Forced Flame Response of a Lean Premixed Multi-Nozzle Can Combustor

Author(s):  
Michael T. Szedlmayer ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Janith Samarasinghe ◽  
Alex De Rosa ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
...  

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the air-forced flame response of a five-nozzle, 250 kW, lean premixed gas turbine can combustor. Operating conditions were varied over a range of inlet temperatures, inlet velocities, and equivalence ratios, while the forcing frequency was varied from 100 to 450 Hz with constant normalized velocity fluctuations of approximately 5%. The response of the flame’s rate of heat release to inlet velocity fluctuations is expressed in terms of the phase and gain of a flame transfer function. In addition, chemiluminescence imaging is used to characterize the time-averaged and phase-averaged spatial distribution of the flame’s heat release. The resulting flame transfer functions and chemiluminescence flame images are compared to each other to determine the effects of varying the operating conditions. In addition, they are compared to data obtained from a single-nozzle combustor with the same injector. The forced response of the multi-nozzle flame demonstrates a similar pattern to those obtained in a single-nozzle combustor with the same injector. An exception occurs at high frequency where the multi-nozzle flame responds to a greater degree than the single-nozzle flame. At low frequency the multi-nozzle flame dampens the perturbations while the single-nozzle flame amplifies them. A number of minima and maxima occur at certain frequencies which correspond to the interference of two mechanisms. The frequency of these minima is nearly the same for the single- and multi-nozzle cases. When plotted with respect to Strouhal number instead of frequency there is a degree of collapse that occurs around the first observed minima.

Author(s):  
Poravee Orawannukul ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The response of a swirl-stabilized flame to equivalence ratio fluctuations is experimentally investigated in a single-nozzle lean premixed combustor. Equivalence ratio fluctuations are produced using a siren device to modulate the flow rate of fuel to the injector, while the air flow rate is kept constant. The magnitude and phase of the equivalence ratio fluctuations are measured near the exit of the nozzle using an infrared absorption technique. The flame response is characterized by the fluctuation in the flame’s overall rate of heat release, which is determined from the total CH* chemiluminescence emission from the flame. The relationship between total CH* chemiluminescence intensity and the flame’s overall rate of heat release is determined from a separate calibration experiment which accounts for the nonlinear relationship between chemiluminescence intensity and equivalence ratio. Measurements of the normalized equivalence ratio fluctuation and the normalized rate of heat release fluctuation are made over a range of modulation frequencies from 200 Hz to 440 Hz, which corresponds to Strouhal numbers from 0.4 to 2.8. These measurements are used to determine the fuel-forced flame transfer function which expresses the relationship between the equivalence ratio and rate of heat release fluctuations in terms of a gain and phase as a function of frequency. In addition, phase-synchronized CH* chemiluminescence images are captured to study the dynamics of the flame response over the modulation period. These measurements are made over a range of operating conditions and the results are analyzed to identify and better understand the mechanisms whereby equivalence ratio fluctuations result in fluctuations in the flame’s overall rate of heat release. Such information is essential to guide the formulation and validation of analytical fuel-forced flame response models and hence to predict combustion dynamics in gas turbine combustors.


Author(s):  
Brian Jones ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The response of turbulent premixed flames to inlet velocity fluctuations is studied experimentally in a lean premixed, swirl-stabilized, gas turbine combustor. Overall chemiluminescence intensity is used as a measure of the fluctuations in the flame’s global heat release rate, and hot wire anemometry is used to measure the inlet velocity fluctuations. Tests are conducted over a range of mean inlet velocities, equivalence ratios, and velocity fluctuation frequencies, while the normalized inlet velocity fluctuation (V′/Vmean) is fixed at 5% to ensure linear flame response over the employed modulation frequency range. The measurements are used to calculate a flame transfer function relating the velocity fluctuation to the heat release fluctuation as a function of the velocity fluctuation frequency. At low frequency, the gain of the flame transfer function increases with increasing frequency to a peak value greater than 1. As the frequency is further increased, the gain decreases to a minimum value, followed by a second smaller peak. The frequencies at which the gain is minimum and achieves its second peak are found to depend on the convection time scale and the flame’s characteristic length scale. Phase-synchronized CH∗ chemiluminescence imaging is used to characterize the flame’s response to inlet velocity fluctuations. The observed flame response can be explained in terms of the interaction of two flame perturbation mechanisms, one originating at flame-anchoring point and propagating along the flame front and the other from vorticity field generated in the outer shear layer in the annular mixing section. An analysis of the phase-synchronized flame images show that when both perturbations arrive at the flame at the same time (or phase), they constructively interfere, producing the second peak observed in the gain curves. When the perturbations arrive at the flame 180 degrees out-of-phase, they destructively interfere, producing the observed minimum in the gain curve.


Author(s):  
Alexander J. De Rosa ◽  
Stephen J. Peluso ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The effect of flame–wall interactions on the forced response of a lean-premixed, swirl-stabilized flame is experimentally investigated by examining flames in a series of three combustors, each with a different diameter, and therefore a different degree of lateral confinement. The confinement ratios tested are 0.5, 0.37, and 0.29 when calculated using the diameter of the nozzle relative to the combustor diameter. Using both flame images and measured flame transfer functions (FTFs), the effect of confinement is investigated and generalized across a broad range of operating conditions. The major effect of confinement is shown to be a change in flame structure in both the forced and unforced cases. This effect is captured using the parameter Lf,CoHR/Dcomb, which describes the changing degree of flame–wall interaction in each combustor size. The measured FTF data, as a function of confinement, are then generalized by Strouhal number. Data from the two larger combustors are collapsed by multiplying the Strouhal number by the confinement ratio to account for the flow expansion ratio and change in convective velocity within the combustor. Trends at the transfer function extrema are also assessed by examining them in the context of confinement and by using flame images. A change in the fluctuating structure of the flame is also seen to result from an increase in confinement.


Author(s):  
Alexander J. De Rosa ◽  
Stephen J. Peluso ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The effect of flame-wall interaction on the forced response of a lean-premixed, swirl-stabilized flame is experimentally investigated by examining flames in a series of three combustors, each with a different diameter and therefore a different degree of lateral confinement. The confinement ratios tested are 0.5, 0.37 and 0.29 when calculated using the diameter of the nozzle relative to the combustor diameter. Using both flame images and measured flame transfer functions, the effect of confinement is investigated and generalized across a broad range of operating conditions. The major effect of confinement is shown to be a change in flame structure in both the forced and unforced cases. This effect is captured using the parameter Lf,CoHR/Dcomb, which describes the changing degree of flame-wall interaction in each combustor size. The measured flame transfer function data, as a function of confinement, is then generalized by Strouhal number. Data from the two larger combustors is collapsed by multiplying the Strouhal number by the confinement ratio to account for the flow expansion ratio and change in convective velocity within the combustor. Trends at the transfer function extrema are also assessed by examining them in the context of confinement and by using flame images. A change in the fluctuating structure of the flame is also seen to result from an increase in confinement.


Author(s):  
Brian Jones ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca ◽  
Kwanwoo Kim ◽  
...  

The response of turbulent premixed flames to inlet velocity fluctuations is studied experimentally in a lean premixed, swirl-stabilized, gas turbine combustor. Overall chemiluminescence intensity is used as a measure of the fluctuations in the flame’s global heat release rate and hot wire anemometry is used to measure the inlet velocity fluctuations. Tests are conducted over a range of mean inlet velocities, equivalence ratios and velocity fluctuation frequencies, while the normalized inlet velocity fluctuation (V′/Vmean) is fixed at 5% to ensure linear flame response over the employed modulation frequency range. The measurements are used to calculate a flame transfer function relating the velocity fluctuation to the heat release fluctuation as a function of the velocity fluctuation frequency. At low frequency, the gain of the flame transfer function increases with increasing frequency to a peak value greater than one. As the frequency is further increased, the gain decreases to a minimum value, followed by a second smaller peak. The frequencies at which the gain is minimum and achieves its 2nd peak are found to depend on the convection time scale and the flame’s characteristic length scale. Phase-synchronized CH* chemiluminescence imaging is used to characterize the flame’s response to inlet velocity fluctuations. The observed flame response can be explained in terms of the interaction of two flame perturbation mechanisms, acoustic velocity fluctuations and vorticity fluctuations. Analysis of the phase-synchronized flame images show that when both perturbations arrive at the flame at the same time (or phase) they constructively interfere, producing the 2nd peak observed in the gain curves. And when the perturbations arrive at the flame 180 degrees out-of-phase, they destructively interfere, producing the observed minimum in the gain curve.


Author(s):  
N. Fdida ◽  
J. Hardi ◽  
H. Kawashima ◽  
B. Knapp ◽  
M. Oschwald ◽  
...  

Experiments presented in this paper were conducted with the BKH rocket combustor at the European Research and Technology Test Facility P8, located at DLR Lampoldshausen. This combustor is dedicated to study the effects of high magnitude instabilities on oxygen/hydrogen flames, created by forcing high-frequency (HF) acoustic resonance of the combustion chamber. This work addresses the need for highly temporally and spatially resolved visualization data, in operating conditions representative of real rocket engines, to better understand the flame response to high amplitude acoustic oscillations. By combining ONERA and DLR materials and techniques, the optical setup of this experiment has been improved to enhance the existing database with more highly resolved OH* imaging to allow detailed response analysis of the flame. OH* imaging is complemented with simultaneous visible imaging and compared to each other here for their ability to capture flame dynamics.


2009 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
pp. 305-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. BAILLOT ◽  
J.-B. BLAISOT ◽  
G. BOISDRON ◽  
C. DUMOUCHEL

Acoustic instabilities with frequencies roughly higher than 1 kHz remain among the most harmful instabilities, able to drastically affect the operation of engines and even leading to the destruction of the combustion chamber. By coupling with resonant transverse modes of the chamber, these pressure fluctuations can lead to a large increase of heat transfer fluctuations, as soon as fluctuations are in phase. To control engine stability, the mechanisms leading to the modulation of the local instantaneous rate of heat release must be understood. The commonly developed global approaches cannot identify the dominant mechanism(s) through which the acoustic oscillation modulates the local instantaneous rate of heat release. Local approaches are being developed based on processes that could be affected by acoustic perturbations. Liquid atomization is one of these processes. In the present paper, the effect of transverse acoustic perturbations on a coaxial air-assisted jet is studied experimentally. Here, five breakup regimes have been identified according to the flow conditions, in the absence of acoustics. The liquid jet is placed either at a pressure anti-node or at a velocity anti-node of an acoustic field. Acoustic levels up to 165 dB are produced. At a pressure anti-node, breakup of the liquid jet is affected by acoustics only if it is assisted by the coaxial gas flow. Effects on the liquid core are mainly due to the unsteady modulation of the annular gas flow induced by the acoustic waves when the mean dynamic pressure of the gas flow is lower than the acoustic pressure amplitude. At a velocity anti-node, local nonlinear radiation pressure effects lead to the flattening of the jet into a liquid sheet. A new criterion, based on an acoustic radiation Bond number, is proposed to predict jet flattening. Once the sheet is formed, it is rapidly atomized by three main phenomena: intrinsic sheet instabilities, Faraday instability and membrane breakup. Globally, this process promotes atomization. The spray is also spatially organized under these conditions: large liquid clusters and droplets with a low ejection velocity can be brought back to the velocity anti-node plane, under the action of the resulting radiation force. These results suggest that in rocket engines, because of the large number of injectors, a spatial redistribution of the spray could occur and lead to inhomogeneous combustion producing high-frequency combustion instabilities.


Author(s):  
Stephen Peluso ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

An experimental study was conducted to compare the relationship between self-excited and forced flame response in a variable-length lean premixed gas turbine (LPGT) research combustor with a single industrial injector. The variable-length combustor was used to determine the range of preferred instability frequencies for a given operating condition. Flame stability was classified based on combustor dynamic pressure measurements. Particle velocity perturbations in the injector barrel were calculated from additional dynamic pressure measurements using the two-microphone technique. Global CH* chemiluminescence emission was used as a marker for heat release. The flame’s response (i.e. normalized heat release fluctuation divided by normalized velocity fluctuation) was characterized during self-excited instabilities. The variable-length combustor was then used to tune the system to produce a stable flame at the same operating condition and velocity perturbations of varying magnitudes were generated using an upstream air-fuel mixture siren. Heat release perturbations were measured and the flame transfer function was calculated as a function of inlet velocity perturbation magnitude. For cases in this study, the gain and phase between velocity and heat release perturbations agreed for both self-excited and forced measurements in the linear and nonlinear flame response regimes, validating the use of forcing measurements to measure flame response to velocity perturbations. Analysis of the self-excited flame response indicates the saturation mechanism responsible for finite limit amplitude perturbations may result from nonlinear driving or damping processes in the combustor.


Author(s):  
Taehee Han ◽  
Hossein Salehfar ◽  
Nilesh V. Dale ◽  
Mike D. Mann ◽  
Jivan N. Thakare

Impedance characteristics of a 6 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer stack are presented under various operating conditions. An electrolyzer stack was operated under room temperature and partial current range (0 to 80 A). The whole stack impedance spectrums were measured by three different power supply configurations. The total sweeping frequency range (0.5 Hz to 20 kHz) is divided into low frequency (0.5 to 20 Hz), middle frequency (20 Hz to 1 kHz), and high frequency (1 to 20 kHz). Each frequency range required a different measurement setup to measure the whole stack impedance data. In this study, the partial impedance spectrums at low and high frequency ranges are successfully measured and analyzed. The measured data is verified with Kramers-Kronig relations. Measurement issues at the middle frequency region are discussed.


Author(s):  
Ryan A. Bandura ◽  
Timothy J. Jacobs

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is now a ubiquitous computational tool for engine design and diagnosis. It is often necessary to provide well-known initial cycle conditions to commence the CFD computations. Such initial conditions can be provided by experimental data. To create an opportunity to computationally study engine conditions where experimental data are not available, a zero-dimensional quasi-predictive thermodynamic simulation is developed that uses well-established spray model to predict rate of heat release and calculated burned gas composition and temperature to predict nitric oxide (NO) concentration. This simulation could in turn be used in reverse to solve for initial cylinder conditions for a targeted NO concentration. This paper details the thermodynamic simulation for diesel engine operating conditions. The goal is to produce a code that is capable of predicting NO emissions as well as performance characteristics such as mean effective pressure (MEP) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). The simulation uses general conservation of mass and energy approaches to model intake, compression, and exhaust. Rate of heat release prediction is based on an existing spray model to predict how fuel concentrations within the spray jet change with penetration. Rate of heat release provides predicted cylinder pressure, which is then validated against experimental pressure data under known operating conditions. An equilibrium mechanism is used to determine burned gas composition which, along with burned gas temperature, can be used for prediction of NO in the cylinder. NO is predicted using the extended Zeldovich mechanism. This mechanism is highly sensitive to temperature, and it is therefore important to accurately predict cylinder gas temperature to obtain correct NO values. Additionally, MEP and BSFC are determined. The simulation focuses on single fuel injection events, but insights are provided to expand the simulation to model multiple injection events.


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