Patent ID: 8522561

Claim:
A method of operating a turbine engine comprising: compressing a flow of air in a compressor section of the engine; directing a portion of the compressed air flow through an inlet into a fuel nozzle; injecting a flow of fuel through fuel jets into the compressed air flow passing through the fuel nozzle; premixing the fuel flow and the compressed air flow in the fuel nozzle with a swirler positioned in the fuel nozzle that swirls at least the flow of compressed air passing through the fuel nozzle and with a mixing duct downstream of the swirler where the swirling air and fuel mix; and injecting an additional portion of the compressed air flow from the compressor section through a plurality of air jets spaced circumferentially around and formed through the fuel nozzle downstream of the swirler, the additional portion of compressed air mixing with the swirling air and fuel mixture in the mixing duct, wherein the entire additional portion of compressed air injected downstream of the swirler is injected into the fuel nozzle at the same axial position along the fuel nozzle.