Fuel nozzle for a gas turbine engine

A fuel nozzle apparatus for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• an annular outer body, the annular outer body extending parallel to a centerline axis, and having an exterior surface extending between a forward end and an aft end, wherein a plurality of openings passes through the exterior surface;
• an annular main injection ring disposed radially inward of the annular outer body, the annular main injection ring including:
• a main fuel gallery extending in a circumferential direction;
• and
• a plurality of main fuel orifices, each main fuel orifice communicating with the main fuel gallery and aligned with one of the openings of the annular outer body;
• an annular venturi disposed radially inward of the annular main injection ring, the annular venturi comprising a throat having a minimum diameter, a generally cylindrical section upstream of the throat, and a diverging section downstream of the throat;
• an annular splitter disposed radially inward of the annular venturi, the annular splitter including an inner wall and an outer wall which are joined together at a forward end, which converge toward each other to be joined together at an aft end of the annular splitter, and which are spaced-apart from each other between the forward and aft ends so as to define a splitter cavity, wherein an upstream portion of the outer wall has a first contour which converges from the forward end to the aft end and is substantially equal to a second contour of the upstream section of the annular venturi at least as far as the throat;
• an array of outer swirl vanes extending between the annular venturi and the annular splitter, wherein an outer swirl vane passage extends downstream of the outer swirl vanes to an outlet of airflow from the outer swirl vanes, the outlet being defined circumferentially between the annular venturi and the aft end of the annular splitter at an axial location downstream of a throat of the annular venturi;
• a pilot fuel injector disposed radially inward of the annular splitter;
• and
• an array of inner swirl vanes extending between the annular splitter and the pilot fuel injector, wherein an inner swirl vane passage extends downstream of the inner swirl vanes to an outlet of airflow from the inner swirl vanes, the outlet from the inner swirl vanes being defined by the inner wall of the annular splitter;
• and
• wherein a plurality of discharge holes communicating between the splitter cavity and the aft end of the annular splitter is aligned at an acute angle to the centerline axis to impart a swirl in the air discharged therefrom relative to the centerline axis;
• and wherein the air is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes such that the outlet of airflow from the inner swirler vanes is coincident with a plane.