Patent ID: 6887067

Claim:
A catalytically operating burner mounted in a gas turbine system, the burner comprising: a fuel injection device that injects fuel into a supplied gas stream that contains an oxidant; a catalyzer structure that is arranged downstream from the fuel injection device, and through which the gas stream with injected fuel can flow, whereby a catalyst that initiates a combustion reaction of the gas stream with injected fuel is provided inside the catalyzer structure, the catalyzer structure is divided into (i) an inlet zone including an inlet end of the catalyzer structure and which is catalytically inactive or inert, (ii) an outlet zone including an outlet end of the catalyzer structure and which is catalytically inactive or inert, and (iii) an intermediate zone which is catalytically active and located between the inlet zone and the outlet zone along a flow direction; a stabilization zone that is arranged downstream from the catalyzer structure, and which changes into a final combustion zone in which the actual combustion reaction of the gas stream with injected fuel or a homogenous gas phase reaction takes place, wherein the hot combustion gases generated in the final combustion zone by the homogenous gas phase reaction are fed to a downstream turbine of the gas turbine system; a heat-resistant carrier material that extends continuously from the inlet end to the outlet end of the catalyzer structure and that forms the walls of several adjoining channels that pervade the catalyzer structure in a longitudinal direction and permit the gas stream with injected fuel to flow through the catalyzer structure; the walls being coated with the catalyst in such a way that at least some of the channels have at least one catalytically active zone and at least two catalytically inactive or inert zones in the flow direction; communicating openings being constructed in the walls, through which the adjoining channels communicate with each other.