Performance of a novel swirling-flow single trapped vortex combustor

Abstract

A novel combustion concept, named swirling-flow single trapped vortex combustor (SSTVC), for the gas-turbine engine, is proposed in the present study. The aim is to take advantages of the single trapped vortex combustor (STVC) and swirling combustor. In details, the trapped vortex is applied for the pilot combustion region; the single-stage swirler is applied for the fuel/air mixing of the primary combustion region. A model combustor with three domes was designed to experimentally evaluate the novel combustion concept. The results show that the SSTVC has high performances on the total pressure recovery, stabilization, combustion efficiency, and outlet temperature distributions. In details, the liner pressure loss under non-reacting conditions varies 0.3% to 1.92%, with the reference velocity varying from 3 to 12 m/s; the lean ignition and blowout limits on the overall fuel-air ratio (FAR) are 0.0064 and 0.004, respectively; the combustion efficiency is 99.29% with the designed FAR. Overall, the proposed novel combustor could be a potential solution for the advanced combustor with high FAR.