Self-Regulating Fuel Staging Port for Turbine Combustor

A gas turbine engine combustor comprising:

• a premixing assembly delivering a fuel/air mixture to a combustion zone;
• a bypass flow path effective to deliver a bypass air flow around the premixing assembly to the combustion zone;
• and
• a fuel element disposed in the bypass flow path and comprising a geometry effective to at least partially block the bypass air flow in proportion to a flow rate of fuel delivered through the fuel element.

A gas turbine engine combustor comprising a combustion zone surrounded by a wall, a compressed air plenum surrounding the wall, and characterized by:

• a fuel and air staging port mounted in the wall, comprising:
• a port enclosure that receives compressed air at a first end open to the plenum, wherein the compressed air flows through an interior path in the port enclosure and exits an exit hole to the combustion zone at a second end of the port enclosure;
• and
• a plurality of convergent fuel injectors in the port enclosure that direct respective convergent fuel streams forming a flow stagnation zone proximate the second end of the port enclosure that at least partially blocks the flow of compressed air through the port enclosure in proportion to a flow rate of the convergent fuel streams;
• wherein the flow rate of the convergent fuel streams inversely determines a flow rate of the compressed air through the port enclosure and the exit hole.