Fig. 4-5 A vaporizer combustion chamber |
12. Fuel is supplied to the airstream by one of two distinct methods. The most common is the injection of a fine atomized spray into the recirculating airstream through spray nozzles (Part 10). Thesecond method is based on the pre-vaporization ofthe fuel before it enters the combustion zone.
13. In the vaporizing method (fig.4-5) the fuel is sprayed from feed tubes into vaporizing tubes which are positioned inside the flame tube. These tubes turn the fuel through 180 degrees and, as they are heated by combustion, the fuel vaporizes before passing into the flame tube. The primary airflow passes down the vaporizing tubes with the fuel and also through holes in the flame tube entry section which provide ’fans’ of air to sweep the flame rearwards. Cooling and dilution air is metered into the flame tube in a manner similar to the atomizer flame tube.
TYPES OF COMBUSTION CHAMBER
14. There are three main types of combustion chamber in use for gas turbine engines. These are the multiple chamber, the tubo-annular chamber and the annular chamber.
Multiple combustion chamber
15. This type of combustion chamber is used on centrifugal compressor engines and the earlier types of axial flow compressor engines. It is a direct development of the early type of Whittle combustion chamber. The major difference is that the Whittle chamber had a reverse flow as illustrated in fig. 4-6 but, as this created a considerable pressure loss, the straight-through multiple chamber was developed by Joseph Lucas Limited.
Fig. 4-6 An early Whittle combustion chamber |