Patent ID: 7513115

Claim:
A gas turbine combustor having increased flashback margin, said combustor comprising: a plurality of premix chambers spaced apart a distance both axially and radially, each premix chamber having a first generally annular wall; a combustion chamber having a second generally annular wall, said combustion chamber in fluid communication with each of said premix chambers; at least one fuel nozzle for injecting a fuel into each of said premix chambers to form a mixture with compressed air in each of said premix chambers; a boundary layer located in each of said premix chambers and said combustion chamber generally along said first and second generally annular walls, said boundary layer containing said fuel and compressed air at a lower velocity than said mixture; and, a means for injecting an inert gas into said boundary layer for each of said plurality of premix chambers, said means for injecting located axially downstream with respect to a fluid flow direction from said at least one fuel nozzle, thereby ensuring that no combustion reaction occurs in said boundary layer.