Fuel injector with increased feed area

Abstract

Provided is a nozzle tip assembly having at least one tube member housed within a tubular shell, the tube member having a first passage connecting the first outlet port to the first inlet port and a second passage connecting the second outlet port to the second inlet port. The configuration of the tube member allows the tubular shell to be sized such that separation of fluid flowing around the tubular shell is reduced, thereby reducing the amount of aerodynamic wake that occurs in an injector.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A nozzle tip assembly for a fluid injector, comprising:
 a supply connector having first and second supply passages and first and second outlet ports to which the first and second supply passages are respectively connected;   a nozzle assembly having first and second nozzle flow passages extending respectively from first and second inlet ports to respective nozzle outlets and a feed arm having an outer tubular shell connecting the nozzle assembly to the supply connector; and   at least one tube member housed within the tubular shell and spaced apart from the shell, the at least one tube member having a first passage connecting the first outlet port to the first inlet port and a second passage connecting the second outlet port to the second inlet port.   
     
     
         2 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one tube member includes first and second tubes adjacent to one another, the first tube connecting the first outlet port to the first inlet port and the second tube connecting the second outlet port to the second inlet port. 
     
     
         3 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 2 , wherein the first and second tubes are axially spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
         4 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 2 , wherein the first and second tubes are parallel to one another. 
     
     
         5 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 2 , wherein the first and second tubes each have first and second end portions and an intermediate portion extending between the first and second end portions, each of the end portions having a wall thickness greater than a wall thickness of the respective intermediate portion. 
     
     
         6 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein each end portion has a radially outwardly opening groove for receiving connecting material to couple the first and second tubes to the supply connector and nozzle assembly. 
     
     
         7 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 6 , wherein the connecting material is a brazing compound. 
     
     
         8 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the feed arm has an oblong cross-section with rounded upstream and downstream ends. 
     
     
         9 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the feed arm has a length from the upstream end to the downstream end that is greater than a width of the feed arm. 
     
     
         10 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the supply connector is unitary with the feed arm. 
     
     
         11 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , further comprising an adaptor interposed between the nozzle assembly and a housing of the injector, the adaptor having an annular wall and an opening extending through the annular wall, wherein the feed arm extends through the opening. 
     
     
         12 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 11 , wherein the adaptor has a recessed groove surrounding the opening for receiving connecting material to couple the adaptor to the feed arm. 
     
     
         13 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the nozzle assembly has an upstream end and a downstream end, and wherein the upstream end of the nozzle assembly is curved. 
     
     
         14 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the upstream end of the nozzle assembly has a curvature transitioning to a reverse curvature on the feed arm. 
     
     
         15 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1 , further comprising an air swirler at least partially surrounding the nozzle assembly, wherein the nozzle assembly is configured to disperse fluid received from the at least one tube member to the air swirler to be mixed with air flowing through the injector. 
     
     
         16 . A fluid injector including a housing in which the nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 1  is assembled. 
     
     
         17 . A nozzle tip assembly for a fluid injector, comprising:
 a nozzle assembly having at least one nozzle flow passage extending from an inlet port to a nozzle outlet and a feed arm having an outer tubular shell connecting the nozzle assembly to an adaptor; and   at least one tube member housed within the tubular shell and spaced apart from the shell, the at least one tube member including first and second end portions, an intermediate portion extending between the first and second end portions, and at least one passage fluidly connecting the nozzle flow passage to a fluid delivery device;   wherein each end portion has a wall thickness greater than a wall thickness of the intermediate portion.   
     
     
         18 . The nozzle tip assembly according to  claim 17 , wherein each end portion has a radially outwardly opening groove for receiving connecting material to couple the first end portion to a supply connector and the second end portion to the nozzle assembly. 
     
     
         19 . A nozzle assembly for a fluid injector, comprising:
 a body having an upstream end and a downstream end and a length extending from the upstream end to the downstream end;   a feed arm extending from the body, the feed arm having an exterior surface and a width perpendicular to the length of the body; and   at least one radially outwardly projecting fin extending from the body downstream of the feed arm;   wherein an upstream end of the fin is spaced along the length of the body from a downstream end of the exterior surface of the feed arm a distance d that is at least four tenths a width of the feed arm.   
     
     
         20 . The nozzle assembly according to  claim 19 , wherein the distance d is at least forty-four hundredths the width of the feed arm.