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A gas turbine combustor (10) having a first grouping (64) of pre-mix burners (12, 12′, 12″) having mixing passages (36) that are geometrically different than the mixing passages (38) of a second grouping (66) of pre-mix burners (14, 14′, 14″). The aerodynamic differences created by these geometric d

A gas turbine combustor (10) having a first grouping (64) of pre-mix burners (12, 12′, 12″) having mixing passages (36) that are geometrically different than the mixing passages (38) of a second grouping (66) of pre-mix burners (14, 14′, 14″). The aerodynamic differences created by these geometric differences provide a degree of control over combustion properties of the respective flames (44, 46) produced in a downstream combustion chamber (40) when the two groupings of burners are fueled by separate fuel stages (52, 54). The geometric difference between the fuel passages of the two groupings may be outlet diameter, slope of convergence of the passage diameter, or outlet contour. The fuel injection regions (16, 18) of all of the burners may be identical to reduce cost and inventory complexity. The burners may be arranged in a ring (60) with a center pre-mix burner (68) being identical to burners of either of the groupings.

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1. A combustor for a gas turbine engine, the combustor comprising:a plurality of main fuel supply pre-mix burners, each burner comprising a fuel injection region and a mixing region downstream of the fuel injection region; a single combustion chamber region disposed downstream of the plurality of bu

1. A combustor for a gas turbine engine, the combustor comprising:a plurality of main fuel supply pre-mix burners, each burner comprising a fuel injection region and a mixing region downstream of the fuel injection region; a single combustion chamber region disposed downstream of the plurality of burners for receiving and combusting fuel/air mixtures received from all of the burners with no flow restriction there between; a first main fuel stage in fluid communication with a first grouping of the burners, each burner of the first grouping comprising a mixing region having a first geometry; a second main fuel stage in fluid communication with a second grouping of the burners, each burner of the second grouping comprising a mixing region having a second geometry aerodynamically different than the first geometry; wherein the first main fuel stage and the second main fuel stage cooperate with the respective first geometry and second geometry to provide a supplemental degree of control over dynamic pressure response in the combustion chamber when a split of a fixed total fuel flow between the first and second stages is varied so that first combustion conditions exist in the combustion chamber with a first split of the total fuel flow between the first and second stages, and second combustion conditions different from the first combustion conditions exist in the combustion chamber with a second split of the total fuel flow between the first and second stapes. 2. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising an outlet end of the mixing region of the burner of the first grouping of burners comprising a diameter different than a diameter of an outlet end of the mixing region of the burner of the second grouping of burners.3. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising an outlet end of the mixing region of the burner of the first grouping of burners comprising a contour different than a contour of an outlet end of the mixing region of the burner of the second grouping of burners.4. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising:the mixing region of the burner of the first grouping of burners having a diameter constant along a longitudinal length; and the mixing region of the burner of the second grouping of burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length. 5. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising:the mixing region of the burner of the first grouping of burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length at a first slope; and the mixing region of the burner of the second grouping of burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length at a second slope. 6. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising the fuel injection region of the burner of the first grouping of burners being essentially identical to the fuel injection region of the burner of the second grouping of burners.7. The combustor of claim 1, further comprising:the plurality of burners being arranged to form a ring about the longitudinal axis; and alternate ones of the burners about the ring comprising the respective first and second groupings. 8. The combustor of claim 7, further comprising a pre-mix burner disposed at a center of the ring and in fluid communication with a third fuel stage.9. The combustor of claim 8, wherein the center burner comprises a mixing region geometry essentially identical to the mixing region geometry of the burner of the first grouping of burners.10. The combustor of claim 9, wherein the center burner comprises a fuel injection region essentially identical to a fuel injection region of the burner of the first grouping of burners.11. A can annular combustor for a gas turbine engine comprising:a first grouping of pre-mix burners each comprising a first mixing region geometry alternately interspaced between a second grouping of pre-mix burners each comprising a second mixing region geometry aerodynamically different than the first mixing region geometry to form a ring about a longitudinal axis, the first and second grouping of burners discharging respective fuel/air mixtures into a common downstream combustion chamber region; a first main fuel stage in fluid communication with the first grouping of pre-mix burners; a second main fuel stage in fluid communication with the second grouping of pre-mix burners; wherein the first and second main fuel stages cooperate with the first and second mixing region geometries to provide a supplemental degree of control over combustion dynamics in the combustion chamber region when a split of a fixed total fuel flow between the first and second main fuel stages is varied, so that first combustion conditions exist in the combustion chamber region with a first split of the total fuel flow between the first and second main fuel stages, and second combustion conditions different from the first combustion conditions exist in the combustion chamber region with a second split of the total fuel flow between the first and second main fuel stages. 12. The can annular combustor of claim 11, further comprising an outlet end of the mixing region of each of the burners of the first grouping of pre-mix burners comprising a diameter different than a diameter of an outlet end of the mixing region of each of the burners of the second grouping of pre-mix burners.13. The can annular combustor of claim 11, further comprising an outlet end of the mixing region of each of the burners of the first grouping of pre-mix burners comprising a contour different than a contour of an outlet end of the mixing region of each of the burners of the second grouping of pre-mix burners.14. The can annular combustor of claim 11, further comprising:the mixing region of each of the burners of the first grouping of pre-mix burners having a diameter constant along a longitudinal length; and the mixing region of each of the burners of the second grouping of pre-mix burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length. 15. The combustor of claim 11, further comprising:the mixing region of each of the burners of the first grouping of pre-mix burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length at a first slope; and the mixing region of each of the burners of the second grouping of pre-mix burners having a diameter changing along a longitudinal length at a second slope. 16. The can annular combustor of claim 11, further comprising a fuel injection region of each of the first grouping of pre-mix burners being essentially identical to a fuel injection region of each of the second grouping of pre-mix burners.17. The can annular combustor of claim 11, further comprising a center pre-mix burner disposed at a center of the ring and in fluid communication with a third main fuel stage.18. The combustor of claim 17, wherein the center pre-mix burner comprises a mixing region geometry essentially identical to the mixing region geometry of each of the burners of the first grouping of pre-mix burners.19. The combustor of claim 17, wherein the center pre-mix burner comprises a fuel injection region essentially identical to a fuel injection region of each of the burners of at least one of the group of the first grouping of pre-mix burners and the second grouping of pre-mix burners.