Assessment of the Performances of RANS Models for Simulating Swirling Flows in a Can-Combustor

Abstract

The paper presents an assessment of the performances of RANS turbulence models for simulating turbulent swirling can-combustor flows with different inlet swirl intensities (i.e. S=0.4 and S=0.81). The predictions compared against published experimental data reveal that the eddy-viscosity models can not show the central recirculation zone in the case of a weakly swirling flow. However, although they reveal the existence of this region in a strongly swirling flow, they are incapable of predicting its correct size. On the other hand, the Reynolds stress models are able to predict the cor- ner and the central recirculation zones in both flow cases. The predictions of turbulence intensities by using the realizable k-� and the SST k-� are comparable to those of the Reynolds stress closures. The shear stresses are not well predicted by all the tested models. Both the eddy-viscosity and the Reynolds stress closures show relatively less approximation errors in the weakly swirling flow.