Patent ID: 7237385

Claim:
A method of using a combustion chamber for a gas turbine, the method comprising: providing a substantially toroidal plenum extending around a rotor axis of the gas turbine, providing the plenum with a substantially tangential outlet extending around an inner peripheral region of the plenum, and using the tangential outlet to direct gases towards the turbine in a direction that is parallel to the rotor axis of the turbine; using at least one combustion fluid injector disposed in a peripheral region of the plenum to inject fluid into the plenum to establish a vortex flow in a central region of the plenum that extends around the rotor axis of the gas turbine in a circular path, and using the at least one combustion fluid injector to entrain sufficient gasses in the vortex to establish a high enough flue gas re-circulation rate to enable the generation of a highly diluted combustion mode in the plenum during combustion; using at least one oxidant injector and at least one fuel injector; and operating the combustion chamber with separate oxidant and fuel injection.