Patent ID: 8122725

Claim:
A method for delivering fuel in a gas turbine engine including a plurality of can annular combustors that includes at least a first set of combustors of the plurality of can annular combustors and at least a second set of combustors of the plurality of can annular combustors, said first and second set of combustors of the plurality of can combustors oriented along a common axial location wherein each set of combustors is supplied by a separately controllable respective fuel delivery system, said method comprising: supplying fuel at a first fuel schedule to the first set of combustors and supplying fuel at a second fuel schedule to the second set of combustors during a first mode of operation wherein the second fuel schedule is different than the first fuel schedule; modulating the fuel supplied at the first fuel schedule to the first set of combustors such that at least one of a diffusion flame and a piloted premixed partial diffusion flame is maintained in the first set of combustors while a premix flame is maintained in the second set of combustors during the first mode of operation wherein fuel for the premix flame is only supplied to the second set of combustors and fuel for diffusion flame or piloted premixed partial diffusion flame is supplied only to the first set of combustors during the first mode of operation; and supplying fuel at the second fuel schedule to the first and second sets of combustors during a second mode of operation.