Patent ID: 8302404

Claim:
A swirler for use in a burner of a gas turbine engine, comprising: a plurality of vanes arranged in a circle pattern along the burner; and a plurality of flow slots where each slot is defined between adjacent vanes of the circle, each flow slot having an inlet end and an outlet end to direct an air flow towards a central space within the circle, wherein fuel is supplied into the flow slot, such that a mixture of fuel and air enters the central space, wherein at least one vane has a first edge adjacent an inlet end of the flow slot, wherein the first edge adjacent to the inlet end of the flow slot is divided into a plurality of portions along said first edge, including a sharp straight portion and a smooth profiled portion, each portion being configured to provide a respective flow velocity therepast for forcibly redirecting a flow vortex so that the vortex no longer extends substantially parallel to the edge but extends at an angle to the parallel, and wherein the sharp straight portion and the smooth profiled portion are separated by a ledge.