Reduced pollution combustion chamber having an annular fuel injector

Abstract

An annular combustion chamber is disclosed for use in a gas turbine engine, the combustion chamber having an axis of symmetry, an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall, and a forward end extending between the inner and outer wall to form boundaries for the combustion chamber. The forward end of the combustion chamber has an inner ring member extending about the axis of symmetry and an outer ring member extending about the axis of symmetry and radially spaced from the inner ring member, the inner and outer ring members forming inner and outer boundaries of an annular chamber that diverges in a rearward direction. The inner and outer ring members are interconnected by a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart spacers so as to form a plurality of arcuate openings between adjacent spacers. A plurality of fuel injector assemblies are associated with the forward end of the combustion chamber, each fuel injector assembly comprising an arcuate injection manifold located in an arcuate member, in turn, located in one of the plurality of arcuate openings so as to divide the arcuate opening into an inner annular space and an outer annular space, the injection manifold having an inner array of injection orifices to inject fuel into the inner annular space, and an outer array of injection orifices to inject fuel into the outer annular space. The inner and outer ring members have a plurality of air swirlers located forwardly of the fuel injection orifices to direct air flows into the inner and outer annular spaces in counter-rotation directions around the axis of symmetry. The injection orifices are oriented so as to direct fuel into the inner and outer annular spaces generally in the same direction as the air flow in the respective annular space.