Fuel nozzle producing skewed spray pattern

A fuel injector, comprising:

• a fuel nozzle having an outlet for discharging fuel;
• and
• a swirler adjacent said fuel nozzle and having an outlet for discharging a fluid concentric with said outlet of said fuel nozzle;
• wherein said swirler discharges the fluid to produce a crescent-shaped spray pattern in the fuel discharged from said outlet of said fuel nozzle.

A burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a combustion chamber;
• and
• a plurality of fuel injectors for providing fuel to said combustion chamber;
• wherein at least one of said fuel injectors produces a skewed flame pattern in said combustion chamber, said flame pattern having an overlap with a flame pattern from an adjacent one of fuel injectors.

A method of improving stability of a flame in a burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of fuel injectors;
• supplying fuel to said fuel injectors so that at least one of said fuel injectors produce a skewed flame pattern in the burner section, said skewed flame pattern creating a fuel non-uniformity in the burner section;
• and
• overlapping said skewed flame pattern with a flame pattern of an adjacent one of said fuel injectors.

A burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a combustion chamber;
• and
• a plurality of fuel injectors for providing fuel to said combustion chamber;
• wherein at least one of said fuel injectors produces a crescent-shaped flame pattern in said combustion chamber, said flame pattern having an overlap with a flame pattern from an adjacent one of fuel injectors.

A burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a combustion chamber having a recirculation zone;
• and
• a plurality of fuel injectors for providing fuel to said combustion chamber;
• wherein at least one of said fuel injectors produces a skewed flame pattern in said combustion chamber, said flame pattern having an overlap with a flame pattern from an adjacent one of fuel injectors, and said skewed flame pattern having a peak flame concentration adjacent said recirculation zone.

A method of improving stability of a flame in a burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of fuel injectors, at least one of said fuel injectors having a primary circuit and a secondary circuit;
• supplying fuel to said fuel injectors so that said primary circuit of said fuel injector produces a skewed flame pattern in the burner section, said skewed flame pattern creating a fuel non-uniformity in the burner section;
• and
• overlapping said skewed flame pattern with a flame pattern of an adjacent one of said fuel injectors.

A method of improving stability of a flame in a burner section of a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of fuel injectors;
• supplying fuel to said fuel injectors so that at least one of said fuel injectors produce a skewed flame pattern in the burner section, said skewed flame pattern having a peak flame concentration and creating a fuel non-uniformity in the burner section;
• overlapping said skewed flame pattern with a flame pattern of an adjacent one of said fuel injectors;
• and
• placing said peak flame concentration adjacent an overlap between said skewed flame patterns.