Method of operating catalytically supported thermal combustion system

A method for operating a gas turbine by catalytically supported thermal combustion of carbonaceous fuel comprising (a) forming an intimate admixture of fuel and air, (b) contacting in a combustion zone at least a portion of said fuel-air admixture with solid oxidation catalyst occupying a major portion of the flow cross section of said combustion zone, (c) thereby effecting sustained combustion of at least a portion of said fuel under essentially adiabatic conditions at a rate which surmounts the mass transfer limitation, said combustion being characterized by said fuel-air admixture having an adiabatic flame temperature such that upon contact with said catalyst the operating temperature of said catalyst is substantially above the instantaneous autoignition temperature of said fuel-air admixture but below a temperature that would result in any substantial formation of oxides of nitrogen, (d) forming an effluent of high thermal energy containing uncombusted fuel values, and (e) thermally combusting at least partially the uncombusted fuel values contained in said effluent in an expansion zone of the turbine positioned in the path of said effluent to counteract the cooling effect occurring on expansion of gases within said gas turbine, whereby said thermal energy of said effluent and the energy from thermally combusting said uncombusted fuel values are utilized in operation of the turbine.