Reducing smoke in gas turbine engine exhaust

Claim 1

IN A GAS TURBINE COMPRISING AN AIR COMPRESSOR, COMBUSTION EQUIPMENT INCLUDING AN AIR CASING HAVING AIR INLET MEANS AT ONE END CONNECTED TO RECEIVE AIR COMPRESSED WITHIN THE COMPRESSOR AND A FLAME TUBE WHICH EXTENDS WITHIN THE AIR CASING AND DEFINES A COMBUSTION SPACE, WHICH COMBUSTION SPACE AT ITS END ADJACENT THE AIR INLET MEANS INCLUDES A PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE, SAID FLAME TUBE HAVING A DIRECT AIR INLET FROM THE AIR CASING INTO THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE, MEANS TO DELIVER FUEL INTO THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE DOWNSTREAM OF THE AIR INLET THERETO TO BE BURNED WITH THE AIR FLOWING THROUGH THE DIRECT AIR INLET, A TURBINE CONNECTED TO SAID FLAME TUBE TO RECEIVE COMBUSTION PRODUCTS THEREFROM, AND AN EXHAUST ASSEMBLY CONNECTED TO RECEIVE EXHAUST GASES FROM THE TURBINE; SMOKE ABATEMENT MEANS FOR REDUCING SMOKE IN THE EXHAUST GASES COMPRISING SWIRLING MEANS DISPOSED IN THE AIR INLET OF PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE, INJECTING MEANS DISPOSED DOWNSTREAM OF THE AIR COMPRESSOR IN THE AIR INLET STREAM FROM THE COMPRESSOR AND UPSTREAM OF THE FUEL DELIVERY MEANS AND THE SWIRLING MEANS TO DELIVER COOLANT LIQUID TO THE AIR IN THE AIR INLET MEANS UPSTREAM OF SWIRLING MEANS SO THAT THE COOLANT LIQUID AND THE COMPRESSED AIR FLOW TOGETHER THROUGH THE SWIRLING MEANS SO THAT THE COOLANT LIQUID IS DIRECTED ONTO THE SWIRLING MEANS AND THE SWIRLING MEANS IMPARTS TO THE COOLANT LIQUID AND THE COMPRESSED AIR A SWIRLING MOTION TO COMMINGLE THOROUGHLY THE COOLANT LIQUID AND THE COMPRESSED AIR WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH THE FUEL AND PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION IN THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE SO AS TO REDUCE SUBSTANTIALLY THE TEMPERATURE IN THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE AS COMPARED WITH THE TEMPERATURE WHEN LIQUID INJECTION IS NOT EFFECTED, SAID SWIRLING MEANS COMPRISING A DISCONTINOUS STATIONARY SURFACE ELEMENT AND SAID INJECTING MEANS COMPRISING A SPRAY PRODUCING A UNIFORM DISRTRIBUTION OF DROPLETS WHICH CONTACT SAID ELEMENT AS THEY PASS THROUGH THE SWIRLING MEANS SO THAT THE NATURAL AIR BLAST ATOMIZATION OCCURRING DURING OPERATION OF THE ENGINE WILL REDUCE AT LEAST SOME OF THE DROPLETS AS TO SIZE, SAID ELEMENT DISTRIBUTING SAID DROPLETS UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE PRIMARY CONBUSTION ZONE.