Combustion Instabilities With Different Degrees of Premixedness in a Separated Dual-Swirl Burner

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyao Wang ◽  
Xiao Han ◽  
Heng Song ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Jianchen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Convective Motion ◽  
Flame Surface ◽  
Mode Transition ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Flame Response ◽  
Partially Premixed ◽  
Phase Angles

Abstract The effects of premixedness degrees on combustion instabilities of separated dual-swirl flames have been investigated experimentally in the Beihang Axial Swirler Independently Stratified (BASIS) burner. The degree of premixedness is modulated by the fuel split between two injection positions in the outer stream. In the spectra of pressure oscillations, both the frequency and amplitude are positively correlated with fuel split ratios under partially premixed conditions, and the mode transition between perfectly and partially premixed conditions has been observed. The location of perfectly premixed flames shows no obvious variation at different phase angles, only with a slightly wrinkling of the flame surface along the shear layer. Under partially premixed conditions, however, the flame is found to feature a large-scale periodic convective motion, accompanied by the obvious variation of heat releases due to the equivalence ratio oscillations. The local Rayleigh index map compares the thermoacoustic driving factors under perfectly and partially premixed conditions. The development of above convective motions under partially premixed conditions is explained by combining the variations of pressure oscillations and heat releases. An analysis of the thermoacoustic network and convective path is applied to explain the cause of the mode transition. The results show that the appearance of equivalence ratio oscillations and the elongated convective path under partially premixed conditions brings a longer delay time of the flame response, which could be the reason for the mode transition.

Combustion Instabilities of Separated Stratified Swirling Flames With Different Degrees of Premixedness

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyao Wang ◽  
Xiao Han ◽  
Xin Hui ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Heng Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Convective Motion ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Oscillation Period ◽  
Premixed Flame ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Swirling Flames ◽  
Partially Premixed ◽  
Partially Premixed Flame ◽  
Point Fast Fourier Transform

Abstract The effects of premixedness degrees on combustion instabilities of separated stratified swirling flames have been investigated experimentally in the Beihang Axial Swirler Independently-Stratified (BASIS) burner. The degree of premixedness is modulated by the fuel split between two injection positions in the outer stream. In the spectra of pressure oscillations, both the dominant frequency and amplitude of partially premixed flames are positively correlated with fuel split ratios. The partially premixed flame is found to feature a large-scale periodic convective motion based on CH* chemiluminescence images, which have been analyzed under different fuel split ratios by a point-to-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method. The development of above convective motion is explained by combining the variation of pressure and heat release in the oscillation period. Local Rayleigh index maps show that the driving factor of combustion instability for the partially premixed flame mainly comes from the upstream of the combustor. Finally, thermoacoustic network analysis is applied to predict observed frequencies under both perfectly and partially premixed conditions. The supposed additional convective time due to equivalence ratio fluctuations and the elongated flame region for the partially premixed flame is validated by its longer time delay in the sensitivity analysis of the n-τ flame model.

CFD Investigation of Hydrodynamic and Acoustic Instabilities of Bluff-Body Stabilized Turbulent Premixed Flames

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Y. Lee ◽  
R. S. Cant
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Coherent Structures ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Premixed Flames ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Turbulent Premixed Flames ◽  
Turbulent Premixed

Combustion instabilities in propulsion systems are often manifested through high amplitude pressure oscillations that can severely compromise performance and even lead to mechanical failure. Such instability arises from the development of large-scale coherent structures and their breakdown into fine scale turbulence that can alter the flame structure and affect turbulent mixing. When in phase with the pressure, the modulated heat release rate fluctuations can drive the system to the point where it reaches a limit cycle. Using high fidelity CFD, the present investigation describes the occurrence of combustion-driven instability in bluff-body stabilized turbulent premixed flames, in which there is dynamic coupling between the preferred hydrodynamic modes and the acoustics of the duct. A URANS approach is adopted, using a second moment closure to solve for the anisotropic turbulent Reynolds stresses. This is combined with the Bray-Moss-Libby (BML) combustion model with a modified reaction rate closure that aims to capture the changes in the flame surface density due to external flow perturbations. Two different geometries are used for the investigation: the first is a laboratory-scale planar bluff-body flameholder [1]; and the second is the well-known Volvo afterburner experiment [2]. Four different conditions are presented to illustrate the various self-excited instabilities that can appear depending on the coupling mechanisms between the different fluid-mechanical and acoustic phenomena. For the planar geometry, a self-sustained hydrodynamic instability induced by large-scale coherent structures occurs under fuel-lean conditions. When the equivalence ratio is increased, the flame becomes strongly wrinkled due to velocity perturbations arising from the Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability of the shear layer. The combustion heat release becomes modulated such that its phase relationship with the pressure fluctuations is sufficient to trigger thermoacoustic instability. For the Volvo experiment, symmetric shedding takes place and an acoustic mode of the duct is excited when the mixture strength is lean. At higher equivalence ratio, the flame is perturbed by the hydrodynamic instabilities of the most amplified mode. Small scale structures can be seen in the vicinity of the flameholder, and larger fluctuations in the flame occur further downstream. No appreciable feedback from the acoustic modes is present to sustain combustion instabilities.

CFD Investigation of Turbulent Premixed Flame Response to Transverse Forcing

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Y. Lee ◽  
R. S. Cant
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Transverse Velocity ◽  
Premixed Flame ◽  
High Frequency Oscillation ◽  
Limit Cycle Oscillation ◽  
Flame Surface ◽  
Harmonic Forcing ◽  
Flame Response

Screech is a high frequency oscillation that is usually characterized by instabilities caused by large-scale coherent flow structures in the wake of bluff-body flameholders and shear layers. Such oscillations can lead to changes in flame surface area which can cause the flame to burn unsteadily, but also couple with the acoustic modes and inherent fluid-mechanical instabilities that are present in the system. In this study, the flame response to hydrodynamic oscillations is analyzed in a controlled manner using high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes approach. The response of a premixed flame with and without transverse velocity forcing is analyzed. When unforced, the flame is shown to exhibit a self-excitation that is attributed to the anti-symmetric shedding of vortices in the wake of the flameholder. The flame is also forced using two different kinds of low-amplitude out-of-phase inlet velocity forcing signals. The first forcing method is harmonic forcing with a single characteristic frequency, while the second forcing method involves a broadband forcing signal with frequencies in the range of 500–1000 Hz. For the harmonic forcing method, the flame is perturbed only lightly about its mean position and exhibits a limit cycle oscillation that is characteristic of the forcing frequency. For the broadband forcing method, larger changes in the flame surface area and detachment of the flame sheet can be seen. Transition to a complicated trajectory in the phase space is observed. When analyzed systematically with system identification methods, the CFD results, expressed in the form of the Flame Transfer Function (FTF) are capable of elucidating the flame response to the imposed perturbation. The FTF also serves to identify, both spatially and temporally, regions where the flame responds linearly and nonlinearly. Locking-in between the flame’s natural self-excited frequency and the subharmonic frequencies of the broadband forcing signal is found to alter the dynamical behaviour of the flame.

A numerical study of the transition of jet diffusion flames

1990 ◽  
Vol 431 (1882) ◽  
pp. 301-314 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Diffusion Coefficient ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Flame Surface ◽  
Transition Mechanism ◽  
Air Stream ◽  
Scale Fluctuation

A numerical study on the transition from laminar to turbulent of two-dimensional fuel jet flames developed in a co-flowing air stream was made by adopting the flame surface model of infinite chemical reaction rate and unit Lewis number. The time dependent compressible Navier–Stokes equation was solved numerically with the equation for coupling function by using a finite difference method. The temperature-dependence of viscosity and diffusion coefficient were taken into account so as to study effects of increases of these coefficients on the transition. The numerical calculation was done for the case when methane is injected into a co-flowing air stream with variable injection Reynolds number up to 2500. When the Reynolds number was smaller than 1000 the flame, as well as the flow, remained laminar in the calculated domain. As the Reynolds number was increased above this value, a transition point appeared along the flame, downstream of which the flame and flow began to fluctuate. Two kinds of fluctuations were observed, a small scale fluctuation near the jet axis and a large scale fluctuation outside the flame surface, both of the same origin, due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The radial distributions of density and transport coefficients were found to play dominant roles in this instability, and hence in the transition mechanism. The decreased density in the flame accelerated the instability, while the increase in viscosity had a stabilizing effect. However, the most important effect was the increase in diffusion coefficient. The increase shifted the flame surface, where the large density decrease occurs, outside the shear layer of the jet and produced a thick viscous layer surrounding the jet which effectively suppressed the instability.

scholarly journals Measurement of Air-Fuel Ratio Fluctuations Caused by Combustor Driven Oscillations

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajiv Mongia ◽  
Robert Dibble ◽  
Jeff Lovett
Keyword(s):  
Power Spectrum ◽  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

Lean premixed combustion has emerged as a method of achieving low pollutant emissions from gas turbines. A common problem of lean premixed combustion is combustion instability. As conditions inside lean premixed combustors approach the lean flammability limit, large pressure variations are encountered. As a consequence, certain desirable gas turbine operating regimes are not approachable. In minimizing these regimes, combustor designers must rely upon trial and error because combustion instabilities are not well understood (and thus difficult to model). When they occur, pressure oscillations in the combustor can induce fluctuations in fuel mole fraction that can augment the pressure oscillations (undesirable) or dampen the pressure oscillations (desirable). In this paper, we demonstrate a method for measuring the fuel mole fraction oscillations which occur in the premixing section during combustion instabilities produced in the combustor that is downstream of the premixer. The fuel mole fraction in the premixer is measured with kHz resolution by the absorption of light from a 3.39 μm He-Ne laser. A sudden expansion combustor is constructed to demonstrate this fuel mole fraction measurement technique. Under several operating conditions, we measure significant fuel mole fraction fluctuations that are caused by pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber. Since the fuel mole fraction is sampled continuously, a power spectrum is easily generated. The fuel mole fraction power spectrum clearly indicates fuel mole fraction fluctuation frequencies are the same as the pressure fluctuation frequencies under some operating conditions.

Effect of Acoustic Feedback on Lagrangian Coherent Structures in a Backward Facing Step Combustor With a Partially Premixed Flame

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramgopal Sampath ◽  
S. R. Chakravarthy
Keyword(s):  
Coherent Structures ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pressure Oscillation ◽  
Velocity Fields ◽  
Premixed Flame ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Acoustic Feedback ◽  
Acoustic Characterization ◽  
Partially Premixed ◽  
Partially Premixed Flame

The thermoacoustic oscillations of a partially premixed flame stabilized in a backward facing step combustor are studied at a constant equivalence ratio in long and short combustor configurations corresponding to with and without acoustic feedback respectively. We perform simultaneous time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) and chemiluminescence for selected flow conditions based on the acoustic characterization in the long combustor. The acoustic characterization shows a transition in the dominant pressure amplitudes from low to high magnitudes with an increase in the inlet flow Reynolds number. This is accompanied by a shift in the dominant frequencies. For the intermittent pressure oscillations in the long combustor, the wavelet analysis indicates a switch between the acoustic and vortex modes with silent zones of relatively low-pressure amplitudes. The short combustor configuration indicates the presence of the vortex shedding frequency and an additional band comprising the Kelvin Helmholtz mode. Next, we apply the method of finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) to the time-resolved velocity fields to extract features of the Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) of the flow. In the long combustor post transition with the time instants with dominant acoustic mode, a large-scale modulation of the FTLE boundaries over one cycle of pressure oscillation is evident. Further, the FTLEs and the flame boundaries align each other for all phases of the pressure oscillation. In the short combustor, the FTLEs indicate the presence of small wavelength waviness that overrides the large-scale vortex structure, which corresponds to the vortex shedding mode. This behaviour contrasts with the premixed flame in the short combustor reported earlier in which such large scales were found to be seldom present. The presence of the large-scale structures even in the absence of acoustic feedback in a partially premixed flame signifies its inherent unstable nature leading to large pressure amplitudes during acoustic feedback. Lastly, the FTLE boundaries provide the frequency information of the identified coherent structure and also acts as the surrogate flame boundaries that are estimated from just the velocity fields.

The Histogram of Pressure Oscillations Amplitudes, in Lean Premixed Combustions, Caused by Thermo-Acoustic Instabilities

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasser Seraj Mehdizadeh ◽  
Nozar Akbari
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Combustion Instability ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Space Distribution ◽  
Rayleigh Criterion ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Lean Premixed

Lean premixed combustion is widely used in recent years as a method to achieve the environmental standards with regard to NOx emission. In spite of the mentioned advantage, premixed combustion systems, with equivalence ratios less than one, are susceptible to the combustion instability. To study the lean combustion instability, by experiments, one premixed combustion setup, equipped with reactant supplying system, is designed and manufactured in Amirkabir University of Technology. In this research, gaseous propane is introduced as fuel and several experiments are performed at nearly atmospheric pressure, with equivalence ratios within the range of 0.7 to 1.5. In this experiments fuel mass flow rate is varied between 2 and 4 gr/s. Unstable operating condition has been observed in combustion chamber when equivalence ratio is less than one. To distinguish the combustion instability for various operating conditions, probability density functions, spectral diagrams, and space distribution of pressure oscillations, along with Rayleigh Criterion, are utilized. Accordingly, effect of equivalence ratio on stabilizing the unstable combustion system is investigated. Moreover, convective delay time is calculated for all experiments and the results are compared with Rayleigh Criterion. This comparison has shown good agreement the experimental results and Rayleigh Criterion. Finally, stability limits are identified based on inlet mass flow rate and equivalence ratio.

Modeling Unsteady Flow of a Lean Partially Premixed Flame on a Dry Low NOx Combustion System

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Matarazzo ◽  
Hannes Laget ◽  
Evert Vanderhaegen ◽  
Jim B. W. Kok
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Limit Cycle ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Premixed Flame ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Combustion Dynamics ◽  
Partially Premixed ◽  
Partially Premixed Flame ◽  
Limit Cycle Behavior

The phenomenon of combustion dynamics (CD) is one of the most important operational challenges facing the gas turbine (GT) industry today. The Limousine project, a Marie Curie Initial Training network funded by the European Commission, focuses on the understanding of the limit cycle behavior of unstable pressure oscillations in gas turbines, and on the resulting mechanical vibrations and materials fatigue. In the framework of this project, a full transient CFD analysis for a Dry Low NOx combustor in a heavy duty gas turbine has been performed. The goal is to gain insight on the thermo-acoustic instability development mechanisms and limit cycle oscillations. The possibility to use numerical codes for complex industrial cases involving fuel staging, fluid-structure interaction, fuel quality variation and flexible operations has been also addressed. The unsteady U-RANS approach used to describe the high-swirled lean partially premixed flame is presented and the results on the flow characteristics as vortex core generation, vortex shedding, flame pulsation are commented on with respect to monitored parameters during operations of the GT units at Electrabel/GDF-SUEZ sites. The time domain pressure oscillations show limit cycle behavior. By means of Fourier analysis, the coupling frequencies caused by the thermo-acoustic feedback between the acoustic resonances of the chamber and the flame heat release has been detected. The possibility to reduce the computational domain to speed up computations, as done in other works in literature, has been investigated.

The excitation of atmospheric oscillations

1963 ◽  
Vol 274 (1356) ◽  
pp. 91-121 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Direct Absorption ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Thermal Mechanism ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature Profile ◽  
Water Vapour Absorption ◽  
The Vertical Distribution ◽  
Quiet Day

An investigation is made into the excitation of large-scale atmospheric oscillations by the direct absorption of incoming solar radiation by atmospheric ozone. The atmospheric temperature profile is chosen to agree favourably with the main features of the observed temperature distribution, particularly as regards the maximum around the 50 km height; this distribution is shown to be non-resonant as far as the solar semidiurnal component is concerned. The excited solar diurnal, semidiurnal and terdiurnal pressure oscillations are computed and we find that although the largest Fourier component in the heating is the diurnal term , the tide it excites is small in keeping with observation. On the other hand, the excited semidiurnal oscillation is much larger than that due to any previously considered thermal mechanism . It is found that the main semidiurnal and terdiurnal tides generated by the direct absorption of insolation by ozone as calculated in the present work, together with published results regarding water vapour absorption, can adequately account for the observed values at ground level. The seasonal variations of the semi and terdiurnal tides are also calculated and these agree extremely well with observation. Finally, the change of phase of 180° in the vertical distribution of the solar semidiurnal oscillation, which is expected from the analysis of the quiet day magnetic variation, is accounted for in the present work.

scholarly journals Dynamic responses of anchored ducted flames to harmonic velocity forcing

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85
Author(s):  
Ze-tian Ren ◽  
Su-hui Li ◽  
Min Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Vortex Method ◽  
Vortex Structures ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Discrete Vortex ◽  
Flame Response ◽  
Complicated Geometries

This paper aims at developing a computationally inexpensive method to investigate the premixed flame instabilities. The kinematic G-equation is combined with a two-dimensional discrete vortex method, and the conformal mapping is applied to make calculations for complicated geometries more efficiently. The vortex dynamics and flame response to harmonic velocity forcing of an anchored ducted V-flame are investigated, and the effects of harmonic forcing, Reynolds number, and bluff body geometry are examined. Results show that the vortex structures, flow instability, and flame response are closely coupled with each other. The unsteady vortex structures generate instabilities at the flame base, and the convection of the flame wrinkles then influences the flame dynamics downstream. The flame heat release fluctuates with larger amplitude under low-frequency forcings, while the phase of the flame transfer function is quasi-linear with increasing forcing frequency. Both higher inflow velocity and sharper bluff body corners can result in more unsteady large-scale vortex structures and hence influence the flame responses.

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