Investigations of Combustor Inlet Swirl on the Liner Wall Temperature in an Aero Engine Combustor

Abstract

Abstract Experimental and numerical investigations are carried out on an annular, straight flow, swirl-stabilized aero engine combustor. In this work, the effect of degree and direction of swirl at the inlet of combustion chamber is examined on the liner wall temperature and hot spots. This is carried out by experimentally measuring the liner outer wall temperature at discrete positions along the circumferential and axial directions of the combustor liner in the engine test facility. The RANS based turbulence modeling with reacting flow approach is used to simulate the flow domain. Conjugate heat transfer analysis is used to estimate the liner wall temperature using Ansys CFX frame work. The degree and direction of swirl at the inlet of combustion chamber is found to alter the velocity and temperature profiles inside the combustor and hence found to have a significant effect on the liner hot spots and its location. Hotspot with 43 % increase in temperature near the secondary zone is observed with the increase in swirl angle from 5° to 15° at the combustor inlet. The location of the hotspot is found to be dependent on the swirl direction.