Combustion chambers for use with swirling combustion supporting medium

Claim 1

A COMBUSTION APPARATUS HAVING AN ANNULAR COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR USE WITH COMBUSTION SUPPORTING MEDIUM HAVING SUBSTANTIAL COMPONENTS OF VELOCITY IN BOTH THE AXIAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTIONS, COMPRISING AN ENTRY PORTION HAVING INNER AND OUTER WALL STRUCTURES EACH FORMED AS A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION ABOUT A COMMON AXIS AND FORMING BETWEEN THEM AT ONE END AN AXIALLY DIRECTED ANNULAR INLET OPENING TO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, MEANS FOR SWIRLING THE COMBUSTION SUPPORTING MEDIUM ROUND SAID COMMON AXIS AND DIRECTLY DISCHARGING SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING MEDIUM WHILE SO SWIRLING INTO SAID ENTRY PORTION, A PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR SAID ENTRY PORTION FORMED AS A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION ABOUT SAID COMMON AXIS, THE PARTITION STRUCTURE EXTENDING ONLY THROUGH SAID ENTRY PORTION AND DIVIDING SAID ANNULAR INLET INTO INNER AND OUTER ANNULAR PARTS OF WHICH THE RATIO OF THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE ANNULAR PART LYING INSIDE THE PARTITION STRUCTURE TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE ANNULAR PART LYING OUTSIDE THE PARTITION STRUCTURE IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE REQUIRED RATIO OF THE MASS FLOWS OF DILUTION AIR TO COMBUSTION AIR, SAID OUTER WALL STRUCTURE AND THE PARTION STRUCTURE DIVERGING FROM ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF COMBUSTION AIR FLOW AT LEAST A PART OF THEIR LENGTH ADJACENT SAID INLET OPENING SO AS TO REDUCE THE SPEED AND INCREASE THE TURBULENCE OF COMBUSTION AIR FLOWING THEREBETWEEN SUFFICIENTLY TO FORM A ZONE WHEREIN STABLE COMBUSTION MAY PROCEED, MEANS FOR DISPERSING FUEL INTO SAID STABLE COMBUSTION ZONE, AN OUTLET PORTION HAVING INNER AN OUTER WALL STRUCTURES EACH CONSTITUTING A CONTINUATION OF THE CORRESPONDING WALL STRUCTURE OF THE ENTRY PORTION IN A GENERALLY AXIAL DIRECTION, AND A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT MEMBERS CONNECTING TOGETHER THE PARTITION STRUCTURE AND THE INNER AND OUTER WALL STRUCTURES OF THE ENTRY PORTION, AT LEAST THOSE OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS WHICH EXTEND ACROSS THE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE INNER WALL STRUCTURE OF THE ENTRY PORTION AND THE PARTITION STRUCTURE HAVING A SHAPE WHICH WILL ALLOW SWIRLING WORKING MEDIUM TO PASS THEM WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATION OF THE HELIX ANGLE OF THE SWIRL.