Swirl-pintle injector for oxy-coal combustor

Abstract

A swirl pintle coal slurry injector including a main body including at least one gas inlet; a pintle coupled to the main body, wherein the pintle comprises at least one coal slurry inlet and at least one slurry outlet, wherein the pintle defines a pintle axis; and a swirler coupled to the main body, wherein the swirler imparts to a gas from the at least one gas inlet of the main body a circular motion around the pintle axis, wherein the swirler surrounds the pintle axis and comprises a swirler number of approximately 1.2. The pintle can include a plurality of orifices of approximately 5 mm diameter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a main body comprising at least one gas inlet;   a pintle coupled to the main body, wherein the pintle comprises at least one slurry inlet and at least one slurry outlet, wherein the pintle defines a pintle axis; and   a swirler coupled to the main body, wherein the swirler imparts to a gas from the at least one gas inlet of the main body a circular motion around the pintle axis.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the swirler surrounds the pintle axis. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the pintle comprises
 a pintle post that includes the at least one slurry intake and   an injector tip connected to the pintle post, wherein the injector tip includes the at least one slurry outlet.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the swirler surrounds the post of the pintle. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a distribution plate connected between the main body and the swirler, wherein the distribution plate comprises a plurality of distribution orifices. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a closing plate connected between the swirler and the distribution plate. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the swirler includes a plurality of vanes that impart to the gas from the at least one gas inlet of the main body the circular motion around the pintle axis. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of vanes define an air-foil shape. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of vanes is configured at a flow turning angle φ and wherein the swirler defines a swirl number S of from approximately 0.7 to approximately 1.4 according to S=⅔ tan φ. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the swirler defines a swirl number S of from approximately 0.9 to approximately 1.2. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a hub coupled between the swirler and the main body. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising a drive connected to the swirler to rotate the swirler around the pintle axis. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the main body comprises a mounting flange. 
     
     
         14 . A method of operating a pintle injector, comprising:
 providing a slurry from a pintle of the pintle injector, wherein the pintle defines a pintle axis, wherein the slurry comprises a combustible phase and a liquid phase;   providing an oxidizer gas to a main body of the pintle injector; then   conveying the oxidizer gas through a swirler of the pintle injector to impart to the oxidizer gas a circular motion around the pintle axis, wherein the swirler surrounds the pintle axis; and then reacting the slurry from the pintle with the oxidizer gas.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising conveying the oxidizer gas through a distribution plate before conveying the oxidizer gas through the swirler. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the oxidizer gas comprises preheated air. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising rotating the swirler relative to the main body of the pintle injector. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the swirler increases reduces a deviation from theoretical with regard to total momentum ratio compared to a control pintle injector without the swirler. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the swirler reduces a jet breakup length compared to a control pintle injector without the swirler. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the swirler reduces a mean equivalent diameter compared to a control pintle injector without the swirler. 
     
     
         21 . A pintle injector, comprising:
 a main body comprising at least one gas inlet;   a pintle coupled to the main body, wherein the pintle comprises at least one coal slurry inlet and at least one slurry outlet, wherein the pintle defines a pintle axis; and   a swirler coupled to the main body, wherein the swirler imparts to a gas from the at least one gas inlet of the main body a circular motion around the pintle axis, wherein the swirler surrounds the pintle axis and comprises a plurality of vanes, wherein each of the plurality of vanes is configured at a flow turning angle φ and wherein the swirler defines a swirl number S of approximately 1.2 according to S=⅔ tan φ.   
     
     
         22 . The pintle injector of  claim 21 , wherein the pintle comprises a plurality of orifices of approximately 5 mm diameter. 
     
     
         23 . A method of operating a pintle injector, comprising:
 providing a coal slurry from a pintle of the pintle injector, wherein the pintle defines a pintle axis, wherein the coal slurry comprises a combustible phase and a liquid phase;   providing oxygen to a main body of the pintle injector; then   conveying the oxygen through a swirler of the pintle injector to impart to the oxygen a circular motion around the pintle axis, wherein the swirler surrounds the pintle axis and comprises a plurality of vanes, wherein each of the plurality of vanes is configured at a flow turning angle φ and wherein the swirler defines a swirl number S of approximately 1.2 according to S=⅔ tan φ; and then   reacting the coal slurry from the pintle with the oxygen.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the pintle comprises a plurality of orifices of approximately 5 mm diameter.