Experimental Investigation of the Flow Field and the Heat Transfer on a Scaled Cooled Combustor Liner With Realistic Swirling Flow Generated by a Lean-Burn Injection System

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Gianluca Caciolli ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
Fabio Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Real Geometry ◽  
Slot Film Cooling ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Combustor Liner

Lean-burn swirl stabilized combustors represent the key technology to reduce NOx emissions in modern aircraft engines. The high amount of air admitted through a lean-burn injection system is characterized by very complex flow structures, such as recirculations, vortex breakdown, and processing vortex core, which may deeply interact in the near wall region of the combustor liner. This interaction and its effects on the local cooling performance make the design of the cooling systems very challenging, accounting for the design and commission of new test rigs for detailed analysis. The main purpose of the present work is the characterization of the flow field and the wall heat transfer due to the interaction of a swirling flow coming out from real geometry injectors and a slot cooling system which generates film cooling in the first part of the combustor liner. The experimental setup consists of a nonreactive three sector planar rig in an open loop wind tunnel; the rig, developed within the EU project Low Emissions Core-Engine Technologies (LEMCOTEC), includes three swirlers, whose scaled geometry reproduces the real geometry of an Avio Aero partially evaporated and rapid mixing (PERM) injector technology, and a simple cooling scheme made up of a slot injection, reproducing the exhaust dome cooling mass flow. Test were carried out imposing realistic combustor operating conditions, especially in terms of reduced mass flow rate and pressure drop across the swirlers. The flow field is investigated by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV), while the measurement of the heat transfer coefficient is performed through thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) steady state technique. PIV results show the behavior of flow field generated by the injectors, their mutual interaction, and the impact of the swirled main flow on the stability of the slot film cooling. TLC measurements, reported in terms of detailed 2D heat transfer coefficient maps, highlight the impact of the swirled flow and slot film cooling on wall heat transfer.

Experimental Investigation of the Flow Field and the Heat Transfer on a Scaled Cooled Combustor Liner With Realistic Swirling Flow Generated by a Lean-Burn Injection System

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Gianluca Caciolli ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
Fabio Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Real Geometry ◽  
Slot Film Cooling ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Combustor Liner

Lean burn swirl stabilized combustors represent the key technology to reduce NOx emissions in modern aircraft engines. The high amount of air admitted through a lean-burn injection system is characterized by very complex flow structures such as recirculations, vortex breakdown and processing vortex core, that may deeply interact in the near wall region of the combustor liner. This interaction and its effects on the local cooling performance make the design of the cooling systems very challenging, accounting for the design and commission of new test rigs for detailed analysis. The main purpose of the present work is the characterization of the flow field and the wall heat transfer due to the interaction of a swirling flow coming out from real geometry injectors and a slot cooling system which generates film cooling in the first part of the combustor liner. The experimental setup consists of a non-reactive three sector planar rig in an open loop wind tunnel; the rig, developed within the EU project LEMCOTEC, includes three swirlers, whose scaled geometry reproduces the real geometry of an Avio Aero PERM (Partially Evaporated and Rapid Mixing) injector technology, and a simple cooling scheme made up of a slot injection, reproducing the exhaust dome cooling mass flow. Test were carried out imposing realistic combustor operating conditions, especially in terms of reduced mass flow rate and pressure drop across the swirlers. The flow field is investigated by means of PIV, while the measurement of the heat transfer coefficient is performed through Thermochromic Liquid Crystals steady state technique. PIV results show the behavior of flow field generated by the injectors, their mutual interaction and the impact of the swirled main flow on the stability of the slot film cooling. TLC measurements, reported in terms of detailed 2D heat transfer coefficient maps, highlight the impact of the swirled flow and slot film cooling on wall heat transfer.

Impact of Swirl Flow on Combustor Liner Heat Transfer and Cooling: A Numerical Investigation With Hybrid RANS-LES Models

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mazzei ◽  
A. Andreini ◽  
B. Facchini ◽  
F. Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Swirl Flow ◽  
Opening Angle ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Combustor Liner

This paper reports the main findings of a numerical investigation aimed at characterizing the flow field and the wall heat transfer resulting from the interaction of a swirling flow provided by lean burn injectors and a slot cooling system, which generates film cooling in the first part of the combustor liner. In order to overcome some well-known limitations of RANS approach, e.g. the underestimation of mixing, the simulations were performed with hybrid RANS-LES models, namely SAS-SST and DES-SST, which are proving to be a viable approach to resolve the main structures of the flow field. The numerical results were compared to experimental data obtained on a non-reactive three sector planar rig developed in the context of the EU project LEMCOTEC. The analysis of the flow field has highlighted a generally good agreement against PIV measurements, especially for the SAS-SST model, whereas DES-SST returns some discrepancies in the opening angle of the swirling flow, altering the location of the corner vortex. Also the assessment in terms of Nu/Nu0 distribution confirms the overall accuracy of SAS-SST, where a constant over-prediction in the magnitude of the heat transfer is shown by DES-SST, even though potential improvements with mesh refinement are pointed out.

Adiabatic Effectiveness and Flow Field Measurements in a Realistic Effusion Cooled Lean Burn Combustor

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Riccardo Becchi ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Test Model ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Experimental Apparatus ◽  
Adiabatic Effectiveness ◽  
The Impact

Over the last ten years, there have been significant technological advances toward the reduction of NOx emissions from civil aircraft engines, strongly aimed at meeting stricter and stricter legislation requirements. Nowadays, the most prominent way to meet the target of reducing NOx emissions in modern combustors is represented by lean burn swirl stabilized technology. The high amount of air admitted through a lean burn injection system is characterized by very complex flow structures such as recirculations, vortex breakdown, and precessing vortex core (PVC) that may deeply interact in the near wall region of the combustor liner. This interaction makes challenging the estimation of film cooling distribution, commonly generated by slot and effusion systems. The main purpose of the present work is the characterization of the flow field and the adiabatic effectiveness due to the interaction of swirling flow, generated by real geometry injectors, and a liner cooling scheme made up of a slot injection and an effusion array. The experimental apparatus has been developed within EU project LEMCOTEC (low emissions core-engine technologies) and consists of a nonreactive three-sectors planar rig; the test model is characterized by a complete cooling system and three swirlers, replicating the geometry of a GE Avio PERM (partially evaporated and rapid mixing) injector technology. Flow field measurements have been performed by means of a standard 2D PIV (particle image velocimetry) technique, while adiabatic effectiveness maps have been obtained using PSP (pressure sensitive paint) technique. PIV results show the effect of coolant injection in the corner vortex region, while the PSP measurements highlight the impact of swirled flow on the liner film protection separating the contribution of slot and effusion flows. Furthermore, an additional analysis, exploiting experimental results in terms of heat transfer coefficient, has been performed to estimate the net heat flux reduction (NHFR) on the cooled test plate.

Effect of Slot Injection and Effusion Array on the Liner Heat Transfer Coefficient of a Scaled Lean Burn Combustor With Representative Swirling Flow

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Riccardo Becchi ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
Fabio Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Recirculation Region ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Cooling Flows ◽  
The Impact

International standards regarding polluting emissions from civil aircraft engines are becoming gradually even more stringent. Nowadays, the most prominent way to meet the target of reducing NOx emissions in modern aero-engine combustors is represented by lean burn technology. Swirl injectors are usually employed to provide the dominant flame stabilization mechanism coupled to high efficiency fuel atomization solutions. These systems generate very complex flow structures such as recirculations, vortex breakdown and processing vortex core, that affect the distribution and therefore the estimation of heat loads on the gas side of the liner as well as the interaction with the cooling system flows. The main purpose of the present work is to provide detailed measurements of Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) on the gas side of a scaled combustor liner highlighting the impact of the cooling flows injected through a slot system and an effusion array. Furthermore, for a deeper understanding of the interaction phenomena between gas and cooling flows, a standard 2D PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique has been employed to characterize the combustor flow field. The experimental arrangement has been developed within EU project LEMCOTEC and consists of a non-reactive three sectors planar rig installed in an open loop wind tunnel. Three swirlers, replicating the real geometry of a GE Avio PERM (Partially Evaporated and Rapid Mixing) injector technology, are used to achieve representative swirled flow conditions in the test section. The effusion geometry is composed by a staggered array of 1236 circular holes with an inclination of 30deg, while the slot exit has a constant height of 5mm. The experimental campaign has been carried out using a TLC (Thermochromic Liquid Crystals) steady state technique with a thin Inconel heating foil and imposing several cooling flow conditions in terms of slot coolant consumption and effusion pressure drop. A data reduction procedure has been developed to take into account the non-uniform heat generation and the heat loss across the liner plate. Results, in terms of 2D maps and averaged distributions of HTC have been supported by flow field measurements with 2D PIV technique focussed on the corner recirculation region.

Experimental and Computational Results of Distributed Combustion for Application in Current Gas Turbine Engine Combustor Architectures

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Overman ◽  
Jason Ryon
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Numerical Test ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Turbine Engines ◽  
Gas Turbine Engines ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Lean Combustion ◽  
Improved Performance

Current development and testing has lead to a fuel/air injection system for application in gas turbine engines that produces ultra low emissions and stable, lean combustion. The system is designed to operate with current combustor architectures similar to existing gas turbine engines. This paper presents both experimental and numerical test results demonstrating the benefits of such technology including extremely low emissions of NOx, CO, and un-burned hydrocarbons (UHC). Primary focus is on experimental results demonstrating reaction distribution and emissions. Numerical confirmation of flow field dynamics was used to develop an understanding of the re-circulation rates within the combustor and impact on reaction behavior. Several design configurations were tested to investigate the effects of aerodynamic stagnation point and fuel placement with respect to the aerodynamic shear layer produced by the swirling flow field. Test conditions were varied, including inlet air temperature and injector pressure drop for monitoring effects on the operating envelope of distributed reaction and on lean blow out limit. Results demonstrate the improved performance of a system capable of operating in a flameless or distributed reaction mode over that of a typical lean burn system.

Adiabatic Effectiveness and Flow Field Measurements in a Realistic Effusion Cooled Lean Burn Combustor

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Riccardo Becchi ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Alessio Picchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Test Model ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Lean Burn ◽  
Experimental Apparatus ◽  
Adiabatic Effectiveness ◽  
The Impact

Over the last ten years there have been significant technological advances toward the reduction of NOx emissions from civil aircraft engines, strongly aimed at meeting stricter and stricter legislation requirements. Nowadays, the most prominent way to meet the target of reducing NOx emissions in modern combustors is represented by lean burn swirl stabilized technology. The high amount of air admitted through a lean-burn injection system is characterized by very complex flow structures such as recirculations, vortex breakdown and precessing vortex core, that may deeply interact in the near wall region of the combustor liner. This interaction makes challenging the estimation of film cooling distribution, commonly generated by slot and effusion systems. The main purpose of the present work is the characterization of the flow field and the adiabatic effectiveness due to the interaction of swirling flow, generated by real geometry injectors, and a liner cooling scheme made up of a slot injection and an effusion array. The experimental apparatus has been developed within EU project LEMCOTEC and consists of a non-reactive three sectors planar rig; the test model is characterized by a complete cooling system and three swirlers, replicating the geometry of a GE Avio PERM (Partially Evaporated and Rapid Mixing) injector technology. Flow field measurements have been performed by means of a standard 2D PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique, while adiabatic effectiveness maps have been obtained using PSP (Pressure Sensitive Paint) technique. PIV results show the effect of coolant injection in the corner vortex region, while the PSP measurements highlight the impact of swirled flow on the liner film protection separating the contribution of slot and effusion flows. Furthermore an additional analysis, exploiting experimental results in terms of heat transfer coefficient, has been performed to estimate the net heat flux reduction (NHFR) on the cooled test plate.

Impact of Swirl Flow on Combustor Liner Heat Transfer and Cooling: A Numerical Investigation With Hybrid Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Large Eddy Simulation Models

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
Fabio Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes ◽  
Combustor Liner

This paper reports the main findings of a numerical investigation aimed at characterizing the flow field and the wall heat transfer resulting from the interaction of a swirling flow provided by lean-burn injectors and a slot cooling system, which generates film cooling in the first part of the combustor liner. In order to overcome some well-known limitations of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach, e.g., the underestimation of mixing, the simulations were performed with hybrid RANS–large eddy simulation (LES) models, namely, scale-adaptive simulation (SAS)–shear stress transport (SST) and detached eddy simulation (DES)–SST, which are proving to be a viable approach to resolve the main structures of the flow field. The numerical results were compared to experimental data obtained on a nonreactive three-sector planar rig developed in the context of the EU project LEMCOTEC. The analysis of the flow field has highlighted a generally good agreement against particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, especially for the SAS–SST model, whereas DES–SST returns some discrepancies in the opening angle of the swirling flow, altering the location of the corner vortex. Also the assessment in terms of Nu/Nu0 distribution confirms the overall accuracy of SAS–SST, where a constant overprediction in the magnitude of the heat transfer is shown by DES–SST, even though potential improvements with mesh refinement are pointed out.

Numerical simulation of swirling flow effect on the first stage vane film cooling distribution

2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 1650031
Author(s):  
Hong Yin
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Swirling Flow ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Swirl Flow ◽  
Flow Effect ◽  
Recirculation Flow

In advanced gas turbine technology, lean premixed combustion is an effective strategy to reduce peak temperature and thus, NO[Formula: see text] emissions. The swirler is adopted to establish recirculation flow zone, enhancing mixing and stabilizing the flame. Therefore, the swirling flow is dominant in the combustor flow field and has impact on the vane. This paper mainly investigates the swirling flow effect on the turbine first stage vane cooling system by conducting a group of numerical simulations. Firstly, the numerical methods of turbulence modeling using RANS and LES are compared. The computational model of one single swirl flow field is considered. Both the RANS and LES results give reasonable recirculation zone shape. When comparing the velocity distribution, the RANS results generally match the experimental data but fail to at some local area. The LES modeling gives better results and more detailed unsteady flow field. In the second step, the RANS modeling is incorporated to investigate the vane film cooling performance under the swirling inflow boundary condition. According to the numerical results, the leading edge film cooling is largely altered by the swirling flow, especially for the swirl core-leading edge aligned case. Compared to the pressure side, the suction side film cooling is more sensitive to the swirling flow. Locally, the film cooling jet is lifted and turned by the strong swirling flow.

Account of Film Turbulence for Predicting Film Cooling Effectiveness in Gas Turbine Combustors

1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Sturgess
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Engine Combustion ◽  
Turbulence Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Combustor Liner

The paper deals with a small but important part of the overall gas turbine engine combustion system and continues earlier published work on turbulence effects in film cooling to cover the case of film turbulence. Film cooling of the gas turbine combustor liner imposes certain geometric limitations on the coolant injection device. The impact of practical film injection geometry on the cooling is one of increased rates of film decay when compared to the performance from idealized injection geometries at similar injection conditions. It is important to combustor durability and life estimation to be able to predict accurately the performance obtainable from a given practical slot. The coolant film is modeled as three distinct regions, and the effects of injection slot geometry on the development of each region are described in terms of film turbulence intensity and initial circumferential non-uniformity of the injected coolant. The concept of the well-designed slot is introduced and film effectiveness is shown to be dependent on it. Only slots which can be described as well-designed are of interest in practical equipment design. A prediction procedure is provided for well-designed slots which describes growth of the film downstream of the first of the three film regions. Comparisons of predictions with measured data are made for several very different well-designed slots over a relatively wide range of injection conditions, and good agreement is shown.

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