United Technologies Corporation

James H Shadowen

Thomas L DuBell

Jim A Clark

George D Lewis

Kurt J Hanloser

William J Egan, Jr

Barton R Field

An annular combustor for a gas turbine engine is constructed to include a sector that has a reduced airflow distribution than the remainder of the circumference by supplying a reduced airflow in a judiciously located portion of the fuel nozzles and the single stage of radially ingested combustion airflow. This single stage circumferential zoned annular combustor serves to accommodate higher fuel/air ratios.

Combustor

An annular combustor for a gas turbine engine includes a sector in the primary combustion zone that operates at a reduced level of airflow than the remaining portion of the combustor by providing fixed air openings in the dome or fuel nozzles and in the combustion air admission holes. This allows the combustor to operate at higher fuel/air ratios with a minimum of complexity in the hardware.

The fuel nozzles in the combustor of a gas turbine engine are concentrically disposed in two tiers about the circumference of the dome and are arranged in a triangular pattern with the air swirl orientation providing an increased intensity of combustion so as to enable a reduction in combustor size and weight while increasing temperature rise and the overall thrust-to-weight ratio of the engine.

Combustor fuel nozzle arrangement

The diffuser for delivering compressor discharge air to the combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a prediffuser mounted ahead of a dump diffuser which includes step changes in the flow path at its inlet and adjacent the cowl of the combustor in the passageway of the dump diffuser for providing at least two sudden expansions of the diffuser flow.

Stepped diffuser

A thrust augmentor for a turbofan, gas turbine engine is disclosed. Techniques for mixing and burning dissimilar density gases in a thrust augmentor are developed. In accordance with one specific teaching the flame front in a swirl augmentor is stabilized by a continuously operative pilot burner. The pilot burner is positioned in the radially outward portion of the augmentor. The pilot burner employs fuel premixing techniques and is adapted to operate at low inlet pressure levels.

Thrust augmentor

A thrust augmentor for a turbofan, gas turbine engine is disclosed. Techniques for mixing and burning dissimilar density gases in a thrust augmentor are developed. In accordance with one specific teaching the flame front in a swirl augmentor is stabilized by a continuously operative pilot burner. The pilot burner is positioned in the radially outward portion of the augmentor.

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Riviera Beach, FL, United States of America

James H Shadowen