle.
In another preferred embodiment said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means.
The vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
In a preferred embodiment said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an engine comprising:- an engine ; and
an apparatus as defined above and located so as to deliver droplets of said liquid into said engine.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of delivering liquid in droplet form, comprising the steps of:-
carrying a liquid in carrying means to at least one outlet; and
applying vibrations to at least one said liquid.
The method may further comprise charging at least some of said liquid.
In a preferred embodiment at least some of said liquid is expelled from said carrying means via at least one nozzle.
In another preferred embodiment said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
The vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
In a preferred embodiment said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form, the apparatus comprising :-
carrying means for carrying a liquid, said carrying means having at least one outlet adapted to deliver said liquid to at least one engine; and charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid, wherein at least some of said liquid forms droplets on exiting at least one said outlet.
The apparatus may further comprise vibration applying means for applying vibrations to at least some of said liquid.
In a preferred embodiment said vibration applying means applies vibration to said liquid in said carrying means prior to exiting at least one outlet.
In another preferred embodiment said vibration has at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
The apparatus may further comprise at least one nozzle located at said outlet for forming said droplets.
In a preferred embodiment said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engine comprising: -
an engine; and
an apparatus as defined above and located so as to deliver droplets of said liquid into said engine.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of delivering liquid in droplet form, comprising the steps of:-
carrying a liquid in carrying means to at least one outlet adapted to deliver said liquid to at least one engine;
applying an electrical charge to at least one said liquid; and forming said liquid into droplets.
In a preferred embodiment said droplets are formed by applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
In another preferred embodiment said vibration is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
The vibration is preferably applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
In a preferred embodiment said droplets are formed by at least one nozzle located at said outlet.
In another preferred embodiment said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form to a gas turbine engine;
Figure 2a is a perspective view of a section of the pipe of the apparatus of Figure 1;
Figure 2b is a perspective cut away view of a vibrating device of the apparatus of Figure 2a;
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the charging device of the apparatus of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of the charging device of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the pipework of the apparatus of Figure 1; and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the outlet nozzle manifold of the apparatus of Figure 1.
Referring to Figure 1, an apparatus 10 for delivering a liquid in droplet form has a liquid carrying means in the form of main supply pipe 12, flexible hoses 14 and outlet manifolds 16 which have outlets in the form of nozzles 18. The apparatus 12 has vibration applying means in the form of sonic unit 20 which applies vibration, in the form of sound waves, to the liquid in pipe 12. The apparatus 10 also has charging means, in the form of an electrical charging unit 22 which applies an electrical charge to the liquid in pipe 12. The apparatus 10, and in particular the nozzles 18 and outlet manifolds 16, are located adjacent an air inlet or turbine bellmouth 24 of a gas turbine engine. The bellmouth 24 is located within a plenum 26 of the gas turbine engine.
Referring to Figures 2a and 2b, the sonic unit contains one or more sonic horns 28 which apply sound waves into pipe 20, and therefore into the liquid contained therein. To ensure efficient transfer of the sound waves to the liquid the sonic unit is welded to the pipe by welds 30.
Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the charging unit 22 includes a charging grid 32 having openings 34 and dividers 36. As the liquid passes through openings 34, formed by dividers 36 apply the either positive or negative electrical charge to the liquid passing through pipe 12. The charging grid 32 is sealed and electrically isolated between pipe manifolds 38 by seals 40. The charging grid 32 is connected to an electrical supply by cable 42. In use, a liquid, typically demineralised water, is pumped along pipe 12 at a pressure of 35 - 250 bar by a pump (not shown) . The water can be heated and is typically within the temperature range of 0 0C to 300 0C. The sonic unit 20 applies acoustic pulses having a frequency between 80 KHz and 40 MHz. This is preferably applied in half second pulses of different frequency, one frequency being between 80 KHz and 40 MHz and the other between 80 KHz and 120 MHz. The water then passes through the charging unit 22 and a charge of between 15 milliamps and 30 amps is applied to the water by charging grid 32. It should be noted that the charging and sonic units can be swapped so that the charge is applied to the water before the vibrations.
The application of this vibrational energy causes the water to split into water droplets which continue to split to a size of a few microns and in the case of superheated water (above 100 0C) to droplet sizes below 1 micron. The water in droplet form continues to pass along the short distance along pipe 12, through flexible hoses 14, along outlet manifold 16, to outlet nozzles 18 in the form of closely spaced droplets. These droplets pass through nozzles 18 becoming separate from each other in the atmosphere. Because the droplets all have the same charge, that is they are either all positively or all negatively charged, they repel each other and are less likely to conglomerate together into larger droplets.
The volume of water passing through nozzles 18 and into turbine bellmouth 24 is controlled by a control valve (not shown) in pipe 12. The control valve is operated via an operating panel which also controls the acoustic energy and charge applied to the water (also not shown) . The volume of water passing through the nozzles is at a rate so as to increase the mass air flow by between 1% and 4%.
By increasing the mass air flow by between 1% and 4%, this gives a power increase of between 10% and 30% and reduces the NOK erαission by up to 40% since the compressor can work more efficiently therefore reducing its parasitic load on the gas turbine. The power increase of between 10% and 30% and NOx emission reduction of 40% can be achieved at the same time. Because the pressure discharge temperature is reduced by approximately 100C the life of the turbine is also extended by approximately 40%.
In order to obtain maximum efficiency from the gas turbine, it is advantageous for the air entering the inlet is at a uniform temperature. This is achieved by controlling, or tuning, the amount of water droplets being directed to any portion of the turbine bellmouth. In a turbine which does not include the droplet forming apparatus, the temperature of the air entering the turbine bellmouth will vary due to varying speeds of air passing into the turbine bellmouth. These temperatures can be made uniform by varying the volume of water droplets passing into each section of the turbine bellmouth. A signature for the velocities of air passing into the bellmouth can be obtained using velocity predicting software which produces an image in which the colours vary dependent upon the velocity of the air and also highlights dead spots. The nozzles can then be tuned to introduce more water into the faster moving sections which will have the effect of balancing these sections by applying a uniform wall of water into the turbine bellmouth.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the droplet delivery apparatus may be used in conjunction with other engines. For example, the same benefit can be obtained by- cooling the air entering a turbo charger of a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine. Similarly, a jet engine, such as an aero-engine can benefit from the addition of a water droplets to cool the intake air. This method and apparatus could be used to reduce the droplet size in paint spraying to produce an even finer finish. The finer spray could also provide advantages if used in conjunction with heat exchangers, air-conditioning and refrigeration units and in centrifugal compressors.
As an alternative to introducing the charging unit 22, the pipe 12, hoses 14, manifolds 16 or nozzles 18 could equally be charged and thereby apply the charge to the liquid. Furthermore, both the charge and vibrational energy could be applied to the droplets once they have exited through nozzles 18. In addition to or as an alternative, the charging and sonic units could be located on the manifolds 16 and even attached to nozzles 18. As a further alternative the vibrational energy can be applied to the liquid in the form of in any way which will cause the water molecules to vibrate at a frequency suitable to cause the water droplets to split into smaller droplets. For example this can be by the application of magnetic pulses. The charge can also be a magnetic charge and can be applied at the same time as, or separately from, applying magnetic pulses. The hoses 14 can be rigid or flexible.

Claims

Claims
1. An apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form, the apparatus comprising: -
carrying means for carrying a liquid and having at least one outlet; and
vibration applying means for applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one said outlet comprises a respective nozzle.
4. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said vibration is applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
7. An apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .
8. An engine comprising:- an engine; and
an apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims located so as to deliver droplets of said liquid into said engine.
9. A method of delivering liquid in droplet form, comprising the steps of:-
carrying a liquid in carrying means to at least one outlet; and
applying vibrations to at least one said liquid.
10. A method according to claim 9 further comprising charging at least some of said liquid.
11. A method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein at least some of said liquid is expelled from said carrying means via at least one nozzle.
12. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein said vibration is applied to said liquid in said carrying means.
13. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein said vibration is applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
14. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein said charge is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means .
15. A method of delivering liquid in droplet form substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .
16. An apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form, the apparatus comprising:- carrying means for carrying a liquid, said carrying means having at least one outlet adapted to deliver said liquid to at least one engine; and
charging means for applying an electrical charge to at least some of said liquid, wherein at least some of said liquid forms droplets on exiting at least one said outlet.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising vibration applying means for applying vibrations to at least some of said liquid.
18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said vibration applying means applies vibration to said liquid in said carrying means prior to exiting at least one outlet.
19. An apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein said vibration has at least one frequency between 40KHz and 120MHz.
20. An apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 19, further comprising at least one nozzle located at said outlet for forming said droplets.
21. An apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means .
22. An engine comprising: -
an engine; and
an apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 21 located so as to deliver droplets of said liquid into said engine.
23. A method of delivering liquid in droplet form, comprising the steps of:- carrying a liquid in carrying means to at least one outlet adapted to deliver said liquid to at least one engine;
applying an electrical charge to at least one said liquid; and
forming said liquid into droplets .
24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said droplets are formed by applying vibration to at least some of said liquid.
25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said vibration is applied to at least some of said liquid in said carrying means.
26. A method according to claims 24 or 25, wherein said vibration is applied at at least one frequency between 40KHz and
120MHz.
27. A method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein said droplets are formed by at least one nozzle located at said outlet.
28. A method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein said charge is applied to said liquid in said carrying means.
PCT/GB2007/000085 2006-01-19 2007-01-15 Method and apparatus for delivering liquid in droplet form WO2007083088A1 (en)

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