Abstract
Lean blowout (LBO) limits is critical to the operational performance of combustion systems in propulsion and power generation. The swirl cup plays an important role in flame stability and has been widely used in aviation engines. Therefore, the effects of swirl cup geometry and flow dynamics on LBO limits are significant. An experiment was conducted for studying the lean blowout limits of a single dome rectangular model combustor with swirl cups. Three types of swirl cup (dual-axial swirl cup, axial-radial swirl cup, dual-radial swirl cup) were employed in the experiment which was operated with aviation fuel (Jet A-1) and methane under the idle condition. Experimental results showed that, with using both Jet A-1 and methane, the LBO limits increase with the air flow of primary swirler for dual-radial swirl cup, while LBO limits decrease with the air flow of primary swirler for dual-axial swirl cup. In addition, LBO limits increase with the swirl intensity for three swirl cups. The experimental results also showed that the flow dynamics instead of atomization poses a significant influence on LBO limits. An improved semi-empirical correlation of experimental data was derived to predict the LBO limits for gas turbine combustors.
Highlights
Lean blowout (LBO) has been a big problem since the gas turbine was used as the propulsion system of aircraftHeat Mass Transfer (2016) 52:1015–1024 and power plant
The intent of this paper is to investigate the effect of swirl cup flow dynamics on lean stability behavior, with an aim of eventually modeling this behavior
The increase of primary swirler airflow would cause the variation of velocity profile at jet exit and eventually affect the flow dynamics of burning zone [8]
Summary
Lean blowout (LBO) has been a big problem since the gas turbine was used as the propulsion system of aircraftHeat Mass Transfer (2016) 52:1015–1024 and power plant. Lean blowout (LBO) has been a big problem since the gas turbine was used as the propulsion system of aircraft. Effects to improve power and propulsion systems have increasingly shifted to safety and stringent emission standards [1]. Lean premixed combustion including LDI (lean direct injection) [2] and LPP (lean premixed prevaporized) [3] is widely accepted as an option to achieve lower NOX emissions. It would be noted that LBO poses a significant safety hazard to aircraft engines as rapid power changes are always required. It is a challenge for engine designers to develop a combustor that achieves stable operation and low NOX emissions over the full range of engine conditions
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