Flow conditioner in a combustor of a gas turbine engine

1. A combustor in a gas turbine comprising:

a liner having an interior volume defining a main combustion zone;

a fuel injection system for delivering fuel into the main combustion zone;

a flow sleeve located radially outwardly from the liner and defining, with the liner, a passageway for air to flow on its way to be mixed with fuel from the fuel injection system, wherein the mixture is burned in the main combustion zone to create hot combustion gases;

a transition assembly comprising a transition duct located downstream from the liner with respect to a flow direction of the hot combustion gases out of the combustor toward a turbine section of the engine, the flow direction of the hot combustion gases defining an axial direction; and

a flow conditioner affixed to at least one of the liner and the transition assembly and extending to within close proximity of the flow sleeve but not coupled to the flow sleeve, the flow conditioner comprising at least one panel having a configuration such that air is able to pass through the at least one panel on its way to the passageway, wherein at least a substantial portion of the air that enters the passageway for being burned in the main combustion zone passes through the at least one panel wherein: the flow conditioner further comprises a frame; and the at least one panel comprises a plurality of panels secured to the frame wherein the panels are removably secured to the frame such that the panels are capable of being removed and replaced without detaching the frame from a transition ring, wherein each panel can be selected with a desired air permeability such that an amount of air permitted to flow through each respective panel can be controlled.

2. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein: the transition assembly further comprises an annular transition ring coupled to the transition duct; and the flow conditioner comprises an annular member that is affixed to the transition ring.

3. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein the flow conditioner further comprises a flange that radially overlaps the flow sleeve and is in close proximity to the flow sleeve but is not coupled to the flow sleeve such that the flange creates a seal with the flow sleeve to substantially prevent leakage therebetween.

4. The combustor of claim 3 , wherein substantially all of the air that enters the passageway for being burned in the main combustion zone passes through the at least one panel or leaks between the flange and the flow sleeve.

5. The combustor of claim 1 , wherein: the at least one panel includes a plurality of holes; and the air that enters the passageway though the at least one panel passes through the holes in the at least one panel.

6. The combustor of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of resonator boxes extending radially outwardly from the liner into the passageway, the resonator boxes including apertures that allow air in the passageway to flow into inner volumes within the resonator boxes.

7. The combustor of claim 6 , wherein the liner includes a plurality of apertures that permit air in the inner volumes of the resonator boxes to pass into the interior volume of the liner.

8. The combustor of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of resonator boxes extending radially outwardly from the liner upstream from the flow conditioner and in close proximity to the flow conditioner, the resonator boxes including apertures that allow air to flow into inner volumes within the resonator boxes.

9. A combustor in a gas turbine engine comprising:

a flow sleeve;

a fuel injection system;

flow path structure defining a flow path for hot combustion gases to pass from the combustor into a turbine section of the engine, the flow path structure comprising: a liner having an interior volume defining a main combustion zone and being located radially inwardly from the flow sleeve and defining, with the flow sleeve, a passageway for air to flow on its way to be mixed with fuel from the fuel injection system, wherein the mixture is burned in the main combustion zone to create hot combustion gases; and

a transition assembly comprising a transition duct located downstream from the liner with respect to a flow direction of the hot combustion gases through the flow path, the flow direction of the hot combustion gases defining an axial direction; a flow conditioner affixed to one of the flow path structure and the flow sleeve and extending to within close proximity of but not affixed to the other of the flow path structure and the flow sleeve, the flow conditioner comprising: a frame; and a plurality of panels secured to the frame and having configurations such that air is able to pass through the panels on its way to the passageway, wherein: at least a substantial portion of the air that enters the passageway passes through the panels; and the panels are removably secured to the frame such that the panels are capable of being removed and replaced without detaching the flow conditioner from the one of the flow path structure and the flow sleeve.

10. The combustor of claim 9 , wherein: the transition assembly further comprises an annular transition ring coupled to the transition duct; and the flow conditioner comprises an annular member that is affixed to the transition ring.

11. The combustor of claim 9 , wherein: the flow conditioner further comprises a flange that extends from the frame and radially overlaps and is in close proximity to the flow sleeve but is not coupled to the flow sleeve such that the flange creates a seal with the flow sleeve to substantially prevent leakage therebetween; and substantially all of the air that enters the passageway for being burned in the main combustion zone passes through the panels or leaks between the flange and the flow sleeve.

12. The combustor of claim 9 , wherein: the panels include a plurality of holes; and the air that enters the passageway though the panels passes through the holes in the panels.

13. The combustor of claim 12 , wherein each panel can be selected with a desired hole configuration such that an amount of air permitted to flow through each respective panel can be controlled.

14. The combustor of claim 9 , wherein each panel can be selected with a desired air permeability such that an amount of air permitted to flow through each respective panel can be controlled.

15. The combustor of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of resonator boxes extending radially outwardly from the liner into the passageway, the resonator boxes including apertures that allow air in the passageway to flow into inner volumes within the resonator boxes.

16. The combustor of claim 15 , wherein the liner includes a plurality of apertures that permit air in the inner volumes of the resonator boxes to pass into the interior volume of the liner.

17. The combustor of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of resonator boxes extending radially outwardly from the liner upstream from the flow conditioner and in close proximity to the flow conditioner, the resonator boxes including apertures that allow air to flow into inner volumes within the resonator boxes.