Geometry Effects on the Flow Field and the Spectral Characteristics of a Triple Annular Swirler

Author(s):  
Guoqiang Li ◽  
Ephraim J. Gutmark

The dynamics of vortex breakdown are important to the performance of gas turbine combustors where swirling flows are extensively used to stabilize the flame and extend the lean flammability limit (LBO). Due to the strong interaction of vortical structures in the swirling flow with heat release and acoustical modes, vortex breakdown mechanism is essential to understanding the thermoacoustic behavior and to the development of combustion instability control strategy. This paper analyzes the vortex breakdown behavior downstream of a Triple Annular Research Swirler (TARS) based on velocity flow field data from stereoscopic PIV measurement and spectral data from hotwire/film measurements. The vortical structure is highly dependent on the different swirler combinations (swirler geometry) as well as on inlet conditions such as air flow-rate, mixing tube length and downstream conditions such as exhaust nozzle contraction ratio. The scale, location, strength, and formation mechanisms of the large-scale vortices vary for different geometries. The shape of the recirculation bubble changes with the outlet boundary conditions, suggesting that the swirling flow inside the combustion chamber remains subcritical downstream of the vortex breakdown. However, spectral analysis reveals that the dominant frequencies close to the exit of the TARS show only slight change for different outlet boundary conditions. Three ranges of frequencies characterize the spectral domain of TARS: high frequency close to the TARS exit, middle range frequency downstream of this region, and low frequency in most regions further downstream. The sources of instabilities in these three regions could be attributed to the strong shear layer, precessing vortex core and interaction between spanwise and azimuthal instabilities. The outlet boundary conditions affect the middle and low frequency range but have no effect on the high frequency. The inlet conditions have global effect on the entire flow region.

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Feng Chin Tsai ◽  
Rong Fung Huang

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.


Author(s):  
M. Berrino ◽  
D. Lengani ◽  
F. Satta ◽  
M. Ubaldi ◽  
P. Zunino ◽  
...  

The present paper is focused on the investigation of the dynamics of the flow downstream of an Ultra Low NOx (ULN) injection system, designed to reduce NOx emissions and combustor axial length. Two rectangular flame tubes have been experimentally investigated: one aimed at simulating an unconfined exit flow, and another with the same transverse dimensions of the combustor annular sector, to simulate the confined flow field. The effects induced by the realistic flame tube presence are investigated comparing the flow field with that generated in the unconfined case. Particular attention is paid to the vortex breakdown phenomena associated with the flow generated by the two co-rotating swirlers constituting the injection system. Two different and complementary measurement techniques have been adopted to characterize the aerodynamics of the vortex breakdown. The hot-wire investigation results reveal the frequencies associated with the precession motion due to the vortex breakdown. The Particle Image Velocimetry technique has been coupled with Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) for data post-processing in order to reconstruct the swirling motion generated by the injection system. The property of POD, which consists of splitting temporal from spatial information of the flow field in analysis, allows the distinction between deterministic and random fluctuations without the need of an external trigger signal. This feature is fundamental for the better understanding of an highly-swirling flow.


Author(s):  
Ling Shen ◽  
Shuhong Liu ◽  
Yulin Wu

Ultrasonic cavitation generated by high-frequency ultrasonic transducer is widely studied because this phenomenon could be applied in a great variety of fields, including medical therapy, industrial cleaning as well as sewage treatment. Flow field influenced by vibration source of low frequency, however, is less studied. For the present study, a water tank of 1000×600×500mm is investigated when a vibration surface that represents a transducer of less frequency vibrates in the vicinity of one wall. Numerical computation based on the method of dynamic mesh is applied. Furthermore, two different vibration patterns are simulated, i.e., piston movement and drumhead vibration. Results show different pressure and velocity distribution within water tank when vibration surface is working at various frequencies and amplitudes. Differences of the flow fields are found between these circumstances, and similarity is found with that induced by ultrasonic transducer. Analysis on differences is discussed for further study.


2002 ◽  
Vol 465 ◽  
pp. 33-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. BLACKBURN ◽  
J. M. LOPEZ

The loss of axisymmetry in a swirling flow that is generated inside an enclosed cylindrical container by the steady rotation of one endwall is examined numerically. The two dimensionless parameters that govern these flows are the cylinder aspect ratio and a Reynolds number associated with the rotation of the endwall. This study deals with a fixed aspect ratio, height/radius = 2.5. At low Reynolds numbers the basic flow is steady and axisymmetric; as the Reynolds number increases the basic state develops a double recirculation zone on the axis, so-called vortex breakdown bubbles. On further increase in the Reynolds number the flow becomes unsteady through a supercritical Hopf bifurcation but remains axisymmetric. After the onset of unsteadiness, another two unsteady axisymmetric solution branches appear with further increase in Reynolds number, each with its own temporal characteristic: one is periodic and the other is quasi-periodic with a very low frequency modulation. Solutions on these additional branches are unstable to three-dimensional perturbations, leading to nonlinear modulated rotating wave states, but with the flow still dominated by the corresponding underlying axisymmetric mode. A study of the flow behaviour on and bifurcations between these solution branches is presented, both for axisymmetric and for fully three-dimensional flows. The presence of modulated rotating waves alters the structure of the bifurcation diagram and gives rise to its own dynamics, such as a truncated cascade of period doublings of very-low-frequency modulated states.


2018 ◽  
Vol 853 ◽  
pp. 72-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuppuraj Rajamanickam ◽  
Saptarshi Basu

The main idea of this paper is to understand the fundamental vortex breakdown mechanisms in the coaxial swirling flow field. In particular, the interaction dynamics of the flow field is meticulously addressed with the help of high fidelity laser diagnostic tools. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) (${\sim}1500~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$) is employed in $y{-}r$ and multiple $r{-}\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ planes to precisely delineate the flow dynamics. Experiments are carried out for three sets of co-annular flow Reynolds number $Re_{a}=4896$, 10 545, 17 546. Furthermore, for each $Re_{a}$ condition, the swirl number ‘$S_{G}$’ is varied independently from $0\leqslant S_{G}\leqslant 3$. The global evolution of flow field across various swirl numbers is presented using the time-averaged PIV data. Three distinct forms of vortex breakdown namely, pre-vortex breakdown (PVB), central toroidal recirculation zone (CTRZ; axisymmetric toroidal bubble type breakdown) and sudden conical breakdown are witnessed. Among these, the conical form of vortex breakdown is less explored in the literature. In this paper, much attention is therefore focused on exploring the governing mechanism of conical breakdown. It is should be interesting to note that, unlike other vortex breakdown modes, conical breakdown persists only for a very short band of $S_{G}$. For any small increase/decrease in $S_{G}$ beyond a certain threshold, the flow spontaneously reverts back to the CTRZ state. Energy ranked and frequency-resolved/ranked robust structure identification methods – proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) respectively – are implemented over instantaneous time-resolved PIV data sets to extract the dynamics of the coherent structures associated with each vortex breakdown mode. The dominant structures obtained from POD analysis suggest the dominance of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability (axial $+$ azimuthal; accounts for ${\sim}80\,\%$ of total turbulent kinetic energy, TKE) for both PVB and CTRZ while the remaining energy is contributed by shedding modes. On the other hand, shedding modes contribute the majority of the TKE in conical breakdown. The frequency signatures quantified from POD temporal modes and DMD analysis reveal the occurrence of multiple dominant frequencies in the range of ${\sim}10{-}400~\text{Hz}$ with conical breakdown. This phenomenon may be a manifestation of high energy contribution by shedding eddies in the shear layer. Contrarily, with PVB and CTRZ, the dominant frequencies are observed in the range of ${\sim}20{-}40~\text{Hz}$ only. We have provided a detailed exposition of the mechanism through which conical breakdown occurs. In addition, the current work explores the hysteresis (path dependence) phenomena of conical breakdown as functions of the Reynolds and Rossby numbers. It has been observed that the conical mode is not reversible and highly dependent on the initial conditions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 429 ◽  
pp. 67-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
JASON R. STOKES ◽  
LACHLAN J. W. GRAHAM ◽  
NICK J. LAWSON ◽  
DAVID V. BOGER

A torsionally driven cavity, consisting of a fully enclosed cylinder with rotating bottom lid, is used to examine the confined swirling flow of low-viscosity Boger fluids for situations where inertia dominates the flow field. Flow visualization and the optical technique of particle image velocimetry (PIV) are used to examine the effect of small amounts of fluid elasticity on the phenomenon of vortex breakdown. Low-viscosity Boger fluids are used which consist of dilute concentrations of high molecular weight polyacrylamide or semi-dilute concentrations of xanthan gum in a Newtonian solvent. The introduction of elasticity results in a 20% and 40% increase in the minimum critical aspect ratio required for vortex breakdown to occur using polyacrylamide and xanthan gum, respectively, at concentrations of 45 p.p.m. When the concentrations of either polyacrylamide or xanthan gum are raised to 75 p.p.m., vortex breakdown is entirely suppressed for the cylinder aspect ratios examined. Radial and axial velocity measurements along the axial centreline show that the alteration in existence domain is linked to a decrease in the magnitude of the peak in axial velocity along the central axis. The minimum peak axial velocities along the central axis for the 75 p.p.m. polyacrylamide and 75 p.p.m. xanthan gum Boger fluids are 67% and 86% lower in magnitude, respectively, than for the Newtonian fluid at Reynolds number of Re ≈ 1500–1600. This decrease in axial velocity is associated with the interaction of elasticity in the governing boundary on the rotating base lid and/or the interaction of extensional viscosity in areas with high velocity gradients. The low-viscosity Boger fluids used in this study are rheologically characterized and the steady complex flow field has well-defined boundary conditions. Therefore, the results will allow validation of non-Newtonian constitutive models in a numerical model of a torsionally driven cavity flow.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziemowit M. Malecha ◽  
Karol Malecha

Abstract The numerical investigation of the mixing process in complex geometry micromixers, as a function of various inlet conditions and various micromixer vibrations, was performed. The examined devices were two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) types of serpentine micromixers with two inlets. Entering fluids were perturbed with a wide range of the frequency (0 - 50 Hz) of pulsations. Additionally, mixing fluids also entered in the same or opposite phase of pulsations. The performed numerical calculations were 3D to capture the proximity of all the walls, which has a substantial influence on microchannel flow. The geometry of the 3D type serpentine micromixer corresponded to the physically existing device, characterised by excellent mixing properties but also a challenging production process (Malecha et al., 2009). It was shown that low-frequency perturbations could improve the average mixing efficiency of the 2D micromixer by only about 2% and additionally led to a disadvantageously non-uniform mixture quality in time. It was also shown that high-frequency mixing could level these fluctuations and more significantly improve the mixing quality. In the second part of the paper a faster and simplified method of evaluation of mixing quality was introduced. This method was based on calculating the length of the contact interface between mixing fluids. It was used to evaluate the 2D type serpentine micromixer performance under various types of vibrations and under a wide range of vibration frequencies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad M. Aliev ◽  
Manuel Rivera Bengoechea

ABSTRACTBroadband dielectric spectroscopy was used to study the influence of boundary conditions and layer thickness of liquid crystal (LC) confined to cylindrical pores on low frequency and high frequency relaxation processes. Low frequency measurements provided information on the relaxation of surface polarization that arose at LC – pore wall interface. The dynamics of molecular reorientations were investigated in high frequency experiments. In samples with axial orientation of molecules, the dielectric mode due to reorientation of molecules around their short axis was investigated. The homeotropic alignment of molecules facilitated the investigation of the librational mode. The behavior of this mode was different from the behavior observed in investigations of relaxation due to reorientation of molecules around their short axis. Broadening of the dielectric spectra was observed in confined LC. The broadening increases with decreasing liquid crystal layer thickness.


1996 ◽  
Vol 323 ◽  
pp. 79-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zvi Rusak

The structure of an axisymmetric and inviscid swirling flow around a vortex breakdown point is analysed. The model assumes that a free axisymmetric bubble surface is developed in the flow with a stagnation point at its nose. The classical Squire-Long equation for the stream function ψ(x,y) (where y = r2/2) is transformed into a free boundary problem for the solution of y(x, ψ). The development of the flow is studied in three regions: the approaching flow ahead of the bubble, around the bubble nose and around the separated bubble surface. Asymptotic expansions are constructed to describe the flow ahead of and behind the stagnation point in terms of the radial distance from the vortex axis and from the bubble surface, respectively. In the intermediate region around the stagnation point, the flow is approximated by an asymptotic series of similarity terms that match the expansions in the other regions. The analysis results in two possible matching processes. Analytical expressions are given for the leading term of the intermediate expansion for each of these processes. The first solution describes a swirling flow around a constant-pressure bubble surface, over which the flow is stagnant. The second solution represents a swirling flow around a pressure-varying bubble surface, where the flow expands along the bubble nose. In both solutions, the bubble nose has a parabolic shape, and both exist only when H’ > 0 (where H’ is the derivative at the vortex centre of the total head H with the stream function ψ, and can be determined from the inlet conditions). This result is shown to be equivalent to Brown & Lopez's (1990) criterion for vortex breakdown. Good agreement is found in the region around the stagnation point between the pressure-varying bubble solution and available experimental data for axisymmetric vortex breakdown.


Author(s):  
Stephan Burmberger ◽  
Christoph Hirsch ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer

Most gas turbine premix burners without centrebody employ the breakdown of a swirling flow at the transition between the mixing section and the combustor for aerodynamic flame stabilization [1]. As the formation of the desired vortex breakdown pattern depends very sensibly on the distribution of axial and azimuthal velocity in the mixing section, the design of suitable swirlers is usually a cumbersome iterative process. The presented burner design was found through the implementation of design guidelines derived from CFD-calculations and on the basis of analytical considerations [5]. The swirling flow is generated by a radial swirler with tangential inlets. In order to stabilize the flow pattern, the swirling flow confines a slow non-swirling flow on the centreline. The centre flow being set into azimuthal motion creates increasing azimuthal velocity in streamwise direction in the vortex core. This process is reinforced by a conical nozzle and leads to the production of positive azimuthal vorticity inside the nozzle which stabilizes the flow field. First atmospheric test runs and Large Eddy Simulations of the isothermal as well as reactive flow field prove that the design goals have been reached: The burner creates stable vortex breakdown in the primary zone of the combustion chamber without flame flashback or backflow on the centreline over the entire operating range and even for difficult fuels like hydrogen containing gases. This finding indicates that reliable vortex breakdown burners with remarkable fuel flexibility can be designed using the guidelines presented in [5].


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