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A gas turbine engine using a rich-lean catalytic combustion system includes a rich catalytic burner and a lean catalytic burner. The rich catalytic burner includes a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger. The rich catalytic reactor catalytically burns a fuel rich mixture to provide a heated fu

A gas turbine engine using a rich-lean catalytic combustion system includes a rich catalytic burner and a lean catalytic burner. The rich catalytic burner includes a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger. The rich catalytic reactor catalytically burns a fuel rich mixture to provide a heated fuel. The heat exchanger receives a stream of air that absorbs a portion of the heat from the catalytic burning of the fuel rich mixture to keep the reaction in the rich catalytic reactor at or below a threshold temperature. A resulting heated air from the heat exchanger and the heated fuel are mixed in a mixing zone to provide a heated fuel-air mixture. The lean catalytic burner receives and burns the heated fuel-air mixture.

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What is claimed is: 1. A rich-lean catalytic combustion system, comprising: a rich catalytic burner including a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger; a mixing zone downstream of the rich catalytic burner; a lean catalytic burner downstream of the mixing zone; and a compressor adapted to supp

What is claimed is: 1. A rich-lean catalytic combustion system, comprising: a rich catalytic burner including a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger; a mixing zone downstream of the rich catalytic burner; a lean catalytic burner downstream of the mixing zone; and a compressor adapted to supply air to a pre-mixer and the heat exchanger, and a turbine downstream of the lean catalytic burner. 2. The combustion system of claim 1, wherein any one of the rich catalytic reactor and lean catalytic reactor includes a catalyst having an active ingredient comprising a base metal. 3. The combustion system of claim 1, wherein any one of the rich catalytic reactor and the lean catalytic reactor includes a catalyst having an active ingredient comprising a metal oxide. 4. The combustion system of claim 1, the rich catalytic reactor comprising any or a combination of metals from the platinum family of metals. 5. The combustion system of claim 4, the rich catalytic reactor comprising rhodium. 6. The combustion system of claim 1, the lean catalytic burner comprising any or a combination of metals from the platinum family of metals. 7. The combustion system of claim 6, the lean catalytic burner comprising palladium oxide. 8. The combustion system of claim 1, further comprising a combustion region downstream of the lean catalytic burner. 9. The combustion system of claim 1, wherein the rich catalytic burner comprises a heater. 10. The combustion system of claim 1, further comprising a surface-stabilized combustion region downstream of the lean catalytic burner. 11. The combustion system of claim 1, wherein said lean catalytic burner includes at least a lean catalytic reactor and a catalyst. 12. A rich-lean catalytic combustion system, comprising: a rich catalytic burner including a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger; a mixing zone downstream of the rich catalytic burner; a lean catalytic burner downstream of the mixing zone; and a pre-mixer upstream of the rich catalytic burner, the pre-mixer adapted to supply the rich catalytic reactor with a fuel rich mixture. 13. A rich-lean catalytic combustion system, comprising: a rich catalytic burner including a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger; a mixing zone downstream of the rich catalytic burner: a lean catalytic burner downstream of the mixing zone: a surface-stabilized combustion region downstream of the lean catalytic burner; and the surface-stabilized combustion region including a high temperature ceramic-based structure. 14. A method of combustion comprising: premixing a fuel and a first air stream to provide a fuel rich mixture; catalytically burning the fuel rich mixture in a rich catalytic reactor, the burning producing heated fuel and generating heat; supplying a heat exchanger with a second air stream, the heat exchanger absorbing the heat generated by the rich catalytic reactor and heating the second air stream to provide heated air; mixing the heated fuel with the heated air in a mixing zone to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture in a lean catalytic burner; and the step of catalytically burning the fuel rich mixture including initiating the burning of the fuel rich mixture by a heater. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing comprises adding fuel to the heated fuel-air mixture. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing comprises adding air to the heated fuel-air mixture. 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising combusting the heated fuel-air mixture in a combustion region after catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture. 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a third air stream for component cooling. 19. A method of combustion comprising: premixing a fuel and a first air stream to provide a fuel rich mixture; catalytically burning the fuel rich mixture in a rich catalytic reactor, the burning producing heated fuel and generating heat; supplying a heat exchanger with a second air stream, the heat exchanger absorbing the heat generated by the rich catalytic reactor and heating the second air stream to provide heated air; mixing the heated fuel with the heated air in a mixing zone to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture in a lean catalytic burner; and adding fuel to the second air stream before heating the second air stream. 20. A method of combustion comprising: premixing a fuel and a first air stream to provide a fuel rich mixture; catalytically burning the fuel rich mixture in a rich catalytic reactor, the burning producing heated fuel and generating heat; supplying a heat exchanger with a second air stream, the heat exchanger absorbing the heat generated by the rich catalytic reactor and heating the second air stream to provide heated air; mixing the heated fuel with the heated air in a mixing zone to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture in a lean catalytic burner; combusting the heated fuel-air mixture in a combustion region after catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture; and stabilizing the combusting of the heated fuel-air mixture in the combustion region with a high temperature ceramic-based structure. 21. A method of combustion, comprising: catalytically burning a fuel rich fuel-air mixture to provide a heated fuel, the catalytically burning causing heating of a non-combustible mixture of air and fuel to provide a heated non-combustible fuel-air mixture; mixing the non-combustible fuel-air mixture with the heated fuel to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture; combusting the catalytically burned heated fuel-air mixture in a combustion region; initiating the burning of the fuel rich fuel-air mixture by a heater; and the mixing comprises adding fuel to the heated fuel-air mixture. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the mixing comprises adding air to the heated fuel-air mixture. 23. The method as set forth in claim 21, further including the steps of providing a rich catalytic reactor, a heat exchanger, a mixing zone, and a lean catalytic burner to achieve the catalytically burning, mixing and combusting steps. 24. A method of combustion, comprising: catalytically burning a fuel rich fuel-air mixture to provide a heated fuel, the catalytically burning causing heating of a non-combustible mixture of air and fuel to provide a heated non-combustible fuel-air mixture; mixing the non-combustible fuel-air mixture with the heated fuel to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture; combusting the catalytically burned heated fuel-air mixture in a combustion region; and stabilizing the combusting of the heated fuel-air mixture in the combustion region with a high temperature ceramic-based structure. 25. A method of combustion, comprising: catalytically burning a fuel rich fuel-air mixture to provide a heated fuel, the catalytically burning causing heating of a non-combustible mixture of air and fuel to provide a heated non-combustible fuel-air mixture; mixing the non-combustible fuel-air mixture with the heated fuel to provide a heated fuel-air mixture; catalytically burning the heated fuel-air mixture; combusting the catalytically burned heated fuel-air mixture in a combustion region; initiating the burning of the fuel rich fuel-air mixture by a heater; and providing a cooling air stream for component cooling.