A vaporizer combustion chamber,

Fig. 4-5 A vaporizer combustion chamber

FUEL SUPPLY
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

Apportioning the airflow - COMBUSTION PROCESS

COMBUSTION PROCESS
4. Air from the engine compressor enters the combustion chamber at a velocity up to 500 feet per second, but because at this velocity the air speed is far too high for combustion, the first thing that the chamber must do is to diffuse it, i.e. decelerate it and raise its static pressure. Since the speed of burning kerosine at normal mixture ratios is only a few feet  per second, any fuel lit even in the diffused airstream, which now has a velocity of about 80 feet persecond, would be blown away. A region of low axialvelocity has therefore to be created in the chamber,so that the flame will remain alight throughout therange of engine operating conditions.

Fig. 4-2 Apportioning the airflow.

5. In normal operation, the overall air/fuel ratio of a combustion chamber can vary between 45:1 and 130:1, However, kerosine will only burn efficiently at, or close to, a ratio of 15:1, so the fuel must be burned with only part of the air entering the chamber, in what is called a primary combustion zone. This is achieved by means of a flame tube (combustion liner) that ha various devices for metering the airflow distribution along the chamber.

INTRODUCTION - An early combustion chamber.

INTRODUCTION

Fig. 4-1 An early combustion chamber.

1. The combustion chamber (fig. 4-1) has the difficult task of burning large quantities of fuel, supplied through the fuel spray nozzles (Part 10), with extensive volumes of air, supplied by the compressor (Part 3), and releasing the heat in such a manner that the air is expanded and accelerated to give a smooth stream of uniformly heated gas at all conditions required by the turbine (Part 5). This task must be accomplished with the minimum loss in pressure and with the maximum heat release for the limited space available.