Swirling Flow Structures and Flame Characteristics in a Lean-Premixed Combustor

Author(s):  
Ying Huang ◽  
Vigor Yang
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.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (794) ◽  
pp. 1832-1840
Author(s):  
Masaharu KOMIYAMA ◽  
Kenichiro TAKEISHI ◽  
Yohei OGAWA ◽  
Yuji IWASAKI

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

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.


Author(s):  
Mary V. Holloway ◽  
Heather L. McClusky ◽  
Donald E. Beasley

The present experimental study investigates the interaction and downstream development of two localized swirling flow structures created using a tangential injection method. A swirl generator is placed at the inlet of a 52.1 mm diameter pipe. The swirl generator consists of two swirl chambers with inner diameters of 23.8 mm. Each swirl chamber has a design swirl number of 7.14. Water is injected into each swirl chamber by two tangential injection ports. The injection ports are tangent to the swirl chamber and perpendicular to the axis of the pipe. The two co-rotating vortices created in the swirl generator interact freely within the pipe downstream of the swirl generator. The objective of the present study is to document the interaction between the two vortices and the downstream development of the flow. Lateral velocity fields are obtained using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Time-averaged lateral velocity fields and tangential velocity profiles are presented for several axial locations downstream of the swirl generator. Reynolds numbers of 11,000 and 17,000 are investigated. Results document the streamwise development and interaction between the two co-rotating vortices created by tangential injection. As the two swirling structures develop in the streamwise direction, three different types of flow patterns are identified. The first consists of two distinct swirling flow structures. Further downstream of the swirl chamber, the two swirling structures merge and form a single swirling flow structure with an elliptic core. In the third flow pattern, the center core of the swirling flow has a circular shape.


Author(s):  
J. F. Carrotte ◽  
C. Batchelor-Wylam

Measurements have been made on the non-reacting flow field issuing from a Lean Premixed module (LPM) that incorporates a radial swirler, mixing duct section and nozzle. The geometry contains many features that are thought typical of LPM systems in which gaseous fuel is introduced into a swirling flow at a discrete number of locations. Hot wire anemometry measurements have been used to define the velocity field issuing from the module whilst additional experiments have utilised heated air to simulate gaseous fuel. In this way temperature measurements, using Constant Current Anemometry, have been used to infer the fuel-air mixture field issuing from the module. The velocity data indicates a highly turbulent flow field and the basic spectral characteristics of this velocity field are defined. In addition, within certain regions a strong periodic flow component is observed and is indicative of the instabilities typically associated with swirling flows. The spectral characteristics of the mixture field are also presented and the method by which the mixture and velocity spectra should be compared is outlined. Using this method the measurements indicate the basic spectral characteristics are virtually identical and, furthermore, a periodic fluctuation in the mixture field is also observed. For these types of LPM systems fluctuations in the mixture and velocity fields are therefore strongly correlated. In addition it is shown that the flow fields are dominated by the relatively large time and length scales associated with the main velocity field rather than, say, the much smaller velocity and mixing scales associated with the individual fuel jets.


Author(s):  
Robert C. Steele ◽  
Luke H. Cowell ◽  
Steven M. Cannon ◽  
Clifford E. Smith

A Solar fuel injector that provides lean premixed combustion conditions has been studied in a combined experimental and numerical investigation. Lean premixed conditions can be accompanied by excessive combustion driven pressure oscillations which must be eliminated before the release of a final combustor design. In order to eliminate the pressure oscillations the location of fuel injection was parametrically evaluated to determine a stable configuration. It was observed that small axial changes in the position of the fuel spokes within the premix duct of the fuel injector had a significant positive effect on decoupling the excitation of the natural acoustic modes of the combustion system. In order to further understand the phenomenon, a time-accurate 2D CFD analysis was performed. 2D analysis was first calibrated using 3D steady-state CFD computations of the premixer in order to model the radial distribution of velocities in the pre mixer caused by non-uniform inlet conditions and swirling flow. 2D time-accurate calculations were then performed on the baseline configuration. The calculations captured the coupling of heat release with the combustor acoustics, which resulted in excessive pressure oscillations. When the axial location of the fuel injection was moved, the CFD analysis accurately captured the fuel time lag to the flame-front, and qualitatively matched the experimental findings.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (0) ◽  
pp. _G080012-1-_G080012-4
Author(s):  
Masaharu KOMIYAMA ◽  
Kenichiro TAKEISHI ◽  
Yohei OGAWA

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1575-1581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary A. LaBry ◽  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Raymond L. Speth ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem

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