Gas Turbine Combustor Research Articles

Effect of entropy waves on the thermoacoustic instability of choked outlet combustion chambers

Thermoacoustic instability is a major issue in aero-engine and gas turbine combustion chambers, especially for the case of lean premixed combustion. The instability is caused by the interaction of acoustic waves with unsteady heat release. As considering the accelerated entropy waves in the system, the entropy effect on the acoustic waves cannot be ignored, which will further modify the thermoacoustic instability. Recent researches have shown that the entropy waves can be generated by the steady heat sources or temperature gradients, which can exclude the interference of unsteady heat release factors in instability analysis. In this study, the effect of entropy waves on the thermoacoustic instability of the combustion chamber model with choked outlets is investigated by constructing a low-order acoustic network model. New modes introduced by entropy waves, called as the entropy acoustic modes (EA modes), are investigated by a steady heat source. Then the unsteady heat release is considered, and the effect of entropy waves on different modes and the coupling behavior of these modes are analyzed comprehensively. It is found that some modes are jointly affected by the flame, entropy waves as well as the acoustic waves, which are called as the entropy thermoacoustic modes (ETA modes). Moreover, the modal frequencies of the intrinsic thermoacoustic instabilities modes (ITA modes) are changed remarkably due to the introduction of entropy waves. In addition, the entropy wave dispersion and dissipation show a non-negligible effect on the thermoacoustic instability.

Computationally Efficient Workflow for Conjugate Heat Transfer With Large Eddy Simulation for Gas Turbine Combustors

Abstract Typical gas turbine combustor (GTC) and high-pressure turbine stage generally employs 10,000 to 100,000 small passages of cooling holes. Such an arrangement protects the solid walls through impingement and effusion cooling. The former provides solid wall internal cooling, and the latter helps to reduce the metal temperature by developing a thin film around it. High-fidelity simulations are primarily utilized in the industry such that accurate prediction from numerical tools can aid advancement in the performance of such machines. In this paper, a numerical study using ansys fluent has been conducted with large eddy simulation (LES), conjugate heat transfer (CHT), and radiation to explore the relative benefits of implicit and explicit fluid–solid thermal couplings. The simulations of LES with CHT are performed for well-documented experiments of heated nozzle exhaust passing over a film-cooled plate (Wernet et al., 2020, “PIV and Rotational Raman-Based Temperature Measurements for CFD Validation of a Perforated Plate Cooling Flow: Part I,” AIAA 2020-1230, Session, AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum, Orlando, FL, Jan. 6–10, 2020). The accuracy of the modeling approach is assessed by comparing CHT predictions of fluid velocity and solid-plate temperatures with experiments. Acceleration techniques for LES–CHT simulations are explored in this paper with an emphasis on thermal coupling, radiation, etc. The effects of mesh sensitivity and flow solution approach are presented in detail. LES–CHT results generally match the experiments at various blowing ratios both qualitatively and quantitatively. The comparisons in the paper allow the selection of best practices for CHT modeling in GTC. A generic combustor model with effusion cooling hole arrays is used in the paper to establish the workflow for modeling LES with CHT in the industrial-type combustor. Various acceleration techniques are utilized to show an overall improvement in solution performance with the same level of accuracy.

Investigation on unsteady formation and evolution of high-temperature zone in a staged swirl combustor

The high-temperature zone of a laboratory staged swirl gas turbine combustor was studied under different Stratification Ratios (SR) based on experimentally validated Large Eddy Simulation (LES). CH4/air mixtures were adopted with a constant global equivalence ratio of 0.5. Three flame conditions with SR = 1, 2 and 3 were chosen for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and OH Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (OH-PLIF) measurements. The LES was performed with the Flamelet-Generated Manifold (FGM) combustion model and validated against the experimental velocity fields and flame structures. Then, a detailed analysis of the formation, evolution, and dissipation of the high-temperature zone was conducted. It is observed that a larger SR deteriorates the uniformity of the exit temperature distribution. One major reason is that with increased SR, rich-burn region is observed to be more dominant. This leads to enhanced non-premixed combustion and an extended heat release region towards downstream, which intensively contribute to the high-temperature zone formation. Additionally, vortices along the shear layers are found to enhance the mixing between fluids of different temperatures, which plays a crucial role in dissipating the high-temperature zone. Higher SR leads to a larger Primary Recirculation Zone (PRZ), and the partially dissipated high-temperature fluid can be recirculated into the PRZ, thus increasing the dissipation distance. With lower SR, however, the high-temperature parcels can be broken and even completely dissipated. This accounts for lower temperature gradients and a more uniform exit temperature distribution. The findings from this study offer new perspectives on understanding the effect of temperature in the primary combustion zone on the exit temperature distribution.

Reacting Flow Prediction of the Low-Swirl Lifted Flame in an Aeronautical Combustor With Angular Air Supply

Abstract The development of lean-burn combustion systems is of paramount importance for reducing the pollutant emissions of future aero engine generations. By tilting the burners of an annular combustor in circumferential direction relative to the rotational axis of the engine, the potential of increased combustion stability is opened up due to an enhanced exhaust gas recirculation between adjacent flames. The innovative gas turbine combustor concept, called the short helical combustor (SHC), allows the main reaction zone to be operated at low equivalence ratios. To exploit the higher stability of the fuel-lean combustion, a low-swirl lifted flame is implemented in the staggered SHC burner arrangement. The objective is to reach ultralow NOx emissions by complete evaporation and extensive premixing of fuel and air upstream of the lean reaction zone. In this work, a modeling approach is developed to investigate the characteristics of the lifted flame in an enclosed single-burner configuration, using the gaseous fuel methane. It is demonstrated that by using the large eddy simulation method, the shape and liftoff height of the flame are adequately reproduced by means of the finite-rate chemistry approach. For the numerical prediction of the lean lifted flame in the SHC arrangement, the focus is on the interaction of adjacent burners. It is shown that the swirling jet flow is deflected toward the sidewall of the staggered combustor dome, which is attributed to the asymmetrical confinement. Since the stabilization mechanism of the low-swirl flame relies on outer recirculation zones, the upstream transport of hot combustion products back to the flame base is studied by the variation of the combustor confinement ratio. It turns out that increasing the combustor size amplifies the exhaust gas recirculation along the sidewall, and increases the temperature of recirculating burned gases. This study emphasizes the capability of the proposed lean-burn combustor concept for future aero engine applications.

Experimental investigation of multi-burner array with lean lifted spray flames in inline and inclined configurations

Lean combustion in gas turbines garners attention for emissions reduction, yet it faces stability challenges demanding careful design considerations. In this study, a novel CHAIRLIFT combustor concept, which integrates low swirl lean lifted spray flames known for substantial nitrogen oxides emissions reduction, into a Short Helical Combustors (SHC) arrangement, is investigated. A comprehensive experimental test campaign explores key parameters, including staggered arrangement offset, equivalence ratios, and air inlet temperature, to evaluate its performance. The results reveal exceptional stability in low swirl, lifted flames compared to moderate swirl flames with larger inner recirculation zones. The unwanted flow deflection of highly swirled flames in the SHC arrangement is effectively avoided with the investigated low swirl, lifted flames. The study emphasizes the significant influence of fuel droplet evaporation time on flame stability near the flame root under low air inlet temperatures. Furthermore, at high air inlet temperatures, the complex flame stability mechanism in inclined configurations is controlled by various parameters, including outer recirculation zone size, air inlet temperature, and additional vortices generated by pressure differences near the wall. OH∗ chemiluminescence results corroborate these stability mechanisms, showing that at lower temperatures, the flame stabilizes closer to the nozzle exit due to local rich pockets near the shear layer. Conversely, at the same tilt angle, higher air inlet temperatures lead to an increased flame lift-off height due to faster evaporation and enhanced mixing. Exhaust gas analyses confirm the potential of the investigated lean lifted spray flames in a multi-burner arrangement to achieve very low NOx emissions over a wide range of operating conditions for all investigated burner inclinations. These findings may facilitate the future development and optimization of lean combustion technology for aircraft engines.

Elevated temperature tribological assessment of Ni-based cermet self-lubricating coatings deposited by cold spray

Solid lubricant coatings provide reduced friction and wear resistance and hence finding widespread application in harsh environmental conditions, such as gas turbine, aircraft, and internal combustion engines. It is apparent that single lubricant fails to offer effective lubrication over wide temperature range. Hence, two or more solid lubricants are mutually incorporated to achieve the appropriate lubrication by their synergy under harsh service conditions. The current investigation is being carried out to evaluate the synergistic impact of different solid lubricants viz. silver (Ag), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and chromium oxide (Cr2O3) on the frictional properties of coatings from room temperature (RT) to 800 °C. Cold spraying process has gathered extensive acceptance for the development of metallic and metallic-ceramic coatings. The current study elucidated the tribological characteristics of cold sprayed nickel-based high temperature lubrication coatings, namely, Ni-Al-MoS2-Ag (NB0), Ni-Al-MoS2-Ag-5 wt% h-BN (NB5), Ni-Al-MoS2-Ag-7.5 wt% h-BN (NB7.5), Ni-Al-MoS2-Ag-10 wt% h-BN (NB10) and Ni-Al-MoS2-Ag-Cr2O3–7.5 wt% h-BN (NB7.5 + 7 wt% Cr2O3) against Al2O3 ball in an operative testing regime from (RT-800 °C) using ball-on-disc tribometer. Results indicated that NB7.5+ 7 wt% Cr2O3 coating exhibited remarkable self-lubricating and wear resistance properties as compared to other coatings. However, NB7.5+ 7 wt% Cr2O3 revealed slightly higher coefficient of friction (COF) in compare to NB7.5 coating till 400 °C, and beyond that it showed a decreasing trend and lesser COF in compare to other coatings. The observed wear mechanisms at different temperatures were discussed in detail after analyzing the morphologies of worn surface. The pivotal role played by the participating solid lubricants were also discussed in detail which help in to provide the continuous compacted layers at the worn surfaces at elevated temperature.

Scaling of Lean Aeronautical Gas Turbine Combustors

Abstract A numerical procedure is presented for the scaling of lean aeronautical gas turbine combustors to different thrust classes. The procedure considers multiple operating points and aims for a self-similar flow field with respect to a reference configuration. The developed scaling approach relies on an optimization-based workflow which involves automated geometry and numerical grid generation, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations, and postprocessing of the reacting flow field. Kriging is applied as a metamodel to identify new sets of parameters for combustor geometry generation. A generic lean-burn high-pressure aeronautical combustor has been designed to serve as a first verification test case with reactive flow characteristics comparable to real combustion chambers. The burner geometry is parameterized by 23 free parameters which are altered within the scaling process. The definition of a suitable scaling function is essential for the success of the scaling approach. A scaling function based on pressure loss, axial location of heat release, pilot air split, and the temperature profile at the combustor exit is proposed. The developed procedure is tested and applied for the scaling of an internally-staged lean combustor to a lower thrust class considering multiple operating points simultaneously. In total, 65 different combustor variants have been evaluated by the scaling procedure. Simulations were performed for each of these configurations at takeoff, approach, and idle operating conditions. The final combustor configuration, scaled to a lower thrust class, shows good agreement to the reference configuration in terms of the scaling targets and reasonably resembles the emission indices. Integrating the scaling procedure into the design process of future combustion systems could reduce the required design iterations and thereby contribute to significantly reduced development times and costs.

Ignition Delay Times and Chemical Kinetic Model Validation for Hydrogen and Ammonia Blending With Natural Gas at Gas Turbine Relevant Conditions

Abstract Ignition delay times from undiluted mixtures of natural gas (NG)/H2/Air and NG/NH3/Air were measured using a high-pressure shock tube at the University of Central Florida. The combustion temperatures were experimentally tested between 1000 and 1500 K near a constant pressure of 25 bar. As mentioned, mixtures were kept undiluted to replicate the same chemistry pathways seen in gas turbine combustion chambers. Recorded combustion pressures exceeded 200 bar due to the large energy release, hence why these were performed at the high-pressure shock tube facility. The data are compared to the predictions of the NUIGMech 1.1 mechanism for chemical kinetic model validation and refinement. An exceptional agreement was shown for stoichiometric conditions in all cases but strayed at lean and rich equivalence ratios, especially in the lower temperature regime of H2 addition and all temperature ranges of the baseline NG mixture. Hydrogen addition also decreased ignition delay times by nearly 90%, while NH3 fuel addition made no noticeable difference in ignition time. NG/NH3 exhibited similar chemistry to pure NG under the same conditions, which is shown in a sensitivity analysis. The reaction CH3 + O2 = CH3O + O is identified and suggested as a possible modification target to improve model performance. Increasing the robustness of chemical kinetic models via experimental validation will directly aid in designing next-generation combustion chambers for use in gas turbines, which in turn will greatly lower global emissions and reduce greenhouse effects.

Laws of Thermodynamics and Their Applications in Heat Engine

Thermodynamics is a fundamental branch of physics that governs the behavior of energy and heat in various systems. This paper explores the key principles of thermodynamics and their applications in internal combustion engines and gas turbines. The first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only change forms, is fundamental to understanding energy transfer in these machines. The second law of thermodynamics introduces the concept of entropy and explains the direction of heat flow. We have discussed the applications of the laws in design and operation, such as improving performance and efficiency. We look forward to the development of the applications in the future.

Ammonia blends for gas-turbines: Preliminary test and CFD-CRN modelling

Ammonia, with its high hydrogen density, cost effectiveness and ease of storage, is emerging as a potential fuel to meet decarbonisation targets in various sectors. However, the combustion of pure ammonia poses challenges due to its low calorific value and reactivity. Existing gas turbine combustion systems, refined over decades with conventional fuels, struggle to maintain comparable flue gas emission concentrations when burning ammonia.Overcoming this challenge requires a paradigm shift in gas turbine combustion, with implications for chemistry and combustor design methodology. Research into the chemical kinetic mechanism for ammonia combustion worldwide reveals differences in flame radical pools compared to methane combustion. The dominant NOx formation mechanism shifts to a "fuel-bound nitrogen" type, which differs from the "thermal" mechanism in hydrocarbon and hydrogen combustion.The integration of chemical reaction rates into Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models with transport equations results in impractical computational times for industrial applications. Therefore, streamlined approaches such as chemical reaction reduction methods are being developed. This involves the construction of lumped parameter models (Chemical Reactor Network - CRN) to identify key parameters that affect species production. A reliable CRN implementation involves the identification of critical volumes using a preliminary CFD approach (CFD-CRN).This paper analyses preliminary experimental tests by Baker Hughes on an industrial burner using different ammonia, hydrogen, and methane fuel mixtures. The NOx results show a different behavior between methane and hydrogen. While the detailed mechanisms behind these results remain open questions, the CFD-CRN modelling approach is adopted. A proposed CRN is investigated for methane, hydrogen, and ammonia blends, providing insight into key parameters and a reasonable physical explanation for the different NOx results. A single calibration parameter (ϕpilot/ϕref) is used to predict accurately NOx emissions using experimental data available from experimental campaign.

IMPACT OF MEASUREMENTS TECHNIQUES ON HEAT TRANSFER CHARACTERISTICS IN AIR JET ARRAYS

Air impact processes have diverse applications in engineering, including backflow welding, textile drying, and gas turbine blade and combustion liner cooling. This research examines the influence of experimental methodologies and measurement tools on convective heat transfer in adjustable air jet assemblies. The experiment involves the use of heated targets made of thin stainless steel foil with constant heat flux boundary conditions. Thermography measures target surface temperatures by analyzing how internal passage cross-flow affects convective heat transfer via outflow adjustments. The experiments involve two arrays of jet nozzles: inline and staggering, each comprising 44 impingement jet nozzles arranged in 4 rows with 11 jet holes in each row. The study presents unsteady time average local and spatial Nusselt numbers as functions of jet Reynolds number (4630-14000) and explores their dependence on the jet nozzle diameter. Cross-flow levels significantly affect spatial and local Nusselt numbers in both local and span-wise averaged values, regardless of the Reynolds number. Strong cross-flow (single configuration) distributes flow causing turbulence and uneven heat distribution, reducing Nusselt numbers. In contrast, moderate cross-flow (double configuration) improves heat transfer and increases Nusselt numbers. The study emphasizes the crucial role of experimental techniques in heat transfer evaluation and demonstrates agreement with prior studies within a standard error below 5%.

An early detection indicator of combustion instability for an industrial gas turbine combustor

Detection of combustion instability is crucial for the safety and reliability of gas turbines. In this paper, the recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) and multi-fractal analysis (MFA) methods are applied to investigate the transition process from combustion noise to combustion instability in an industrial-scale combustor. Based on the dynamic pressure (DP) obtained from high pressure and high temperature tests, a novel method is proposed to construct early detection indicators (EDI) of combustion instability. The method is mainly based on the three-dimensional map of the recurrence rate, Hurst exponent, and root mean square ratio. A regression method and SVM are applied to define the classification boundary. For three test cases, the results showed that the proposed EDI can effectively detect the onset of combustion instability. Compared to the conventional method based on the root mean square levels of dynamic pressure, the EDI has capability to forecast the onset of combustion instability approximately a few hundred milliseconds in advance.

Output-Only Identification of Lur’e Systems with Prandtl-Ishlinskii Hysteresis Nonlinearities

Lur’e systems are dynamical systems that are characterized by the feedback interconnection between a linear, time-invariant system and a feedback nonlinearity. Lur’e systems have been used to characterize the dynamics of several systems including gas turbine combustors and self-oscillatory systems. In this paper, we introduce an Identification algorithm for Lur’e systems with hysteretic feedback nonlinearities. We assume that the input to the Lur’e system is an unknown constant signal, and the linear dynamics have nonzero initial conditions. First, we use least squares with a transfer function model to identify the linear dynamics of the Lur’e system. Then, we use the identified linear dynamics along with the measured output to construct an estimate of the hysteretic nonlinearity. We show numerical examples to illustrate the proposed approach.

A NUMERICAL STUDY ON COMBUSTION IN ARRAYS OF BIDIRECTIONAL SWIRLING JETS

A numerical study of combustion in bidirectional swirling jets arrays is performed for the first time. A choice of bidirectional flow for designing burner arrays is caused by their advanced properties in terms of combustion stability, long fuel residence time, pollutants emission, etc. The simplest array studied in the paper is of square shape (3 × 3) and consists of the central toroidal bidirectional chamber and 8 peripheral cylindrical chambers. Such a decision is made to improve the stability of combustion due to the advantages of the toroidal shape known from the previous studies. The main result for the square array is that the flame surface area increases significantly, and the fuel burning rate is 1.68 times more compared to a single bidirectional chamber. Additionally, the simulations show that the key factor in array combustion stability is related to the formation of central recirculation zones in each bidirectional jet. Based on these results, the multipoint gas turbine combustor is designed. Its primary combustion zone is formed using the multiplied 3 × 3 array of bidirectional jets over the annulus. Thus, the overall number of simple vortex chambers in the annular array is 90. A numerical simulation of the new multipoint combustor operation shows a very intense jets interaction in its first half and its efficiency is more than 99%. Moreover, the calculated emission properties at an overall pressure ratio OPR = 40 suit the modern environmental requirements: CO = 12 ppm, NO = 22 ppm.

Topology characteristics of liquid ammonia swirl spray flame

The utilization of liquid ammonia in gas turbines can reduce energy loss and start-up time. However, the flash boiling phenomenon and the high latent heat of liquid ammonia make the spray flame difficult to stabilize. Increasing the preheated air temperature or adding a small amount of hydrogen as a piloted fuel are considered as effective methods to enhance the stability. To understand the flame topological structure, simultaneous Mie scattering and planar laser-induced fluorescence of OH (OH-PLIF) techniques were used to visualize the liquid ammonia spray structure and flame region information. Results show that the liquid ammonia swirl spray flame exhibits the flame topological structure of distinct zoning characteristics, including the droplet zone, the mixing zone, and the flame zone. Increasing the preheated air temperature accelerates the evaporation of liquid ammonia, leading to an increase in the local equivalence ratio and radial flame splitting. At lower air temperature conditions, increasing the hydrogen blending ratio has minimal impact on the flame topological structure. However, at higher temperature conditions, hydrogen blending significantly promotes reaction intensity upstream and reduces the flame lift-off height, which makes the mixing zone smaller. In general, to achieve a better flame stability effect, the two factors need to be reasonably matched, which has important reference value for the development of liquid ammonia fueled gas turbine combustors.

Longitudinal and azimuthal thermo-acoustic instabilities in an industrial gas turbine combustor operating at elevated pressure

This work numerically investigates longitudinal and azimuthal thermo-acoustic instabilities in the swirl-stabilised can-type industrial SGT-100 gas turbine combustor operated at elevated pressures of 3 and 6 bar. Previous experiments have shown that the combustor is susceptible to self-excited flame oscillations sustained by a thermo-acoustic feedback loop at specific operating conditions. In order to gain a better understanding of this feedback loop, a fully compressible large eddy simulation method is applied. The unknown sub-grid scale turbulence-chemistry interactions are modelled via a transported probability density function approach solved by the Eulerian stochastic fields method. First, the reaction zones and global flame topology at both operating pressures are analysed and compared to experimental images providing good qualitative agreement. Radial profiles of time-averaged and root-mean-square quantities furthermore demonstrate good quantitative agreement with the available measurement data. The applied simulation approach is capable of successfully reproducing self-excited thermo-acoustic instabilities in the longitudinal direction. The fundamental frequency of the predicted limit-cycle oscillation matches the experimentally measured frequency with high accuracy. Similar to the experimental observations, the fluctuation amplitudes of the pressure and global heat release rate increase significantly upon increasing the mean operating pressure from 3 to 6 bar. In addition to the dominant longitudinal mode, a high-frequency, low-amplitude azimuthal mode is also identified at both pressures. This azimuthal mode is periodically amplified and attenuated by the superposed longitudinal mode and induces small asymmetric (around the burner circumference) fluctuations of the local fuel and total mixture mass flow rates entering the flame region.

Numerical simulations on the effect of swirler installation angle on outlet temperature distribution in gas turbine combustors

The higher demand for temperature rises and low-pollution combustion methods make it more problematic to regulate the outlet temperature distribution (OTD) of advanced gas turbines. The present investigation tackles the significant challenge of achieving uniform outlet temperature distribution in advanced low-emission gas turbine combustors devoid of dilution holes, a concern that directly impacts the service life of turbine blades. Differing from the reliance on dilution holes characteristic of conventional combustor designs, this study aims to control the OTD by adjusting the installation angles of the swirler blades. To this end, a thorough numerical analysis is conducted to assess the impact of swirler blade angles on the temperature distribution within the combustor. The findings reveal that an elevated swirl number drives the flame front and regions of high temperature toward the downstream section of the combustor. This downstream shift exhibits the dual effect of potentially improving heat exchange due to enhanced mixing and substantially reducing the outlet temperature distribution factor (OTDF). Quantitatively, the obtained results demonstrate that by fine-tuning the swirler blade angles, a reduction in the OTDF by approximately 33.6 % and a decrease in the radial temperature distribution factor (RTDF) by about 20.4 % can be achieved. These reductions represent a substantial improvement in controlling the temperature field inside the combustor, which is crucial for minimizing the thermal load on turbine blades. In summary, the research provides valuable insights into the design of gas turbine combustors, highlighting an innovative approach to achieving more uniform temperature distributions at the outlet without the exploitation of dilution holes. The results of this scrutiny contribute to extending turbine blade life and improving the overall performance of gas turbine systems, thereby advancing the development of environmentally friendly combustion technologies.

Impact of pilot flame and hydrogen enrichment on turbulent methane/hydrogen/air swirling premixed flames in a model gas turbine combustor

This work investigates the impact of pilot flame and fuel composition on the structures and stabilization of swirling turbulent premixed methane/hydrogen/air flames in a lab-scale gas turbine model combustor. Simultaneous measurements of the velocity field and OH radicals distribution in the combustor were conducted using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) methods, respectively. Flames under stable and close to lean blow-off (LBO) conditions were studied for two fuel mixtures, with a hydrogen mole ratio of 0 and 50 % in the hydrogen/methane mixture, respectively. The studied flames were at a constant Reynolds number of 20,000 with different equivalence ratios. Two pilot-to-global fuel ratios were investigated (2 % and 6 %) while keeping the pilot-to-global air ratio constant at 2 %. Data for non-piloted flames were also acquired for comparison. The pilot flames were shown to extend the operability range. The LBO equivalence ratio of the main flame decreased with increasing fuel mass flow rate in the pilot flames due to the increased amount of hot gases with high concentrations of OH radicals in the outer recirculation zone (ORZ), which significantly enhanced the stabilization of the main flame. The stable flame reaction zone was in the high-speed shear layer between the ORZ and the inner recirculation zone (IRZ). When approaching LBO, the reaction zone was pushed downstream to the IRZ and subsequently decreased the size of IRZ, indicating a strong flow/flame interaction. Hydrogen enrichment was shown to reduce the LBO equivalence ratio. When close to LBO, the OH radicals in the hydrogen-enriched flames were observed in isolated pockets due to differential diffusion, which enhanced resilience to LBO. The flame front curvature, mean progress variable, and flame surface density were calculated from the acquired OH-PLIF data to quantify the impact of fuel composition and pilot flames on the flame structures.

Analysis of direct and indirect noise in a next-generation aviation gas turbine combustor

A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a next-generation combustor is performed to examine effects of this combustor concepts on direct and indirect combustion noise characteristics. Direct noise is computed considering the unsteady heat release predictions while entropy fluctuations in the downstream part of the combustor are used to estimate indirect noise through the transfer function of the outlet nozzle. A low-order acoustic reconstruction technique, which utilizes the Green’s function of the configuration, is developed to compute the acoustics inside the combustor. Comparisons to experimental results are reported, showing the reasonable accuracy of the LES and combustion noise computations. The direct noise spectrum peaks at frequencies around 3 kHz because of the fast timescales associated with the chemical reactions inside the combustor. In addition, the indirect noise is dominant at low frequencies, i.e., less than 400 Hz, because of the characteristics of the entropy spectrum at the outlet nozzle. Compared to a conventional rich-quench-lean (RQL) combustor configuration, significant differences in the acoustics are observed, and are explained by two specific technological novelties. Firstly, the direct noise spectrum peaks at significantly higher frequencies due to the combustor’s compactness. Secondly, the entropy inhomogeneities downstream of the combustion region are an order of magnitude smaller in amplitude due to the lack of dilution with cold air. This leads to a significant reduction in the indirect noise amplitude at low frequencies, where it is the dominant source of noise. These results suggest opportunities for advanced combustion technologies to achieve substantial reductions in combustion-related noise.

Analysis of Gas Turbine Combustor Exhaust Emissions: Effects of Transient Inlet Air Pressure

Gas turbine combustors are often subjected to combustion instabilities because of variability of operating conditions, affecting components, and altering exhaust emissions. Herein, the analysis focuses on simulating numerically the non‐premixed combustion as unsteady flamelet combustion and detailed kinetic mechanism. The goal is analyzing exhaust gases under unsteady inlet airflow conditions to define operation guidelines. The numerical approach is validated using data from the literature for nonperturbed cases. Three periodical perturbations of different amplitude show differences with the nonperturbed case. Besides emission of exhaust gases, the temperature field is sensitive to airflow inlet conditions. According to the simulation results, a strong dependence of temperature and pressure in primary and dilution zones of combustor exists on the inlet air pressure condition. Emissions of flue gases like CO and NOx respond to combustor thermal behavior showing high sensitivity to inlet air pressure as well. Results indicate that moderate pressure oscillations may derive into flashback effects.