Injector spacing influences on flame blow-off in a linear array

Abstract

Lean premixed flame stabilization at atmospheric conditions, in a linear array of five swirl injectors, was modeled using well-resolved large eddy simulation (LES) and chemical kinetics that were accurate both for ignition and flame speed. The effects of injector spacing were studied by selectively blocking injectors in the array to obtain five (F), two (T) and single (S) injector configurations. Each of these was simulated at well-anchored as well as near blow-off conditions. Experiments indicated a blow-off trend that was non-monotonic with spacing: the two-injector configuration exhibited the greatest resistance to blow-off, followed by the single-injector setup. The five-injector configuration proved to be the least resistant (by far) in comparison. In an earlier computational study [1], preferential blow-off in configuration F was successfully modeled and strong flame-flame interference could be investigated. This work is continued to assess the ability of a numerical model to study flames near blow-off, but with varying levels of flame-flame interaction. Passive scalar tracking was used to relate cross-injector transport of material to a given injector’s flame-holding ability. The non-monotonic blow-off trend could not be explained by stretch and heat release rate trends, but well-stirred reactor (WSR) theory was found to be more relevant as trends in recirculation zone residence times correlate well with blow-off sequences. In addition, cross-injector transport was studied due to the multi-injector scenario to assess how flameholding zones may be diluted. This work is expected to be useful for analyzing part-load behavior in multi-injector power-generating gas turbine combustion systems, and helps to characterize injector performance towards extending the range of lean operability.