Numerical Study of Non-Reacting and Reacting Flow Characteristics in a Lean Direct Injection Combustor

Author(s):  
Dipanjay Dewanji ◽  
Arvind G. Rao ◽  
Mathieu Pourquie ◽  
Jos P. van Buijtenen

The Lean Direct Injection (LDI) combustion concept has been of active interest due to its potential for low emissions under a wide range of operational conditions. This might allow the LDI concept to become the next generation gas-turbine combustion scheme for aviation engines. Nevertheless, the underlying unsteady phenomena, which are responsible for low emissions, have not been widely investigated. This paper reports a numerical study on the characteristics of the non-reacting and reacting flow field in a single-element LDI combustor. The solution for the non-reacting flow captures the essential aerodynamic flow characteristics of the LDI combustor, such as the reverse flow regions and the complex swirling flow structures inside the swirlers and in the neighborhood of the combustion chamber inlet, with reasonable accuracy. A spray model is introduced to simulate the reacting flow field. The reaction of the spray greatly influences the gas-phase velocity distribution. The heat release effect due to combustion results in a significantly stronger and compact reverse flow zone as compared to that of the non-reacting case. The inflow spray is specified by the Kelvin-Helmholtz breakup model, which is implemented in the Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) code. The results show a strong influence of the high swirling flow field on liquid droplet breakup and flow mixing process, which in turn could explain the low-emission behavior of the LDI combustion concept.

Author(s):  
Dipanjay Dewanji ◽  
Arvind G. Rao ◽  
Mathieu Pourquie ◽  
Jos P. van Buijtenen

This paper investigates the non-reacting aerodynamic flow characteristics in Lean Direct Injection (LDI) combustors. The RANS modeling is used to simulate the turbulent, non-reacting, and confined flow field associated with a single-element and a nine-element LDI combustor. The results obtained from the simulation are compared with some experimental data available in literature. The numerical model, which is in accordance with an experimental combustor, consists of an air swirler with 6 helical axial vanes of 60 degree vane angle and a converging-diverging duct, extending in a square flame tube. The numerical model covers the entire flow passage, including the highly swirling flow passage through the swirler vanes, and the combustion chamber. Simulation has been performed with a low Reynolds number realizable k-ε model and a Reynolds stress turbulence model. It is observed that the computational model is able to predict the central re-circulation zones (CTRZ), the corner recirculation zones, and the complex flow field associated with the adjacent swirlers with reasonable accuracy. The computed velocity components for the single-element case show that the flow field is similar to the experimental observations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 789-790 ◽  
pp. 477-483
Author(s):  
A.R. Norwazan ◽  
M.N. Mohd Jaafar

This paper is presents numerical simulation of isothermal swirling turbulent flows in a combustion chamber of an unconfined burner. Isothermal flows of with three different swirl numbers, SN of axial swirler are considered to demonstrate the effect of flow axial velocity and tangential velocity to define the center recirculation zone. The swirler is used in the burner that significantly influences the flow pattern inside the combustion chamber. The inlet velocity, U0 is 30 m/s entering into the burner through the axial swirler that represents a high Reynolds number, Re to evaluate the differences of SN. The significance of center recirculation zone investigation affected by differences Re also has been carried out in order to define a good mixing of air and fuel. A numerical study of non-reacting flow into the burner region is performed using ANSYS Fluent. The Reynolds–Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) realizable k-ε turbulence approach method was applied with the eddy dissipation model. An attention is focused in the flow field behind the axial swirler downstream that determined by transverse flow field at different radial distance. The results of axial and tangential velocity were normalized with the U0. The velocity profiles’ behaviour are obviously changes after existing the swirler up to x/D = 0.3 plane. However, their flow patterns are similar for all SN after x/D = 0.3 plane towards the outlet of a burner.


2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norwazan A. R ◽  
Mohammad Nazri Mohd. Jaafar

This paper presents a numerical simulation of swirling turbulent flows in combustion chamber of unconfined burner. Isothermal flows with three different swirl numbers using axial swirler are used to demonstrate the effect of flow in axial velocity and tangential velocity on the center recirculation zone. The significance of center recirculation zone is to ensure a good mixing of air and fuel in order to get a better combustion. The inlet velocity, U0 is 30 m/s entering into the burner through the axial swirler that is represents a high Reynolds number. A numerical study of non-reacting flow in the burner region is performed using ANSYS Fluent. The Reynolds–Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) standard k-ε turbulence approach method was applied with the eddy dissipation model. The paper focuses the flow field behind the axial swirler downstream that determined by transverse flow field at different on radial distances. The results of axial and tangential velocity were normalized with the inlet velocity. The velocity profiles are different after undergoing the different swirler up to the burner exit. However, the results of velocity profile showed that the high SN gives a better swirling flow patterns. 


Author(s):  
M. Carreres ◽  
L. M. García-Cuevas ◽  
J. García-Tíscar ◽  
M. Belmar-Gil

Abstract During the last decades, many efforts have been invested by the scientific community in minimising exhaust emissions from aeronautical gas turbine engines. In this context, many advanced ultra-low NOx combustion concepts, such as the Lean Direct Injection treated in the present study, are being developed to abide by future regulations. Numerical simulations of these devices are usually computationally expensive since they imply a multi-scale problem. In this work, a non-reactive Large Eddy Simulation of a gaseous-fuelled, radial-swirled Lean-Direct Injection (LDI) combustor has been carried out through the OpenFOAM Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code by solving the complete inlet flow path through the swirl vanes and the combustor. The geometry considered is the gaseous configuration of the CORIA LDI combustor, for which detailed measurements are available. Macroscopical analysis of the main turbulent features related to the swirling flow and the generated Central Recirculation Zone (CRZ) are well established in the literature. Nevertheless, a more in-depth characterization is still required in this area of active research since theory and experimental data are not yet able to predict which unstable mode dominates the flow. This work aims at using Large Eddy Simulation for a complete characterisation of the unsteady flow structures generated within the combustion chamber of a gaseous methane injection immersed in a strong non-reactive swirling flow field. To do so, a spectral analysis of the flow field is performed to identify the frequency, intensity and instabilities associated to the phenomena occurring at the swirler outlet region. A coherent structure known as Precessing Vortex Core (PVC) is identified both at the inner and the outer shear layers, resulting in a periodic disturbance of the pressure and velocity fields. The pressure and velocity fluctuations predicted by the CFD code are used to compute the spectral signatures through the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) amplitude at multiple locations. This allows investigating both the complex behaviour of the PVC and its associated acoustic phenomena. The acoustic characteristics computed by the numerical model are first validated qualitatively by comparing the spectrum with available experimental data. In this way, the use of dimensionless numbers to characterise the most energetic structures is coherent with the experimental observations and the characteristics of the PVC. Then, the numerical identification of the main acoustic modes in the chamber through Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) allows overcoming the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) shortcomings and better understanding the propagation of the hydrodynamic instability perturbations. This investigation on the main non-reacting swirling flow structures inside the combustor provides a suitable background for further studies on combustion instability mechanisms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (19-20) ◽  
pp. 4028-4045
Author(s):  
Zeguang Pei ◽  
Ge Chen

A modified vortex spinning technology, which produces core-spun yarns by means of a tangentially injected swirling airflow, is of great prospect in view of its production rate and yarn structure. In this paper, a numerical study based on computational fluid dynamics is presented to investigate the characteristics of the flow field of this system. In the simulation, the effect of the rotating front rollers on the flow field is taken into consideration. Flow characteristics inside the spinning nozzle, flow field of the front rollers, and streamline patterns have been revealed. The results show that a high-speed swirling flow is generated in the near-wall region in the nozzle chamber due to the ejection of air-jets from the tangential injectors. An asymmetric sub-pressure zone is formed in the core region of the nozzle chamber where the interactions of the high-speed swirling flow and three streams of secondary flows generate three vortices. Airflows in the vicinity of the front rollers generally converge toward the nozzle entrance from all directions except those in the boundary layer of the front roller surfaces, which is helpful for the delivery of fibers into the nozzle. A vortex is formed above the top roller and another beneath the bottom roller. The results of the streamline patterns show that the flow characteristics of the modified vortex spinning can facilitate the formation process of the core-spun yarn, which presents a qualitative explanation to the dynamic behavior of the fibers that was experimentally obtained.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 125118
Author(s):  
Yazhou Shen ◽  
Mohamad Ghulam ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Ephraim Gutmark ◽  
Christophe Duwig

2014 ◽  
Vol 694 ◽  
pp. 187-192
Author(s):  
Jin Xiang Wu ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Xiang Gou ◽  
Lian Sheng Liu

The three-dimensional coupled explicit Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the two equation shear-stress transport k-w (SST k-w) model has been employed to numerically simulate the cold flow field in a special-shaped cavity-based supersonic combustor. In a cross-section shaped rectangular, hypersonic inlet with airflow at Mach 2.0 chamber, shock structures and flow characteristics of a herringbone-shaped boss and a herringbone-shaped cavity models were discussed, respectively. The results indicate: Firstly, according to the similarities of bevel-cutting shock characteristics between the boss case and the cavity case, the boss structure can serve as an ideal alternative model for shear-layer. Secondly, the eddies within cavity are composed of herringbone-spanwise vortexes, columnar vortices in the front and main-spanwise vortexes in the rear, featuring tilting, twisting and stretching. Thirdly, the simulated bottom-flow of cavity is in good agreement with experimental result, while the reverse flow-entrainment resulting from herringbone geometry and pressure gradient. However, the herringbone-shaped cavity has a better performance in fuel-mixing.


Author(s):  
Joseph Meadows ◽  
Ajay K. Agrawal

Combustion noise and thermo-acoustic instabilities are of primary importance in highly critical applications such as rocket propulsion systems, power generation, and jet propulsion engines. Mechanisms for combustion instabilities are extremely complex because they often involve interactions among several different physical phenomena such as unsteady flame propagation leading to unsteady flow field, acoustic wave propagation, natural and forced hydrodynamic instabilities, etc. In the past, we have utilized porous inert media (PIM) to mitigate combustion noise and thermo-acoustic instabilities in both lean premixed (LPM) and lean direct injection (LDI) combustion systems. While these studies demonstrated the efficacy of the PIM concept to mitigate noise and thermo-acoustic instabilities, the actual mechanisms involved have not been understood. The present study utilizes time-resolved particle image velocimetry to measure the turbulent flow field in a non-reacting swirl-stabilized combustor without and with PIM. Although the flow field inside the annulus of the PIM cannot be observed, measurements immediately downstream of the PIM provide insight into the turbulent structures. Results are analyzed using the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) method and show that the PIM alters the flow field in an advantageous manner by modifying the turbulence structures and eliminating the corner recirculation zones and precessing vortex core, which would ultimately affect the acoustic behavior in a favorable manner.


2018 ◽  
Vol 846 ◽  
pp. 210-239
Author(s):  
Vinicius M. Sauer ◽  
Fernando F. Fachini ◽  
Derek Dunn-Rankin

Tubular flames represent a canonical combustion configuration that can simplify reacting flow analysis and also be employed in practical power generation systems. In this paper, a theoretical model for non-premixed tubular flames, with delivery of liquid fuel through porous walls into a swirling flow field, is presented. Perturbation theory is used to analyse this new tubular flame configuration, which is the non-premixed equivalent to a premixed swirl-type tubular burner – following the original classification of premixed tubular systems into swirl and counterflow types. The incompressible viscous flow field is modelled with an axisymmetric similarity solution. Axial decay of the initial swirl velocity and surface mass transfer from the porous walls are considered through the superposition of laminar swirling flow on a Berman flow with uniform mass injection in a straight pipe. The flame structure is obtained assuming infinitely fast conversion of reactants into products and unity Lewis numbers, allowing the application of the Shvab–Zel’dovich coupling function approach.


Author(s):  
Kumud Ajmani ◽  
Hukam C. Mongia ◽  
Phil Lee

An effort was undertaken to perform CFD analysis of fluid flow in Lean-Direct Injection (LDI) combustors with axial swirl-venturi elements for next-generation LDI-2 design. The National Combustion Code (NCC) developed at NASA Glenn Research Center was used to perform reacting flow computations on an LDI-2 combustor configuration with thirteen injector elements arranged in four fuel stages. Reacting computations were performed with a consistent approach for mesh-optimization, liquid spray modeling and kinetics modeling. Computational predictions of Emissions Index (EINOx) and combustor exit temperature were compared with two sets of experimental data at medium and high-power operating conditions, for two different pressure-drop conditions in the combustor. The NCC simulations predicted the combustor exit temperature to within 1–2% of experimental data. The accuracy of the EINOx predictions from the NCC simulations was within 10% to 30% of experimental data.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document