Incompressible swirling flows

Abstract

A mathematical model has been developed to study incompressible, isothermal, turbulent, confined, swirling flows. The model solves the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and two additional equations for the turbulent kinetic energy and the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy. The numerical predictions show a recirculation zone in the form of a one‐celled toroidal vortex at the combustor centreline. High levels of turbulence characterize the recirculation zone. The length, diameter and maximum velocity of the recirculation zone first decrease and then increase as the magnitude of the outer swirl number is first decreased from counter‐swirl to zero and then increased to co‐swirl flow conditions. Counter‐swirl produces steeper velocity gradients at the inter‐jet shear layer and promotes faster mixing than co‐swirl. The numerical results also indicate that the mass of the recirculation zone first decreases and then increases as the outer swirl number is first decreased from counter‐swirl to zero and then increased to co‐swirl conditions. The diameter, maximum velocity and mass of the recirculation zone are monotonically increasing functions of the inner jet swirl number. The recirculation zone length, diameter and mass are almost independent of the Reynolds number and outer‐to‐inner jet axial velocity ratio.