Low emissions combustor assembly for gas turbine engine

1. A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising:

a combustion chamber; and

a fuel injector assembly in communication with the combustion chamber, the fuel injector assembly comprising:

a nozzle including a nozzle body, a primary fuel injector along a nozzle longitudinal axis, and an array of secondary plain jet fuel injectors axially forward of the primary fuel injector relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis; and

a swirler body situated about the nozzle to define an injector passage that converges to a throat, the throat defined at a distance from the combustion chamber relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis;

wherein the nozzle body extends along the nozzle longitudinal axis between a first end portion and a second end portion, a periphery of nozzle body along the second end portion is established by an annular wall that tapers inwardly to a terminal end of the nozzle body, and the nozzle longitudinal axis extends through a primary outlet of the primary fuel injector along the second end portion;

wherein the injector passage includes a first passage section merging into a second passage section, the first passage section is an inward sloping annulus defined between the swirler body and the nozzle, the second passage section interconnects the first passage section and the combustion chamber, and the second passage section defines the throat;

wherein the periphery of the second end portion defines a radially inner wall of the first passage section, and the radially inner wall opposes a radially outer wall of the first passage section established by the swirler body;

wherein outlets of the secondary plain jet fuel injectors are circumferentially distributed about the annular wall along the first passage section such that the outlets are spaced apart from the terminal end of the nozzle body relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and each of the secondary plain jet fuel injectors defines a second fuel injector axis extending through the respective outlet such that a projection of the second fuel injector axis intersects the radially outer wall of the injector passage along the first passage section; and

wherein the radially inner wall tapers into an axial face that establishes the terminal end of the nozzle body, and the primary outlet of the primary fuel injector is established along the axial face.

2. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

a control that meters flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and flow of fuel to the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors in a first mode, and meters flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and to the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors in a second, different mode such that a rate of the flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors differs from the first mode.

3. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the primary fuel injector is arranged to generate a non-premixed fuel stream, and the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors are arranged to generate a substantially premixed fuel stream.

4. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the injector passage defines a first passage area with respect to a first reference plane that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal injector axis and intersects the outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors, the injector passage defines a second passage area with respect to a second reference plane along the throat that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first passage area to the second passage area being 1.2 to 1.5.

5. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 4 , wherein the injector passage diverges aft of the throat with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis.

6. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors and the throat define a first distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, the outlet of the primary fuel injector and the throat defines a second distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first distance to the second distance being between 2.0 to 4.0.

7. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a fan section including a plurality of fan blades rotatable about an engine axis;

a compressor section in fluid communication with the fan section;

a turbine section driving the fan section; and

a combustor section in fluid communication with the compressor section and the turbine section, the combustor section comprising:

a combustion chamber extending from a bulkhead;

a fuel injector assembly along the bulkhead, the fuel injector assembly including a nozzle and a swirler body, the nozzle including a nozzle body extending along a nozzle longitudinal axis between a first end portion and a second end portion, the nozzle including a primary fuel injector along the nozzle longitudinal axis and an array of secondary plain-jet fuel injectors arranged about a periphery of the nozzle body, the nozzle longitudinal axis extending through a primary outlet of the primary fuel injector along the second end portion, and the swirler body situated about the nozzle body to define an injector passage that converges to a throat such that flow through the injector passage accelerates towards the throat;

wherein the injector passage includes a first passage section merging into a second passage section, the first passage section defined between the swirler body and the nozzle, the second passage section defining the throat, a radially outer wall of the first passage section slopes toward the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a radially inner wall of the first passage section along the nozzle body slopes toward the nozzle longitudinal axis;

wherein outlets of the secondary plain jet fuel injectors are circumferentially distributed about a periphery of the nozzle body along the radially inner wall of the first passage section such that the outlets are spaced apart from a terminal end of the nozzle body relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and each secondary plain jet defines a second fuel injector axis extending through the respective outlet such that a projection of the second fuel injector axis intersects the radially outer wall of the injector passage along the first passage section; and

wherein the radially inner wall tapers into an axial face that establishes the terminal end of the nozzle body, and the primary outlet of the primary fuel injector is established along the axial face.

8. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 7 , wherein the throat is defined at a position axially forward of the combustion chamber relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis.

9. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first passage section being an annulus defined between the swirler body and the nozzle body, the first passage section extending from an array of vanes that provide airflow to the first passage section, and the second passage section defining the throat at a position axially aft of the primary fuel injector relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis.

10. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 7 , further comprising:

a controller that meters flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and flow of fuel to the array of secondary plain-jet fuel injector in a first operating condition of the engine, and meters flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and to the array of secondary plain-jet fuel injectors in a second, different operating condition of the engine such that a rate of the flow of fuel to the primary fuel injector and the array of secondary plain-jet fuel injectors differs from the first operating condition.

11. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:

a main fuel injector radially disposed about the combustion chamber at a location axially aft of the bulkhead relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis;

wherein the controller permits flow to the main fuel injector in the second operating condition but not the first operating condition; and

wherein the first operating condition is a low power operating condition of the engine, and the second operating condition is a relatively higher power operating condition of the engine.

12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 10 , wherein the throat is defined at a position axially forward of the combustion chamber relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis, the first passage section is an annulus defined between the swirler body and the nozzle body, and the second passage section defines the throat at a position axially aft of the primary fuel injector relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis.

13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 12 , further comprising:

a main fuel injector radially disposed about the combustion chamber at a location axially aft of the bulkhead relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis;

wherein the controller permits flow to the main fuel injector in the second operating condition but not the first operating condition; and

wherein the first operating condition is a low power operating condition of the engine, and the second operating condition is a relatively higher power operating condition of the engine.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13 , wherein the injector passage defines a first passage area with respect to a first reference plane that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal axis and intersects the outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors, the injector passage defines a second passage area with respect to a second reference plane along the throat that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first passage area to the second passage area being 1.2 to 1.5.

15. The combustor assembly as recited in claim 14 , wherein the outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors and the throat define a first distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, the outlet of the primary fuel injector and the throat defines a second distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first distance to the second distance being between 2.0 to 4.0.

16. A method of operating a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising:

accelerating airflow in an injector passage from a first passage section of the injector passage toward a throat defined by a second passage section of the first passage section;

injecting fuel into the first passage section by a primary outlet of a primary fuel injector and fuel into the second passage section by secondary outlets of an array of secondary plain jet fuel injectors to establish a single non-premixed flame during a first, different mode; and

injecting fuel into the first passage section to establish a non-premixed flame and fuel into the second passage section to establish a premixed flame during a second mode;

wherein a swirler body is situated about a nozzle to define the injector passage, the nozzle includes a nozzle body extending along a nozzle longitudinal axis between a first end portion and a second end portion, and the second end portion includes a periphery established by an annular wall that tapers inwardly to a terminal end of the nozzle body;

wherein the secondary outlets are circumferentially distributed about the annular wall along the first passage section such that the secondary outlets are spaced apart from the terminal end of the nozzle body relative to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and each of the secondary plain jet fuel injectors defines a second fuel injector axis extending through the respective secondary outlet such that a projection of the second fuel injector axis intersects a radially outer wall of the injector passage along the first passage section; and

wherein a radially inner wall of the first passage section along the nozzle body tapers into an axial face that establishes the terminal end of the nozzle body, and the primary outlet of the primary fuel injector is established along the axial face.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:

injecting fuel into a combustion chamber at a location downstream of the injector passage to establish a main flame during the second mode, but not the first mode.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the first mode corresponds to low power operating condition of the engine, and the second mode corresponds to higher power operating condition of the engine.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein:

the injector passage defines a first passage area with respect to a first reference plane that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal axis and intersects the secondary outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors, the injector passage defines a second passage area with respect to a second reference plane along the throat that is perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first passage area to the second passage area being 1.2 to 1.5; and

the secondary outlet of a forwardmost one of the secondary plain-jet fuel injectors and the throat define a first distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, the primary outlet of the primary fuel injector and the throat defines a second distance with respect to the nozzle longitudinal axis, and a ratio of the first distance to the second distance being between 2.0 to 4.0.