Optical Measurement of Local and Global Transfer Functions for Equivalence Ratio Fluctuations in a Turbulent Swirl Flame

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard C. Bobusch ◽  
Bernhard Ćosić ◽  
Jonas P. Moeck ◽  
Christian Oliver Paschereit
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Optical Measurement ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
Calibration Measurement

Equivalence ratio fluctuations are known to be one of the key factors controlling thermoacoustic stability in lean premixed gas turbine combustors. The mixing and thus the spatiotemporal evolution of these perturbations in the combustor flow is, however, difficult to account for in present low-order modeling approaches. To investigate this mechanism, experiments in an atmospheric combustion test rig are conducted. To assess the importance of equivalence ratio fluctuations in the present case, flame transfer functions for different injection positions are measured. By adding known perturbations in the fuel flow using a solenoid valve, the influence of equivalence ratio oscillations on the heat release rate is investigated. The equivalence ratio fluctuations in the reaction zone are measured spatially and temporally resolved using two optical chemiluminescence signals, captured with an intensified camera. A steady calibration measurement allows for the quantitative assessment of the equivalence ratio fluctuations in the flame. This information is used to obtain a mixing transfer function, which relates fluctuations in the fuel flow to corresponding fluctuations in the equivalence ratio of the flame. The current study focuses on the measurement of the global, spatially integrated, transfer function for equivalence ratio fluctuations and the corresponding modeling. In addition, the spatially resolved mixing transfer function is shown and discussed. The global mixing transfer function reveals that, despite the good spatial mixing quality of the investigated generic burner, the ability to damp temporal fluctuations at low frequencies is rather poor. It is shown that the equivalence ratio fluctuations are the governing heat release rate oscillation response mechanism for this burner in the low-frequency regime. The global transfer function for equivalence ratio fluctuations derived from the measurements is characterized by a pronounced low-pass characteristic, which is in good agreement with the presented convection–diffusion mixing model.

Optical Measurement of Local and Global Transfer Functions for Equivalence Ratio Fluctuations in a Turbulent Swirl Flame

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard C. Bobusch ◽  
Bernhard Ćosić ◽  
Jonas P. Moeck ◽  
Christian Oliver Paschereit
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Optical Measurement ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
Calibration Measurement

Equivalence ratio fluctuations are known to be one of the key factors controlling thermoacoustic stability in lean premixed gas turbine combustors. The mixing and thus the spatio-temporal evolution of these perturbations in the combustor flow is, however, difficult to account for in present low-order modeling approaches. To investigate this mechanism, experiments in an atmospheric combustion test rig are conducted. To assess the importance of equivalence ratio fluctuations in the present case, flame transfer functions for different injection positions are measured. By adding known perturbations in the fuel flow using a solenoid valve, the influence of equivalence ratio oscillations on the heat release rate is investigated. The spatially and temporally resolved equivalence ratio fluctuations in the reaction zone are measured using two optical chemiluminescence signals, captured with an intensified camera. A steady calibration measurement allows for the quantitative assessment of the equivalence ratio fluctuations in the flame. This information is used to obtain a mixing transfer function, which relates fluctuations in the fuel flow to corresponding fluctuations in the equivalence ratio of the flame. The current study focuses on the measurement of the global, spatially integrated, transfer function for equivalence ratio fluctuations and the corresponding modeling. In addition, the spatially resolved mixing transfer function is shown and discussed. The global mixing transfer function reveals that despite the good spatial mixing quality of the investigated generic burner, the ability to damp temporal fluctuations at low frequencies is rather poor. It is shown that the equivalence ratio fluctuations are the governing heat release rate oscillation response mechanism for this burner in the low-frequency regime. The global transfer function for equivalence ratio fluctuations derived from the measurements is characterized by a pronounced low-pass characteristic, which is in good agreement with the presented convection–diffusion mixing model.

An Experimental Validation of Heat Release Rate Fluctuation Measurements in Technically Premixed Flames

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poravee Orawannukul ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Premixed Flames ◽  
Reconstruction Technique ◽  
Chemiluminescence Intensity ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Rate Of Heat Release

Knowledge of the effects of inlet velocity and inlet equivalence ratio fluctuations on the rate of heat release in lean premixed gas turbine combustors is essential for predicting combustor instability characteristics. This information is typically obtained from independent velocity-forced and fuel-forced flame transfer function measurements, where the global chemiluminescence intensity is used as a measure of the flame’s overall rate of heat release. The flame in an actual lean premixed combustor is referred to as a technically premixed flame and is exposed to both velocity and equivalence ratio fluctuations. Under these conditions the chemiluminescence intensity does not provide a reliable measure of the flame’s rate of heat release. The objective of this work is to experimentally assess the validity of a technique for making heat release rate measurements in technically premixed flames based on the linear superposition of fuel-forced and velocity-forced flame transfer function measurements. In the absence of a technique for directly measuring the heat release rate fluctuations in an air-forced technically premixed, the heat release reconstruction is validated indirectly by comparing measured to reconstructed chemiluminescence intensity fluctuations. Results are reported for a range of operating conditions and forcing frequencies which demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of this technique. A variation of this technique, referred to as a reverse reconstruction, is proposed which does not require a measurement of the fuel-forced flame transfer function. The air-forced flame transfer function gain and phase obtained using the reverse reconstruction technique are presented and compared to the results from the direct reconstruction technique.

Flame Transfer Functions for Liquid-Fueled Swirl-Stabilized Turbulent Lean Direct Fuel Injection Combustion

2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongxun Yi ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Fuel Flow Rate ◽  
Modeling And Control ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
Direct Fuel Injection

Heat release rate responses to inlet fuel modulations, i.e., the flame transfer function (FTF), are measured for a turbulent, liquid-fueled, swirl-stabilized lean direct fuel injection combustor. Fuel modulations are achieved using a motor-driven rotary fuel valve designed specially for this purpose, which is capable of fuel modulations of up to 1 kHz. Small-amplitude fuel modulations, typically below 2.0% of the mean fuel, are applied in this study. There is almost no change in FTFs at different fuel-modulation amplitudes, implying that the derived FTFs are linear and that the induced heat release rate oscillations mainly respond to variations in the instantaneous fuel flow rate rather than in the droplet size and distribution. The gain and phases of the FTFs at different air flow rates and preheat temperatures are examined. The instantaneous fuel flow rate is determined from pressure measurements upstream of a fuel nozzle. Applications of the FTF to modeling and control of combustion instability and lean blowout are discussed.

scholarly journals The Effect of Fuel Staging on the Structure and Instability Characteristics of Swirl-Stabilized Flames in a Lean Premixed Multinozzle Can Combustor

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janith Samarasinghe ◽  
Wyatt Culler ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca ◽  
Jacqueline O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Pressure Fluctuation ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Flame Structure ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Fuel Staging ◽  
Rate Oscillations

Fuel staging is a commonly used strategy in the operation of gas turbine engines. In multinozzle combustor configurations, this is achieved by varying fuel flow rate to different nozzles. The effect of fuel staging on flame structure and self-excited instabilities is investigated in a research can combustor employing five swirl-stabilized, lean-premixed nozzles. At an operating condition where all nozzles are fueled equally and the combustor undergoes a self-excited instability, fuel staging successfully suppresses the instability: both when overall equivalence ratio is increased by staging as well as when overall equivalence ratio is kept constant while staging. Increased fuel staging changes the distribution of time-averaged heat release rate in the regions where adjacent flames interact and reduces the amplitudes of heat release rate fluctuations in those regions. Increased fuel staging also causes a breakup in the monotonic phase behavior that is characteristic of convective disturbances that travel along a flame. In particular, heat release rate fluctuations in the middle flame and flame–flame interaction region are out-of-phase with those in the outer flames, resulting in a cancelation of the global heat release rate oscillations. The Rayleigh integral distribution within the combustor shows that during a self-excited instability, the regions of highest heat release rate fluctuation are in phase-with the combustor pressure fluctuation. When staging fuel is introduced, these regions fluctuate out-of-phase with the pressure fluctuation, further illustrating that fuel staging suppresses instabilities through a phase cancelation mechanism.

scholarly journals Effects of the Injector Design on the Transfer Function of Premixed Swirling Flames

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gatti ◽  
R. Gaudron ◽  
C. Mirat ◽  
T. Schuller
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Swirl Number ◽  
Injector Design

This article reports a series of experiments on the dynamics of lean-premixed swirl-stabilized flames submitted to harmonic flowrate modulations. The flame transfer function is analyzed for different injector designs with a specific focus on conditions leading to the lowest heat release rate response for a given flowrate perturbation. Experiments are carried out at a fixed equivalence ratio and fixed thermal power. Transfer functions are measured for radial swirling vanes by modifying the diameter of the swirler injection holes, the diameter of the injection tube at the top of the swirler and the end piece diameter of a central insert serving as a bluff body. It is found that the lowest response depends on the forcing frequency and is obtained when the injector design features the largest swirl number. The transfer function of the studied flames features a minimum gain value which decreases for increasing swirl levels. This minimum value is found to be independent of the velocity forcing level and is only controlled by the level of swirl. An excessive swirl level however leads to flash-back of the perturbed flames inside the injector. The way the flame behaves at this forcing frequency is analyzed for a set of injectors featuring the same radial swirling vane design and different injection tube diameters or conical end pieces. It is found that at the condition corresponding to the lowest FTF gain, i.e. the injector with the largest swirl number, the upper and lower parts of the flame contribute to out of phase heat release oscillations, but they also both feature a reduced level of fluctuations. When the swirl number decreases, the FTF gain increases due to a reduction of the phase lag between heat release rate oscillations in the lower and the upper parts of the flame and more importantly due to a general increase of the level of heat release oscillations in both parts of the flame.

Flame Transfer Functions and Their Applications to Combustion Analysis and Control

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongxun Yi ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Small Amplitude ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Modulation Amplitude ◽  
Fuel Flow Rate ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
And Control

Heat release rate responses to inlet fuel modulations, i.e. the flame transfer function (FTF), are measured for a turbulent, liquid-fueled, swirl-stabilized, LDI combustor. Fuel modulations are achieved using a motor-driven rotary fuel valve designed specially for this purpose, which is capable of fuel modulations up to 1 kHz. Small-amplitude fuel modulations, typically below 2.0% of the mean fuel, are applied in this study. There is almost no change in FTFs at different fuel modulation amplitude, implying that the derived FTFs are linear and that the induced heat release rate oscillations mainly respond to variations in the instantaneous fuel flow rate rather than in the droplet size and distribution. The gain and phases of the FTFs at different air flow rates and preheat temperature are examined. The instantaneous fuel flow rate is determined from pressure measurements upstream of a fuel nozzle. Applications of the FTF to modeling and control of combustion instability and lean blowout are discussed. Near-LBO stability enhancement using small-amplitude fuel modulation based on the output of a LQG controller is numerically demonstrated.

An Experimental Validation of Heat Release Rate Fluctuation Measurements in Technically Premixed Flames

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poravee Orawannukul ◽  
Bryan Quay ◽  
Domenic Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Premixed Flames ◽  
Reconstruction Technique ◽  
Chemiluminescence Intensity ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Rate Of Heat Release

Understanding the effects of inlet velocity and inlet equivalence ratio fluctuations on heat release rate fluctuations in lean premixed gas turbine combustors is essential for predicting combustor instability characteristics. This information is typically obtained from independent velocity-forced and fuel-forced flame transfer function measurements, where the global chemiluminescence intensity is used as a measure of the flame's overall rate of heat release. Current lean premixed combustors operate in a technically premixed mode where the flame is exposed to both velocity and equivalence ratio fluctuations and, as a result, the chemiluminescence intensity does not provide an accurate measure of the flame's rate of heat release. The objective of this work is to experimentally assess the validity of a technique for measuring heat release rate fluctuations in technically premixed flames based on the linear superposition of fuel-forced and velocity-forced flame transfer function measurements. In the absence of a technique for directly measuring heat release rate fluctuations in technically premixed flames, the heat release rate reconstruction is validated indirectly by comparing measured and reconstructed chemiluminescence intensity fluctuations. The results are reported for a range of operating conditions and forcing frequencies which demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the heat release rate reconstruction technique. A variation of this technique, referred to as a reverse reconstruction, is also proposed, which does not require a measurement of the fuel-forced flame transfer function. The results obtained using the reverse reconstruction technique are presented and compared to the results from the direct reconstruction technique.

scholarly journals Combustion Instability of Swirl Premixed Flame with Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1405
Author(s):  
Kai Deng ◽  
Shenglang Zhao ◽  
Chenyang Xue ◽  
Jinlin Hu ◽  
Yi Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Combustion Instability ◽  
Premixed Flame ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Acoustic Frequency ◽  
Planar Laser ◽  
Barrier Discharge Plasma

The effects of plasma on the combustion instability of a methane swirling premixed flame under acoustic excitation were investigated. The flame image of OH planar laser-induced fluorescence and the fluctuation of flame transfer function showed the mechanism of plasma in combustion instability. The results show that when the acoustic frequency is less than 100 Hz, the gain in flame transfer function gradually increases with the frequency; when the acoustic frequency is 100~220 Hz, the flame transfer function shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing with acoustic frequency. When the acoustic frequency is greater than 220 Hz, the flame transfer function gradually decreases with acoustic frequency. When the voltage exceeds the critical discharge value of 5.3 kV, the premixed gas is ionized and the heat release rate increases significantly, thereby reducing the gain in flame transfer function and enhancing flame stability. Plasma causes changes in the internal recirculation zone, compression, and curling degree of the flame, and thereby accelerates the rate of chemical reaction and leads to an increase in flame heat release rate. Eventually, the concentration of OH radicals changes, and the heat release rate changes accordingly, which ultimately changes the combustion instability of the swirling flame.

scholarly journals Predicting the consumption speed of a premixed flame subjected to unsteady stretch rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meysam Sahafzadeh ◽  
Seth B. Dworkin ◽  
Larry W. Kostiuk
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Laminar Flame ◽  
Premixed Flames ◽  
Turbulent Flames ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Phase Lag

The stretched laminar flame model provides a convenient approach to embed realistic chemical kinetics when simulating turbulent premixed flames. When positive-only periodic strain rates are applied to a laminar flame there is a notable phase lag and diminished amplitude in heat release rate. Similar results have being observed with respect to the other component of stretch rate, namely the unsteady motion of a curved flame when the stretch rates are periodic about zero. Both cases showed that the heat release rate or consumption speed of these laminar-premixed flames vary significantly from the quasi-steady flamelet model. Deviation from quasi-steady behaviour increases as the unsteady flow time scale approaches the chemical time scale that is set by the stoichiometry. A challenge remains in how to use such results predictively for local and instantaneous consumption speed for small segments of turbulent flames where their unsteady stretch history is not periodic. This paper uses a frequency response analysis as a characterization tool to simplify the complex non-linear behaviour of premixed methane air flames for equivalence ratios from 1.0 down to 0.7, and frequencies from quasi-steady up to 2000 Hz using flame transfer functions. Various linear and nonlinear models were used to identify appropriate flame transfer functions for low and higher frequency regimes, as well as extend the predictive capabilities of these models. Linear models were only able to accurately predict the flame behaviour below a threshold of when the fluid and chemistry time scales are the same order of magnitude. Other proposed transfer functions were tested against arbitrary multi-frequency stretch inputs and were shown to be effective over the full range of frequencies.

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