Mixer assembly for combustor of a gas turbine engine having a plurality of counter-rotating swirlers

摘要

A mixer assembly for use in a combustor of a gas turbine engine, including a pilot mixer, a main mixer, and a fuel manifold positioned between the pilot mixer and the main mixer. The pilot mixer further includes an annular pilot housing having a hollow interior and a pilot fuel nozzle mounted in the pilot housing and adapted for dispensing droplets of fuel to the hollow interior of the pilot housing. The main mixer further includes a main housing surrounding the pilot housing and defining an annular cavity, a plurality of fuel injection ports for introducing fuel into the cavity, and a swirler arrangement including at least three swirlers positioned upstream from the plurality of fuel injection ports, wherein each swirler of the swirler arrangement has a plurality of vanes for swirling air traveling through the respective swirler to mix air and the droplets of fuel dispensed by the fuel injection ports. The swirlers are oriented substantially radially to a centerline axis through the mixer assembly or at an acute angle to the centerline axis through the mixer assembly. Alternatively, at least two swirlers are included substantially parallel to the centerline axis through the mixer assembly along with one or more radial or conical swirlers. In another alternative, the swirler arrangement includes a first swirler oriented substantially parallel to a centerline axis through the mixer assembly, a second swirler oriented at an acute angle to the centerline axis through the mixer assembly, and a third swirler oriented substantially radially to the centerline axis through the mixer assembly.