Benefits of 3D Printed Fuel Nozzle

Fuel nozzle is one of the most critical components in combustion chamber. Its function is to make liquid fuel form a good atomized particle group, mix liquid/gas fuel with air efficiently, and produce stable flame in the head of the combustion chamber.

Working process of fuel nozzle

Challenges Faced by Traditional Technology

Due to the existence of holes, fuel pipes, swirling blades and complex internal channels, the nozzle needs to be separated into several parts for processing. In the process of machining and assembly, a number of processes need to be designed to ensure the size, accuracy, roughness and sealing requirements. In addition, the appearance of the multi-stage nozzles further increases the number of fuel/gas channels. The fuel channels change from 1 ~ 2 levels to 2 ~ 4 levels, while the air flow channels change from 2 ~ 3 levels to 3 ~ 6 levels. At the same time, the number of nozzle components will increase from 5~10 to more than 20 pieces. Due to the increase of structural complexity, the assembly and welding of parts will encounter great difficulties, so it is necessary to optimize the structural design to avoid the assembly and leakage problems.

Advantages of 3D Printing Technology

The application of additive manufacturing technology to fuel nozzles will greatly promote the development of nozzle research. The advantages of its application in nozzle development are shown in the following aspects.

1. Reduce the number of processing and assembly procedures. As additive manufacturing technology is a one-time processing technology, we only need to provide the 3D model of nozzle that meets the design requirements.

2. A variety of complex structure design have been realized. For multi-stage swirling structure which is difficult to be completed by traditional processing methods, additive manufacturing technology can be achieved through 3D model.

3. Ensure the sealing requirements. Since there is no welding process, the sealing of the fuel and air flow channels can be better guaranteed.

4. High dimensional accuracy. The maximum accuracy of additive manufacturing technology is in the order of micron, which can fully meet the requirements of nozzle processing limits in the order of millimeters.

5. The production cycle is short. Due to the reduction of additive manufacturing process, the additive rather than subtractive method is bound to shorten the processing time of the traditional machining method.

When using the process loop of intelligent design, additive manufacturing, the development iterations of a product can be dramatically reduced. This case study will help us to develop further amazing 3D-Products for you. Feel free to contact us for more information!