3D non-axisymmetric combustor liner

1. A combustor liner with an input end and an output end, the liner comprising:

an annular inner wall; and

an annular outer wall;

wherein at least one of the inner wall and outer wall is three-dimensionally contoured, and the contoured wall is contoured around the circumference and contoured axially substantially through a length of the combustion chamber from input to output, and together the inner wall and outer wall form a combustion chamber with the contours creating alternating expanding and constricting regions inside the chamber causing combustion gases to flow in the circumferential and axial directions;

a first set of the expansion regions circumferentially alternating with a first set of the constricting regions, the first set of the expansion regions and the first set of the constricting regions forming a first zone located at the input end;

a second set of the expansion regions circumferentially alternating with a second set of the constricting regions, the second set of the expansion regions and the second set of the constricting regions forming a second zone located axially downstream from the first zone, the second set of the expansion regions circumferentially offset with the first set of the expansion regions and the second set of the constricting regions circumferentially offset with the first set of the constricting regions.

2. The combustor liner of claim 1 , wherein both the inner wall and outer wall are three-dimensionally contoured to form alternating expanding and constricting regions inside the chamber.

3. The combustor liner of claim 1 , wherein both the inner wall and outer wall are contoured around the circumference and contoured axially through a length of the combustion chamber from input to output.

4. The combustor liner of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional contours promote localized mixing of gasses flowing from the input to the output of the combustion chamber.

5. The combustor liner of claim 1 , wherein the combustion chamber has a variation in volume along an axial length of the combustion chamber from input to output.

6. The combustor liner of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the inner wall and the outer wall in a region of constriction is about ⅓ to about ⅗ of a distance from the inner wall to the outer wall in a region of expansion.

7. The combustor liner of claim 6 , wherein the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall at or near the input end is greater than the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall at or near the output end.

8. A combustor to receive air and fuel at an input end, mix the air and fuel axially through the length of the combustor and distribute the mixture to a turbine at an output end, the combustor comprising:

a combustor liner with an annular inner wall and an annular outer wall forming a combustion chamber, with at least one of the walls having three-dimensional contours in a wavelike pattern located circumferentially around the wall and axially substantially through a length of the liner wall from input to output;

a plurality of nozzles in an annular shape to distribute the fuel and air into the combustion chamber at the input end of the combustor;

a first set of alternating regions of expansion formed at circumferential locations of the plurality of nozzles by the three-dimensional contours of the at least one of the walls;

a second set of alternating regions of constriction formed at circumferential locations between the nozzles by the three-dimensional contours of the at least one of the walls;

a third set of alternating regions of constriction formed by the three-dimensional contours of the at least one of the walls, the third set of alternating regions of constriction located axially downstream from and substantially circumferentially aligned with the first set of alternating regions; and

a fourth set of alternating regions of expansion formed at circumferential locations between the third set of alternating regions of constriction by the three-dimensional contours of the at least one of the walls, the fourth set of alternating regions of expansion located axially downstream from and substantially circumferentially aligned with the second set of alternating regions, the alternating expanding and constricting regions inside the chamber causing combustion gases to flow in the circumferential and axial directions.

9. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein the inner wall and outer wall of the combustor liner have three-dimensional contours creating alternating expanding and constricting regions inside the chamber.

10. The combustor of claim 9 , wherein the three-dimensional contours are in a wavelike pattern on the inner and outer walls and are located circumferentially around the walls and axially through a length of the liner walls from input to output.

11. The combustor of claim 10 , wherein at the input of the combustor, the contours around the circumference of the liner inner wall and outer wall form regions of constriction at locations between the nozzles, the contours around the circumference of liner inner wall and outer wall form regions of expansion at the nozzles, such that a distance between the liner inner wall and outer wall at regions of constriction is about ⅓ to about ⅗ of a distance from the liner inner wall to the liner outer wall at regions of expansion.

12. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein the three-dimensional contours are designed to promote localized mixing of the air and fuel in the combustor.

13. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein at the output end of the combustor, the mixing has created a generally uniform distribution of temperature and pressure in the mixture.

14. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein a distance between the annular inner wall and the annular outer wall is largest in regions of expansion at the input end of the combustor and continually decreases in regions of expansion moving axially through the length of the combustor toward the output end of the combustor.

15. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein the combustion chamber has a variation in volume axially through a length of the combustion chamber from the input to the output.

16. The combustor of claim 8 , wherein a distance between the inner wall and the outer wall in a region of constriction is about ⅓ to about ⅗ of a distance from the inner wall to the outer wall in a region of expansion.

17. The combustor of claim 16 , wherein the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall at or near the input end is greater than the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall at or near the output end.

18. A method comprising:

injecting fuel and air into an annular combustion chamber between inner and outer liner walls of the combustion chamber at an input end;

creating localized mixing of the fuel and air in the combustion chamber with three-dimensional contours on at least one of the inner and outer liner walls around the circumference and axially through the length of the combustion chamber;

providing a first set of expansion regions circumferentially alternating with a first set of constricting regions by three-dimensional contouring at least one of the inner and the outer walls, the first set of expansion regions and the first set of constricting regions forming a first zone located at the input end;

providing a second set of expansion regions circumferentially alternating with a second set of constricting regions by three-dimensional contouring at least one of the inner and the outer walls, the second set of expansion regions and the second set of constricting regions forming a second zone located axially downstream from the first zone; and

creating alternating regions of expansion and constriction within the combustion chamber, by circumferentially offsetting the second set of expansion regions with the first set of expansion regions and circumferentially offsetting the second set of constricting regions with the first set of constricting regions.