Wingtip vortex flame stabilizer for gas turbine combustor flame holder

摘要

A flameholder arrangement for a gas turbine combustor or the like includes a primary flameholder such as an elongated V-gutter extending across a main flow stream of gaseous components within the combustor. Vortices are shed by the trailing edges of the primary V- gutter flameholder and circulate in essentially two-dimension flow fields in planes normal to the elongated V-gutter to produce a downstream wake. In addition, a plurality of winglets are carried by the primary flameholder and are configured so as to shed vortices rotating about axes generally parallel to the main flow stream. More particularly, the winglets are carried by the outer surfaces of the V-gutter elongated walls, and lie in planes normal to the V-gutter walls and angled with respect to the flow stream. The resultant flow in the wake downstream of the V-gutter is three-dimensional for enhanced mixing of the gaseous components. In particular, vigorous mixing is promoted as fresh mixture is brought from the surroundings into the recirculation zone for more uniform burning. The wingtip vortex stabilizer of the invention may be employed in a variety of specific applications where flame stabilization is required. One particular application disclosed herein is in the lean stage of a rich/lean two-stage combustor.