Flashback-resistant fuel injector for gas turbines
This technology is a specialized fuel injector designed for gas turbine engines that premixes natural gas and air before combustion. It uses high-velocity mixing and precisely sized 'choked' fuel ports to prevent dangerous flame flashback—where combustion travels backward into the injector—and to isolate the fuel supply from pressure instabilities in the combustor. Internal passages use the incoming fuel itself to cool the device, reducing the need for external cooling systems. The result is a more stable, efficient, and safer lean-burn combustion system that produces lower NOx emissions.
What you could build
A drop-in or retrofit premixing injector module for industrial or aero-derivative gas turbines, sold to turbine OEMs or power plant operators seeking lower emissions and improved combustion stability without major system redesigns.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia has significant natural gas power generation infrastructure and proximity to defense contractors and Navy propulsion programs that use gas turbines, making turbine component suppliers and Dominion Energy-adjacent operators plausible contacts.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Joseph HOMITZ, David M. SYKES, Walter F. O'BRIEN, Uri VANDSBURGER, Steve LePERA
- Granted
- January 18, 2011
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 7870736
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.