Flameholder with integrated air mixer

Claim 1

In an afterburner of a turbofan engine having a hollow casing defining a fluid flow duct and an elongated flameholder disposed in said casing across said duct for receiving at its front side a hot gas stream flow from a core engine and a cool air streem flow from a fan with droplets of augmentor fuel entrained therein, said flameholder defining a fuel combustion zone at its rear side and including a central portion disposed in said hot gas stream flow and at least one leg extending radially outward from said central portion and terminating at an outer end spaced inwardly from said casing and disposed in said cool air stream flow, an improved mixer which comprises: at least one small duct connected to said flameholder for capturing a small portion of said hot gas stream flow and routing the same outwardly along the flameholder, said small duct being generally L-shaped and mounted on both said central portion and leg of said flameholder, said duct defining an inlet adjacent said central portion and within said hot gas stream flow, an outlet adjacent said leg, spaced outwardly from said central portion, spaced inwardly from said casing and said outer end of said flameholder, and disposed within said cool air stream flow, and a passage closed at its sides and interconnecting said inlet and outlet for routing said small portion of said hot gas stream flow to said cool air stream flow, and a deflector which takes the form of a plate connected to said flameholder, spaced from the small duct and disposed in the path of said small portion of said hot gas stream flow routed by said small duct, said deflector plate being mounted on said leg of said flameholder adjacent to, but spaced outwardly from, said outlet of said duct and spaced inwardly from said outer end of said flameholder and said casing for deflecting said small portion of said hot gas stream flow into the path of said cool air stream flow across said flameholder for producing a localized increase in the temperature of the air in fan stream flow adjacent said flameholder and thereby improve stability of combustion at its rear side.