Effect of Centrifugal Force on the Performance of High-G Ultra Compact Combustor

Abstract

A numerical investigation of reacting flows in an advanced high-g cavity (HGC), Ultra-Compact Combustor (UCC) concept is conducted. The high-g cavity UCC (UCC-HGC) design uses high swirl in a circumferential cavity (CC) wrapped around a main stream annular flow. The high swirl is generated through angled CC driver jets. This centrifugal force is varied by changing the CC-to-core air mass flow ratio (ṁcc/ṁcore) and jet inclination angle (αjet) relative to the cavity ring surface, while maintaining the global equivalence ratio (ϕGlobal) constant. Steady, rotational periodic, 3D simulations are performed following a multiphase, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), and non-premixed flamelet/progress variable (FPV) approach using a customized FLUENT. Results indicate that under non-reacting flow conditions the driver jets impose a very strong bulk swirl flow within the CC and the mainstream flow does not entrain into the CC. Thus, the maximum g-load is primarily sensitive to ṁcc/ṁcore and secondarily to αjet. However, the g-loads become increasingly more sensitive to the latter at greater ṁcc/ṁcore. Now, under reacting flow conditions, the flame interacts with the flow and the bulk swirl flow is diminished at low ṁcc/ṁcore, while boosted at high ṁcc/ṁcore. The former happens because the flame deflects the incoming driver jet flow, enhancing radial and axial velocity components (through thermal expansion), while diminishing the tangential flow velocity. This, in turn, weakens the g-loads within the CC to below its design g-load operation. On the other hand, at high ṁcc/ṁcore and small αjet the flame is perpendicular to the bulk swirl flow, accelerating the flow tangential velocity and enhancing g-loads above its design operation. Qualitatively, the more and hotter the flame that can be sustained within the CC the shorter the flame length. The converse is also true. Flame length does not appear to be strongly influenced by ṁcc/ṁcore and αjet. Even though g-loads appear to enhance reaction progress variable source (SC) and, consequently, turbulent flame speed, through turbulence this does not necessarily mean that the turbulent flame speed under g-loads is various factors greater than its corresponding turbulent flame speed under 0g’s. As the ṁcc/ṁcore increases the center-peaked radial temperature profile at intermediate αjet starts to deteriorate, whereas the radial temperature profile at low αjet improves. For high αjet, increasing ṁcc/ṁcore has no substantial effect on the exit radial temperature profiles.