Sometimes also called simply a 'burner' or 'burner can,' the combustor is the section of an
air-breathing jet engine (
turbojet,
turbofan,
turboprop,
ramjet,
scramjet,
gas turbine) where
fuel is mixed with air and
combusted. The combustor usually lies behind the inlet and compressor stages at the front of the engine and ahad of the turbine,
afterburner and/or exhaust stages at the rear, although this varies depending on the engine type.
Although the combustor is where fuel burn occurs, it is not necessarily where the highest temperatures are found; as the heated air is sometimes compressed further before leaving the engine, the highest temperatures can sometimes be found in the engine nozzle or in the case of an active afterburner engine just past the afterburner stage. Note that an afterburner (in British english, 'reheat') is not considered the combustor, as it is a supplementary stage which is not continuous or required for engine operation. The combustor is the central component of jet engine operation.