Patent ID: 8127558

Claim:
A gas turbine engine comprising: an outer shell having a compressor section, a combustor section, an intermediate section and a turbine section, said intermediate section being located between said combustor section and said turbine section and including at least one first opening and at least one second opening; a compressor assembly located in said compressor section to define with said compressor section a compressor apparatus to compress air; at least one combustor assembly coupled to said combustor section to define with said combustor section a combustor apparatus to receive compressed air and a fuel, combine the air and fuel to create an air/fuel mixture and ignite the air/fuel mixture to create combustion products; a turbine assembly comprising a plurality of stationary vanes, a plurality of rotatable blades and a rotatable shaft and disc assembly coupled to said blades, said turbine assembly being located in said turbine section to define with said turbine section a turbine apparatus to receive the combustion products from said combustor apparatus such that the combustion products expand in said turbine apparatus causing said blades and shaft and disc assembly to rotate; duct structure coupled to said intermediate section to receive at least a portion of the compressed air from said compressor apparatus through said at least one first opening in said intermediate section, pass the compressed air to an apparatus for separating a portion of oxygen from the compressed air to produce vitiated compressed air and return the vitiated compressed air to said intermediate section via said at least one second opening in said intermediate section; and a ring-shaped divider coupled to an inner surface of said intermediate section of said outer shell between said at least one first opening and said at least one second opening, said ring-shaped divider extending from said inner surface of said intermediate section to a location between said inner surface and a transition duct through which the combustion products travel to said turbine assembly so as to allow both compressed air and vitiated compressed air into said combustor apparatus to combust therein.