Unsteady Flow Structures in Radial Swirler Fed Fuel Injectors

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 755-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Midgley ◽  
Adrian Spencer ◽  
James J. McGuirk
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Vortex Structures ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Time Averaging ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Specific Flow ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamic

Many fuel injector geometries proposed for lean-premixed combustion systems involve the use of radial swirlers. At the high swirl numbers needed for flame stabilization, several complex unsteady fluid mechanical phenomena such as vortex breakdown and recirculation zone precession are possible. If these unsteady aerodynamic features are strongly periodic, unwanted combustion induced oscillation may result. The present paper reports on an isothermal experimental study of a radial swirler fed fuel injector originally designed by Turbomeca, and examines the dynamical behavior of the unsteady aerodynamic flow structures observed. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to capture the instantaneous appearance of vortex structures both internal to the fuel injector, and externally in the main flame-stabilizing recirculation zone. Multiple vortex structures are observed. Vector field analysis is used to identify specific flow structures and perform both standard and conditional time averaging to reveal the modal characteristics of the structures. This allows analysis of the origin of high turbulence regions in the flow and links between internal fuel injector vortex breakdown and external unsteady flow behavior. The data provide a challenging test case for Large Eddy Simulation methods being developed for combustion system simulation.

Unsteady Flow Structures in Radial Swirler Fed Fuel Injectors

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Midgley ◽  
Adrian Spencer ◽  
James J. McGuirk
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Vortex Structures ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Time Averaging ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Specific Flow ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamic

Many fuel injector geometries proposed for lean-premixed combustion systems involve the use of radial swirlers. At the high swirl numbers needed for flame stabilisation, several complex unsteady fluid mechanical phenomena such as vortex breakdown and recirculation zone precession are possible. If these unsteady aerodynamic features are strongly periodic, unwanted combustion induced oscillation may result. The present paper reports on an isothermal experimental study of a radial swirler fed fuel injector, and examines the dynamical behaviour of the unsteady aerodynamic flow structures observed. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to capture the instantaneous appearance of vortex structures both internal to the fuel injector, and externally in the main flame-stabilising recirculation zone. Multiple vortex structures are observed. Vector field analysis is used to identify specific flow structures and perform both standard and conditional time averaging to reveal the modal characteristics of the structures. This allows analysis of the origin of high turbulence regions in the flow and links between internal fuel injector vortex breakdown and external unsteady flow behaviour. The data provide a challenging test case for Large Eddy Simulation methods being developed for combustion system simulation.

Effects of Swirler Configurations on Flow Structures and Combustion Characteristics

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoqiang Li ◽  
Ephraim J. Gutmark
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Combustion Characteristics ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Fuel Injector

Modern gas turbine combustion technologies are driven by stringent regulations on pollutant emissions such as CO and NOx. A combustion system of multiple swirlers coupled with distributed fuel injection was studied as a new concept for reducing NOx emissions by application of Lean Direct Injection (LDI) combustion. The present paper investigates the effects of swirler configurations on the flow structures in isothermal flow and combustion cases using a multiple-swirlers fuel injector at atmospheric conditions. The swirling flow field within the combustor was characterized by a central recirculation zone formed after vortex breakdown. The differences between the tangential and axial velocity profiles, the shape of the recirculation zones and the turbulence intensity distribution for the different fuel injector configurations impacted the flame structure, the temperature distribution and the emission characteristics both for gaseous and liquid fuels. Co-swirling configuration was shown to have the lowest NOx emission level compared with the counter-swirling ones for both types of fuels with lower inlet temperature. In contrast to this, the swirl configuration had less effect on the combustion characteristics in the case of gaseous fuel with high air inlet temperature. The differences in NOx emissions were shown to be closely related to the Damkohler number or the degree to which the flame resembled well-mixed combustion, which is the foundation for LDI combustion.

Combustion Control by Extended EV Burner Fuel Lance

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Oliver Paschereit ◽  
Peter Flohr ◽  
Hanspeter Kno¨pfel ◽  
Weiqun Geng ◽  
Christian Steinbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Recirculation Region ◽  
Operational Flexibility ◽  
Stability Margins ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Secondary Fuel

Flame stabilization in a swirl-stabilized combustor occurs in an aerodynamically generated recirculation region which is a result of vortex breakdown. The characteristics of the recirculating flow are dependent on the swirl number and on axial pressure gradients. Coupling to downstream pressure pulsations is also possible. In order to fix the position of the recirculation zone, an extended fuel lance was inserted into the burner. An additional benefit of the extended lance was to enable secondary fuel injection directly into the recirculation zone where the flame is stabilized. Tests were conducted with and without secondary fuel injection. The measurements included optimization of the location of the extended lance in the mixing chamber and variation of the amount of secondary fuel injection at different equivalence ratios and output powers. Flow visualizations showed that stabilization of the recirculation zone was achieved. The effect of the extended lance on pressure and heat release oscillations and on emissions of NOx, UHC and CO was investigated. The results were confirmed in high pressure single burner pressure tests and in a full scale land-based test gas-turbine. The lance has been successfully implemented in engines with sufficient stability margins and good operational flexibility. This paper shows the careful development process from lab scale tests to full scale engine tests until the implementation into the field engines.

Optimization of the Aerodynamic Flame Stabilization for Fuel Flexible Gas Turbine Premix Burners

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Burmberger ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Swirling Flows ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Flame Chemistry ◽  
Flame Flashback ◽  
Sudden Transition ◽  
Vorticity Transport

A frequently employed method for aerodynamic flame stabilization in modern premixed low emission combustors is the breakdown of swirling flows; with carefully optimized tailoring of the swirler, a sudden transition in the flow field in the combustor can be achieved. A central recirculation zone evolves at the cross-sectional area change located at the entrance of the combustion chamber and anchors the flame in a fixed position. In general, premixed combustion in swirling flows can lead to flame flashback that is caused by combustion induced vortex breakdown near the centerline of the flow. In this case, the recirculation zone suddenly moves upstream and stabilizes in the premix zone (Kröner , 2007, “Flame Propagation in Swirling Flows—Effect of Local Extinction on the Combustion Induced Vortex Breakdown,” Combust. Sci. Technol., 179, pp. 1385–1416). This type of flame flashback is caused by a strong interaction between the flame chemistry and vortex dynamics. The analysis of the vorticity transport equation shows that the axial gradient of the azimuthal vorticity is of particular importance for flame stability. A negative azimuthal vorticity gradient decelerates the core flow and finally causes vortex breakdown. Based on fundamental fluid mechanics, guidelines for a proper aerodynamic design of gas turbine combustors are given. These guidelines summarize the experience from several previous aerodynamic and combustion studies of the authors.

Dynamic effects on high frequency unsteady flow structures

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN KLINGE ◽  
SCOTT SCHRECK ◽  
MARVIN LUTTGES
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Dynamic Effects

Helical Flow Disturbances in a Multi-Nozzle Combustor

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Aguilar ◽  
Michael Malanoski ◽  
Gautham Adhitya ◽  
Benjamin Emerson ◽  
Vishal Acharya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Flow Fields ◽  
Helical Flow ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Response Dynamics ◽  
Flow Disturbances ◽  
Nozzle Configuration ◽  
Jet Interactions

This paper describes an experimental investigation of a transversely forced, swirl stabilized combustor. Its objective is to compare the unsteady flow structures in single and triple nozzle combustors and determine how well a single nozzle configuration emulates the characteristics of a multi-nozzle one. The experiment consists of a series of velocity field measurements captured on planes normal to the jet axis. As expected, there are differences between the single and triple-nozzle flow fields, but the differences are not large in the regions upstream of the jet merging zone. Direct comparisons of the time averaged flow fields reveal a higher degree of non-axisymmetry for the flowfields of nozzles in a multi-nozzle configuration. Azimuthal decompositions of the velocity fields show that the transverse acoustic forcing has an important influence on the dynamics, but that the single and multi-nozzle configurations have similar forced response dynamics near the dump plane. Specifically, the axial dependence of the amplitude in the highest energy axisymmetric and helical flow structures is quite similar in the two configurations. This result suggests that the hydrodynamic influence of one swirling jet on the other is minimal and, as such, that jet-jet interactions in this configuration do not have a significant influence on the unsteady flow structures.

The Civic: A Concept in Vortex Induced Combustion for the Solar Gemini 10 kW Gas Turbine

1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Shekleton
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Diffusion Flames ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Combustion Chambers ◽  
Turbine Generator ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Swirl Flame ◽  
Combustion Processes

The Radial Engine Division of Solar Turbines International, an Operating Group of International Harvester, under contract to the U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research & Development Command, developed and qualified a 10 kW gas turbine generator set. The very small size of the gas turbine created problems and, in the combustor, novel solutions were necessary. Differing types of fuel injectors, combustion chambers, and flame stabilizing methods were investigated. The arrangement chosen had a rotating cup fuel injector, in a can combustor, with conventional swirl flame stabilization but was devoid of the usual jet stirred recirculation. The use of centrifugal force to control combustion conferred substantial benefit (Rayleigh Instability Criteria). Three types of combustion processes were identified: stratified and unstratified charge (diffusion flames) and pre-mix. Emphasis is placed on five nondimensional groups (Richardson, Bagnold, Damko¨hler, Mach, and Reynolds numbers) for the better control of these combustion processes.

Topological Flow Structures of Annular Swirling Jets

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Feng Chin Tsai ◽  
Rong Fung Huang
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Single Bubble ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Swirl Number ◽  
Recirculation Bubble ◽  
Annular Jet ◽  
Ring Mode ◽  
Dual Ring

AbstractThe effects of blockage and swirl on the macro flow structures of the annular jet past a circular disc are experimentally studied through the time-averaged streamline patterns. In the blockage-effect regime, the flows present multiple modes, single bubble, dual rings, vortex breakdown, and triple rings, in different regimes of blockage ratio and swirl number. The topological models of the flow structures are proposed and discussed according to the measured flow fields to manifest the complex flow structures. The single bubble is a closed recirculation bubble with a stagnation point on the central axis. The dual-ring flow is an open-top recirculsation zone, in which a pair of counter-rotating vortex rings exists in the near wake. The fluids in the dual rings are expelled downstream through a central jet-like swirling flow. A vortex breakdown may occur in the central jet-like swirling flow if the exit swirl number exceeds critical values. When the vortex breakdown interacts with the dual rings, a complex triple-ring flow structure forms. Axial distributions of the local swirl number are presented and discussed. The local swirl number increases with the increase of the exit swirl number and attains the maximum in the dual-ring mode. At large exit swirl numbers where the vortex breakdown occurs, the local swirl number decreases drastically to a low value.

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