US Patent 11143406 Fuel injectors having air sealing structures

A fuel injector for a turbomachine includes an outer heat shield configured to sit on and/or within a combustor dome to orient the fuel injector relative to the combustor dome and/or a fuel manifold. An inner surface of the outer heat shield includes an outer heat shield seal surface. The injector also includes a fuel prefilmer seated at least partially within the outer heat shield. An outer surface of the fuel prefilmer includes a prefilmer seal surface configured to mate with the outer heat shield seal surface such that the fuel prefilmer seats on the outer heat shield seal surface and such that the prefilmer seal surface is configured to allow the surfaces to slide relative to one another in both a radial and axial direction.