Gas turbine combustor employing plural catalytic stages

In a gas turbine including a combustor of the catalytic reactor type having a shell containing catalytic element means intermediate the upstream part of the shell to which combustion air and fuel is admitted, and the downstream part of the shell which joins a transition section to pass combustion gas to the turbine, wherein the improvement lies in:

• the catalytic element means comprising at least two cross-flow honeycomb type structures having a multiplicity of catalyst coated flow passages, one series of flow passages extending in crossing relation to another alternating series of flow passages, and both series of flow passages extending in oblique relation to the longitudinal axis of said shell, so that the combustion gas from different radial locations in a cross section upstream from said catalytic element means is shifted to other radial locations in passing downstream, to promote temperature uniformity of the gas in a radial direction throughout the cross section of the combustor, successive ones of said cross-flow catalytic element means are provided in axially-spaced relation in said shell, with the transverse cross section of the shell between said successive ones being unobstructed in the sense of accommodating axial flow throughout a cross sectional area at least equal to the cross sectional area of said catalytic element means, and being devoid of means for transferring heat out of said shell.