Recirculation Zone Research Articles

Computational Study of Turbulence and Recirculation Effects in Turbine Blade Cooling Channel

This study introduces a two-dimensional computational model for the cooling passages in turbine blades. Turbulators are installed on both sides of the duct to enhance turbulence and improve heat transfer efficiency. The objective of this research is to analyze rectangular turbulators by examining the velocity, pressure, and turbulence before and after the turbulators. The findings reveal that recirculation zones diminish following the first two turbulators but increase behind the final turbulator upstream of the U-turn. Significant recirculation occurs on the upper and outer sides of the bend. High-velocity regions are observed on the inner side of the bend and after the first lower turbulator downstream of the U-turn.

A Large Eddy Simulation Study on Hydrogen Microjets in Hot Vitiated Crossflow

Abstract In this paper, the results of a large eddy simulation (LES) study on hydrogen microjets (dj ~ 0.5 mm) injected into a hot (1600 K) vitiated crossflow at different angles?namely, normal (90°) and inclined jet (30°), are presented. The goal is to explore the effects of injection angle on coherent turbulent structure formations, flame-vortex interactions, and wall heat flux contributions. The LES identifies the presence of the horseshoe vortex, the shear layer vortices (SLV), and the counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP), along with the shedding of spanwise-symmetry hairpin vortices in both the normal and inclined jets. The structures in the latter, however, appear more convoluted. In the near field, SLV-induced flow is crucial for mixing and flame propagation on the windward side of the jet, stabilized by autoignition near the jet exits. A flame-shear layer offset is observed here. In the far field, CVP dominates hot vitiated crossflow entrainment, driving flame propagation and heat and species transfer to the leeward side near the injection wall. In the wake region, combustion remains closer to the normal jet exit due to a stronger recirculation zone, resulting in higher wall heat fluxes. The mean wall heat flux values of both the normal and inclined jets decrease and approach each other with moving away from the jet exit in the streamwise direction. The present LES study results are compared to experimental data from the literature by considering instantaneous hydroxide (OH) fields and mean wall heat fluxes.

Study of the impurity dissolution kinetics, rheological characterization, and hydrodynamic aspects during the bioleaching of iron ore pulp in a bioreactor

AbstractThis research aims to study the rheological behavior and impurities dissolution kinetics in a bioleaching process of two particle sizes and three different pulp densities, which are analyzed and compared. It was found that the small particle size with 40% (w/w) pulp density provides the maximum dissolution of impurities in the shortest bioleaching time (in 2 days). Furthermore, through a CFD simulation in a system with 40% (w/w) pulp density and 44 μm particle size, a stirring speed of 700 rpm provides the best mixing conditions in the bioreactor, enabling good distribution of recirculation zones and adequate streamline patterns with a viscosity map that minimizes regions of high and low viscosity. Graphical abstract

Lid driven flow and heat transfer due to various positions of slit in a square cavity: FEM approach

A detailed analysis of flow and heat transfer due to moving slit within the various positions of the square cavity is discussed. The slit is strategically positioned and examined at three distinct locations within the square cavity i.e. left, middle and right. Constraints of the square cavity are defined for horizontal and vertical walls. The top horizontal wall is considered to be adiabatic while the other three walls of the cavity are cold. The upper surface of slit is heated and movable towards the left side of the square cavity while the other three walls are immovable and cold. The fluid flow dynamics and heat transfer within the enclosed cavity are governed by fundamental principles of mass, momentum and energy conservation. These governing principles manifest as intricate mathematical equations, specifically nonlinear partial differential equations accompanied with boundary conditions. The key parameters under consideration include the Reynolds number (250≤Re≤1500) and Richardson number (0.01≤Ri≤5) at a fixed Prandtl number (Pr=6.2). These parameters are analysed through variations in velocities, temperature profiles, isotherms and streamlines. In the computational framework, the momentum and temperature equations are addressed through quadratic interpolation, while linear interpolation is applied to handle the pressure equation. The numerical solution, utilizing Newton's technique and the PARADISO solver, is rigorously validated against existing research methodologies, establishing its methodological reliability. Higher Reynolds numbers shift the primary vortex towards the middle and create corner recirculation zones, more uniform heat distribution, while higher Richardson numbers increase buoyancy forces, reducing isotherm contours and affecting heat distribution. The local Nusselt number increases with the increase in Reynolds numbers but shows small changes with the increase in Richardson number. The value of Nusselt number decreases as the position of slit changes from left to right.

Coupling Analysis between the Transonic Buffeting Flow and a Heaving Supercritical Airfoil Based on Dynamic Mode Decomposition

The coupling between a transonic buffeting flow and a supercritical airfoil with harmonic heave motion was studied. A parametric space of the heave frequency and amplitude was investigated using a verified fluid–structural interaction framework. The spatial-temporal flow pattern around the transonic airfoil was studied using dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) to unveil the physical coupling mechanism. The results show three types of flow responses under the heave motion: (I) A buffet frequency response with a λ-shape shock wave structure and recirculation zone at the shock foot. The aerodynamic performance was alike the scenario in the flow past the stationary airfoil. (II) A transitional response with a weakened shock and enhanced boundary layer. The aerodynamic performance deteriorated sharply at f=fbuffet and recovered after the frequency was past the buffet frequency. The flow pattern was characterized by a double-shock structure that interacted with the enhanced boundary layer. (III) A heave frequency response with the dominant heave motion. The variance in the aerodynamic loading increased significantly at f>fbuffet and there were higher heave amplitudes in this stage. The driving motion of the airfoil transferred the energy of the buffet mode to the boundary layer with a more even energy balance according to the energy contribution analysis of the DMD modes.

Experimental study of rotating direction for dual-axial swirlers on the flow field and combustion characteristics of aero-engine combustor

The flow field structure for aero-engine combustor is one of the most important factors for combustion performance. To investigate how the rotating direction of dual-axial swirlers affects the flow field and combustion characteristics, particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments were conducted in the primary combustion and intermediate zones. Additionally, planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) was used to map the distribution of kerosene and OH in the primary combustion zone. The results show that the swirling jets in co-swirl exhibit greater jet momentum, resulting in a longer primary recirculation zone and a larger deflection angle of the primary jets. This ultimately leads to a higher recirculation rate compared to counter-swirl. The primary jets define the boundary of the flow field structure. The rotating direction primarily affects the flow field structure upstream of the primary jets, exerts a relatively weaker influence on the intermediate zone, which is mainly affected by the deflection direction of the primary jets, and essentially has no impact on the dilution jets. Co-swirl has a relatively stable flow field than counter-swirl, whereas the flow field in counter-swirl is more chaotic, featuring a greater number of vortex cores in the primary recirculation zone. The coupling between the primary and swirling jets affects the mass transfer direction in the intermediate zone, which is reflected in the fact that the mass transfer is from top-left to bottom-right in co-swirl, while it is in the opposite direction in counter-swirl. OH is predominantly found in the swirling shear layers, the primary and secondary combustion zones, whereas kerosene is mainly concentrated in the shear layers of swirling jets. The kerosene distribution in co-swirl shows a larger and more concentrated expansion angle compared to counter-swirl. In contrast, the OH distribution downstream of counter-swirl is broader, with more intense combustion due to enhanced kerosene decomposition and fuel-air mixing. The smaller primary recirculation zone in counter-swirl forces the primary combustion zone to extend downstream, leading to a more intense reaction in the secondary recirculation zone.

Effects of axisymmetric confinement on vortical structures emanating from round turbulent jets

Confined jets occur in many engineering applications including combustion chambers, jet pumps, and chemical reactors. The effects of axisymmetric confinement on the vortical structures identified in a turbulent jet are investigated using large eddy simulation at a Reynolds number of 30 000 (based on nozzle exit conditions) and expansion ratio (chamber-to-nozzle diameter ratio) of five. The results obtained from the confined jet are compared with those of a free jet under the same nozzle exit flow conditions. A prominent recirculation zone forms between the expanding jet and the confining wall, resulting in early shear layer distortion and a shorter interaction length in the confined jet (0.85 jet diameters) compared to the free jet (1.15 jet diameters). Using the λ2 criterion for vortex identification, two dominant structural modes are identified in the near-exit region of the free jet: ring and helical modes. However, in the confined jet, the helical mode is absent, and the turbulent confined fluid accelerates the breakup of the ring vortices. The interaction of the secondary line vortices with the breaking structures leads to the formation of new hairpin-like vortices, which also contribute to further vortex breakup. These results explain the enhanced mixing performance of confined jets as the mixing is directly tied to the breakup of large vortical structures. Proper orthogonal decomposition modes are also presented to identify the structures/events with the highest contribution to the total turbulent kinetic energy in both flow fields.

Effect of Ramp Geometry on Single Expansion Ramp Nozzle Performance Characteristics

In high-speed flight regimes, the drag plays a significant role in determining the overall performance of the aerospace vehicle. One proposed solution is to integrate a single expansion ramp nozzle (SERN) at the aft of the vehicle to mitigate the drag effects. This work investigates the effects of nozzle geometry on flow and performance characteristics of SERN with a thrust-optimized parabolic and minimum-length nozzle ramp contours, which have not been explored with regard to these aspects. A computational study is carried out on these two ramp contours using compressible Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations over a range of nozzle pressure ratio (NPR). In the tested range of NPR, the restricted shock separation is found to be the chief mode of flow separation in SERN, along with the change in the size of recirculation zone and separation bubble. At NPR 3, the thrust-optimized parabolic ramp contour shows an increment of thrust coefficient by 29.2% over the minimum-length nozzle; whereas at NPR 3.5, the minimum-length nozzle demonstrates an increment of thrust coefficient by 56.3% over the thrust-optimized parabolic at 0-deg M cowl angle. Further, in the tested range of NPR, the minimum-length nozzle shows an improved lift coefficient at 5 deg cowl angle.

Distinguishing the vertical air-staging low-NOx function of secondary air for suspension combustion within an industrial-scale coal-fired reversal grate furnace

The numerous coal-fired grate furnaces in China, which were designed to partition primary air on the grate and arrange secondary air in the freeboard for air-staging combustion, suffered from poor burnout and high NOx. However, secondary air was conventionally closed or set at marginal openings in real operations and no investigation was reported to explain why. Upon these off-design secondary-air circumstances, industrial-scale tests and modeling investigations were performed for a 75 t/h coal-fired reversal grate furnace at secondary-air ratios of 0 %, 3 %, 6 %, 10 %, and 16 %, respectively. The primary aims were to (i) uncover its combustion and NOx formation characteristics with varying secondary air and (ii) confirm whether secondary air acted on a real air-staging function in reducing NOx. Flow-field deflection and asymmetric combustion were found in the furnace, with the upward gas entirely deflecting towards the rear side. The front-half furnace was filled with a large but weak recirculation zone without effective combustion, acting on a huge dead zone to waste the furnace-space utilization. With increasing the secondary-air ratio, the upward gas deflection deteriorated continuously. Layer combustion worsened while suspension combustion first strengthened and then weakened. NOx emissions displayed an ascent-to-descent trend. Carbon in slag raised while carbon in fly ash decreased. Among the five case setups, the 0 % setting (i.e., fully closing secondary air) exhibited the lowest NOx emissions and burnout loss. Compared with the habitual 6 % setup, fully closing secondary air not only reduced NOx emissions by 22 % but also improved a little burnout. These trends meant that opening secondary air only strengthened suspension combustion for burning well fly ash while raised both NOx and total burnout loss. Secondary air thus failed to role as an air-staging function in reducing NOx.

Effects of inlet air holes on swirl flow characteristics and outlet temperature distribution in an axial swirl combustor

The air inlet holes on the swirl combustor are crucial for high-performance micro gas turbine (MGT), affecting internal airflow, fuel-air mixing, temperature distribution, and cooling. However, there are seldom studies that pay attention to the influence of the air inlet holes coupled with low volatility macromolecular fuels for fast and better fuel-air mixing and combustion processes in MGT. This study investigates the influence of primary and dilution hole positions on airflow, temperature, emissions, and combustion efficiency. Numerical simulations in ANSYS Fluent examine five inlet hole configurations in a two-stage axial swirl combustor. Simulation validation is conducted under three test conditions. The results showed that the cut-off effect of the primary hole affected the size of the swirl vortex core, and the backward movement of the primary hole resulted in a significant increase in the length of the recirculation zone and the coherence high-temperature zone, accelerated the droplet evaporation rate, and reduced CO and NO emissions. Backward movement of dilution hole alters flow field, affecting swirl vortex stability and reflow intensity. Case 3, with original dilution hole and backward extended primary hole, exhibits optimal outlet temperature distribution and combustion efficiency.

Numerical study on flame acceleration and deflagration-to-detonation transition affected by the solid obstacles with different shapes

To investigate which shape of solid obstacles is most optimal in terms of detonation-assisting capability within a closed channel, this study utilizes the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method, based on the OpenFOAM platform, to conduct a detailed numerical study on the effects of different shaped obstacles (rectangular, rhombus, trapezoidal, circular, triangular) on flame acceleration and detonation initiation processes. The results show that the obstacles arranged in the middle of the combustion chamber can create more passages and local flames. Meanwhile, changes in the shape of obstacles can also produce different vortex structures and recirculation zones. These differences affect the flame surface area and the total combustion heat release rate, thereby affecting the flame acceleration effect. Judging from the results, triangular obstacles have the best flame acceleration effect, followed by rhombus, trapezoid, rectangle, and circular obstacles. In terms of detonation initiation, the obstacles with a slope can induce vortex to detach earlier, which produce a better vortex-flame interaction. Simultaneously, the slope can reflect the shock wave more frequently, creating more favourable conditions for the formation of Mach reflection and Mach stem. Based on this, it is found that trapezoidal and triangular obstacles have better detonation-assisting capability. Additionally, it is found that the stronger the leading shock wave and the shorter the distance between it and the flame front, the better the detonation initiation effect. In general, the types of detonation initiation in this study all belong to the shock detonation transition (SDT). However, the detonation initiation process can be further classified into two categories: (I) Detonation induced by shock wave reflection; (II) Detonation triggered by shock wave focusing.

Experimental and numerical studies of detailed heat transfer and flow characteristics in the rib turbulated annulus of a double pipe heat exchanger

An enhancement in the overall heat transfer between the fluids in a Double pipe heat exchanger (DPHE) can be achieved through various active or passive techniques. The present study focuses on the passive heat transfer enhancement in the annular region of a DPHE by incorporating circular ribs on the outer surface of the inner pipe. The primary objective is to investigate the influence of the ribs on the local distribution of heat transfer and fluid flow in the annulus of the heat exchanger. The local Nusselt number (Nu) distribution was determined experimentally using a test section specially designed with a provision to measure the wall temperature distribution of the inner pipe with an IR thermal imaging camera. The pressure drop across the channels with the ribs was also measured in the experimental studies. Numerical studies are employed to gain insights into the flow characteristics in the annular region in the presence of ribs. Studies comprise various rib diameters (e/Dh = 0.08, 0.14), rib-to-rib pitches (P/e = 6, 12, 18), and Reynolds number values (Re = 5000, 7500, and 10000). The heat transfer behaviour from the experimental study is discussed based on the flow mechanism observed using numerical techniques. The flow separation and reattachment due to the rib and the induced recirculation zone cause large variations in the Nusselt number distribution between the ribs. The peak Nusselt number value between adjacent ribs is observed at the location of reattachment of the flow to the ribbed wall. Acquired data also shows that the flow and heat transfer characteristics differ significantly with changes in the P/e ratio. The rib configuration with e/Dh = 0.14 and P/e = 12 is identified as optimal, achieving a balanced improvement in heat transfer while showing a relatively lower pressure drop.

Design method and experimental study on a novel self-sustaining internal combustion burner

Peak shaving represents a particular challenge with regard to coal-fired power plants, as methods to achieve stable, high-efficiency, and low-nitrogen-oxide combustion at ultralow loads remain unavailable. In this study, based on analysis of the ignition mechanism, heating mode, and theory of preheating method, we proposed a novel pulverized coal full-time self-sustaining internal combustion burner by combining the processes of plasma ignition, reverse jetting, and multi-stage ignition. A flame stability model for the burner's recirculation zone was established using the temperature change rate of the recirculation zone as a criterion. The ignition position of the stable self-sustained combustion of the pulverized coal gas stream was determined under various working conditions, and the length of the ignition core stage, a component of the burner inside which the pulverized coal gas stream achieves stable self-sustained combustion, was determined based on the calculated maximum ignition position; a self-sustaining internal combustion burner was then designed based on the ascertained length. Subsequently, we established an experimental system for the self-sustaining internal combustion burner and conducted tests in the load range of 25 %–100 %. Notably, the results of the pulverized coal self-sustained ignition position experiment were consistent with the computational results of the model. The self-sustaining internal combustion burner offers a quick start–stop feature, with the pulverized coal able to achieve stable self-sustained combustion after the plasma igniter shuts off. The resultant gas-phase products exiting the burner met the boiler's concentration requirements for enhanced nitrogen reduction, and the burner exhibited good anti-interference properties. The influence of the pulverized coal gas stream velocity and concentration on the self-sustained ignition was expounded. Under the experimental conditions, an optimal concentration range was ascertained for stable ignition of the pulverized coal gas stream, with the ignition position gradually advancing backward with increasing gas stream velocity. Together, our findings highlight the potential of the proposed burner design to support clean and efficient pulverized coal combustion in coal-fired power plants.

Numerical investigation of bimodal tip clearance effect on the lift-drag and flow characteristics of a hydrofoil

Tip leakage flow has adverse effect on energy conversion of the hydraulic machinery. The new tip clearance structure based on Bimodal Gaussian function is designed to reduce tip leakage vortex. The effects of bimodal structure with different amplitudes and arrangement positions on lift-drag and flow characteristics are studied. The results show that the maximum rise of the lift-drag ratio reaches 5.88% when the bimodal structure amplitude is equal to the tip clearance size. The bimodal structure reduces the outflow velocity at the peak and forms a smooth streamline, which weakens the entrainment with the mainstream. The location of the bimodal structure far away from leading edge helps to produce smooth streamlines and make the flow field smoother, and reduces the area of high turbulent kinetic energy region near leading edge and in tip clearance outflow region significantly. The arrangement position of bimodal structure close to leading edge can produce a low-speed zone or a recirculation zone in the mainstream, which can block the mainstream flow and reduce the energy characteristics of the hydrofoil.

Spontaneous ignition and flame propagation in hydrogen/methane wrinkled laminar flames at reheat conditions: Effect of pressure and hydrogen fraction

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) with detailed chemical kinetics and chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) are performed to investigate the effect of operating pressure and hydrogen–methane blending on laminar wrinkled flames at reheat combustion conditions. Building upon previous three-dimensional DNS datasets of reheat hydrogen flames, the present work considers two-dimensional configurations that render computationally-feasible simulations of high-pressure combustion and significantly more complex hydrocarbon chemistry. A geometrically-simplified representation of the reheat combustor is adopted and the thermodynamic states considered in the simulations are carefully chosen to mimic gas turbine operation conditions, which are constrained to achieve a target flame position and flame temperature. The two-dimensional DNS results are first assessed against the available three-dimensional data and then analyzed to extract the main trends exhibited by the reheat combustion process with respect to the fraction of the fuel consumed by spontaneous ignition and flame propagation, for increasing pressures and hydrogen fractions. Due to significant differences in the characteristic features of the velocity and thermal boundary layers between the three-dimensional and the two-dimensional configurations, a different global flame shape is observed (V-shaped flame vs W-shape flame) together with a ∼10% bias in the fraction of fuel consumed by spontaneous ignition. Crucially, results from the scaling studies reveal very clear trends with a significant decrease in the fuel consumption by spontaneous ignition for increasing pressures and hydrogen fractions, at the conditions investigated. Finally, this study highlights the important role that first-principle direct numerical simulations, even when conducted in computationally affordable two-dimensional simplified geometrical configurations, can play in obtaining detailed insights and quantitative trends useful for the characterization of complex reactive flows.Novelty and significanceThe reheat burners of the two-stage sequential gas turbine combustors are designed to stabilize flames primarily due to spontaneous ignition. However, prior numerical simulations revealed the presence of an additional assisted-ignition mode aided by recirculation zones. In this study, we used practically feasible two-dimensional direct numerical simulations of premixed hydrogen–air mixtures under lean conditions to quantify the roles of the two flame stabilization modes at different operating pressures. Achieving fundamental understanding of the effect of pressure and hydrogen fraction on flame stabilization is crucial to the development of two-stage sequential combustion and the present two-dimensional calculations provide important new insights. We show that at high pressures, both modes consume fuel to a similar extent. We also investigated the effect of methane blending on flame stabilization. This study also discusses how two-dimensional direct numerical simulations can be leveraged in the design optimization of reheat burners at low technology readiness levels.

Investigation on the effect of the leading angle of the strut on the stabilization characteristics of lifted jet flames

To achieve stable combustion within supersonic combustors, the strut-based mixing augmentation techniques are commonly employed. Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are employed to capture the intricate details of the combustion process in this study, focusing on the influence of shock waves induced by the leading edge of the strut and recirculation zones formed at the trailing edge on flame structure and stability. The effects of five struts with different leading edge angles on the stabilization characteristics of lifted jet flames were investigated, and a novel wedge-shaped strut was proposed. The results reveal that variations on the leading-edge angle of the struts lead to significant differences in the morphology of the jet flames. Under conditions permitting stable combustion, a strut with a 5° leading edge half-angle exhibits the highest combustion efficiency, though the combined effects of shock waves and recirculation zones in the 7° leading edge half-angle strut are also noteworthy. Based on these findings, a novel wedge-shaped strut design is introduced, which combines the characteristics of both strut types. The novel wedge-shaped strut achieves a combustion efficiency of 97 % at the slight cost of additional total pressure loss, providing a foundation for further optimization.

Transition of the flow type in the supersonic cavity controlled by the wall temperature

The wall temperature of the high-speed aircraft increases quickly under hypersonic/supersonic incoming flow, which will cause a significant change in the flow structure. To study the transition of the flow type in the supersonic cavity controlled by the wall temperature, numerical simulations are conducted. The cavity length-to-depth ratio (L/D) is varied from 10 to 15, and the wall temperature ranges from 300 K to 1300 K. The results indicate that the type of cavity flow with an L/D ratio of 13 transforms from a closed cavity flow to a transitional cavity flow, when the temperature reaches approximately 775 K. And the transitional temperature rises with the elevated total temperature of the incoming flow. Furthermore, the mechanism of the cavity flow change with wall temperature could be the competition between the recirculation zone and the shear layer in the cavity. The rising pressure with higher wall temperature in the recirculation zone weakens the downward development of the cavity shear layer, preventing it from hitting the cavity floor. As a result, the mass exchange of cavity lip surface, pressure distribution, total pressure recovery coefficient, and heat transfer distribution in the supersonic cavity change dramatically. The critical wall temperature also affected by the sidewall effects and the inflow Mach number.

Large-Eddy Simulation Study of Flow and Combustion Dynamics in a Full-Scale Hydrogen-Air Rotating Detonation Combustor-Stator Integrated System

Abstract A first-of-its-kind large-eddy simulation (LES) study is conducted to numerically investigate the combustion dynamics as well as aero-thermal phenomena in a full-scale non-premixed hydrogen-air rotating detonation engine (RDE) integrated with nozzle guide vanes (NGV) acting as the turbine stator. The LES framework incorporates hydrogen-air detailed chemical kinetics and adaptive mesh refinement. A comparative analysis is carried out for two operating conditions with different fuel/air mass flow rates but global equivalence ratio of unity. The LES model is validated against experimental data with respect to detonation wave speed/height, wave dynamics, and axial static pressure distribution. Numerical results indicate significant deflagrative combustion occurring in the fill region near the inner wall due to formation of recirculation zones in the injection near-field driven by the backward facing step. The leading detonation wave is found to be trailed by an azimuthal reflected-shock combustion wave, which consumes unburned vitiated reactants that leak through the main detonation wave. The detonation wave characteristics do not change appreciably with the presence of NGV. The exit flow is found to be nearly fully subsonic and supersonic for the low and high mass flux conditions, respectively. The presence of NGV renders the flow more axial, and significantly impacts the exit Mach number and total pressure. The low mass flux operating point, despite exhibiting more deflagrative losses within the combustor, yields overall lower pressure drop from plenum to exhaust, mainly attributed to lower pressure drop across the injectors.

Secondary air induced flow structures and their interplay with the temperature field in fixed bed combustors

Air staging in solid fuel combustion features widely in small scale domestic boilers to large scale moving grate combustors. Whilst the effects of air staging on the combustion characteristics of these systems are generally known, there is very little insight available into the role of secondary air on the flow and temperature field in the freeboard of batch-type fixed bed biomass combustors. Three-dimensional gas phase simulations using the Transition 𝑘kl-𝜔 and Finite Rate/Eddy Dissipation models were validated against freeboard temperatures and emissions (CO2 and O2) measured on the same set-up. Results show that secondary air at Qs/Qt ≥0.25 induces two recirculation zones, upstream and downstream of its injection point with maximum freeboard temperatures generally observed around these recirculation zones, if Qs/Qt drops to 0.12-0.18 only an upstream recirculation zone is observed until it diminishes by Qs/Qt = 0.06. However, there is a trade-off caused by what appears to be a cooling effect if Qs/Qt is increased between 0.25 and 0.71. Modelling results show that in reacting cases, unlike non-reacting modelling on the same geometry, the strength of the secondary air induced upstream recirculation zone appears significantly stronger.

Study on the fuel/air mixing process in a compact combustor with uneven flame stabilizer wall

Close-coupled injection is an important fuel injection method for future compact design combustors, and improving the mixing of fuel and gas is an important challenge for a wide operating range of the engine. By arranging uneven flame stabilizer walls behind the injection nozzles, the fuel penetration depth and fuel/air mixing of the close-coupled injection can be effectively improved at a low thrust state. In this paper, two kinds of uneven flame stabilizer wall structures were proposed, namely, the forked tail type and the lug-shaped type. The flow characteristics of different uneven flame stabilizer wall structures were investigated by combining numerical simulation and atomization experiments, and the differences in fuel distribution, jet trajectory, and combustion performance between the strut with uneven flame stabilizer wall structures and the U-shaped strut were qualitatively assessed. The results show that both proposed strut structures had a larger low-speed flame stabilization region, a greater jet penetration depth, and better combustion performance than did the common U-shaped strut, but with a greater flow resistance loss. The strut with a forked tail caused the airflow to deflect at the trailing edge of the strut, which in turn deflected the fuel, resulting in a larger recirculation zone and greater jet penetration depth. The lug-shaped strut produced a small recirculation zone behind the lug-shaped structure, and the fuel with a low fuel/air jet momentum flux ratio collided with the lug-shaped structure, thereby increasing the fuel jet penetration depth. The gap lug-shaped structure enhanced fuel diffusion and fuel/air mixing in the radial direction. Numerical studies under real operating conditions showed that the two types of uneven flame stabilizer wall structures were promising for improving the compactness of the combustor. Overall, two types of uneven flame stabilizer wall structures can promote fuel/air mixing during low engine operating states, which is conducive to widening the engine operating range and providing design solutions for the next generation of engine combustor designs with wide operating ranges.