scholarly journals Modeling Near Critical and Supercritical Fuel Injection and Mixing in Gas Turbine Applications

Author(s):  
C. Lettieri ◽  
G. Subashki ◽  
Z. Spakovszky

This paper presents a numerical framework for characterizing fuel injection in modern combustors. The approach utilizes scaling analysis to describe the droplet evaporation in non-dimensional and fluid-independent terms. The results of the model are validated against published experimental data of isolated droplets evaporating at subcritical and near-critical conditions. The model is incorporated in a spray calculation framework and extended to the supercritical regime to assess the impact of different fluid-properties and evaporation models on temperature and fuel vapor distributions. The results suggest that in a non-convective environment the transient and quasi-steady evaporation rates vary exponentially with Lewis number. Furthermore, the results show fluid-independent behavior of the droplet evaporation, indicating that a single-component fluid can potentially be used as a modeling surrogate for jet fuel. The first-principles analysis demonstrates that classical evaporation models overestimate transient evaporation and underestimate quasi-steady evaporation, with discrepancies up to 70% at supercritical conditions. This is due to limitations in fuel-property description and the lack of non-isothermal droplet characterization at near-critical conditions. The temperature profiles are typically under-predicted and fuel vapor concentrations are over-predicted in standard spray calculations with subcritical evaporation models. As such the proposed framework breaks new ground in modeling of supercritical fuel injection. The improved quality in the predicted fuel concentration and temperature distribution can enable more accurate assessment of flame position, improving the estimation of combustion stability margins and NOx emissions. The model can be incorporated in commercial codes to guide the design of combustors operating at supercritical conditions.

Author(s):  
E. Lubarsky ◽  
D. Shcherbik ◽  
D. Scarborough ◽  
O. Bibik ◽  
B. T. Zinn

This paper describes a study of the onset of severe combustion instabilities (i.e., with peak to peak amplitudes of up to 0.97MPa) in a high pressure (PC>500psia or 3.45MPa) air breathing combustor as the inlet temperature of the injected liquid fuel (n-heptane - C7H16) was varied over the 20–335°C range, achieving supercritical conditions when the temperature exceeded 300°C. The attainment of supercritical operation was determined by a specially developed probe that illuminated the liquid spray with a laser beam and collected the light scattered off the spray. As the temperature of the fuel was increased, the spray disappeared when the fuel attained a supercritical state and the scattered signal could be no longer detected. Two different unstable modes (i.e., ∼100 and ∼400Hz) were excited in the combustor as the fuel temperature was increased from low to supercritical conditions and then cooled again. The lower frequency instability (∼100Hz) was excited and then disappeared when the fuel temperature was well below supercritical values (i.e., TFUEL<200°C) whereas the higher frequency mode (∼400Hz) was typically excited at sub- and super- critical conditions (i.e., TFUEL>250°C). It’s shown that the dynamics of the excitation and disappearance of these modes as well as their limit cycle amplitudes strongly depend upon the direction in which fuel temperature varies and also upon the temperature of the combustion air. Significantly, the results of this study strongly suggest that combustion instabilities may be excited in future high performance aircraft combustor that will operate at very high-pressures and with supercritical fuel injection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Lin ◽  
Feng Shi ◽  
Weizi Li

AbstractCOVID-19 has affected every sector of our society, among which human mobility is taking a dramatic change due to quarantine and social distancing. We investigate the impact of the pandemic and subsequent mobility changes on road traffic safety. Using traffic accident data from the city of Los Angeles and New York City, we find that the impact is not merely a blunt reduction in traffic and accidents; rather, (1) the proportion of accidents unexpectedly increases for “Hispanic” and “Male” groups; (2) the “hot spots” of accidents have shifted in both time and space and are likely moved from higher-income areas (e.g., Hollywood and Lower Manhattan) to lower-income areas (e.g., southern LA and southern Brooklyn); (3) the severity level of accidents decreases with the number of accidents regardless of transportation modes. Understanding those variations of traffic accidents not only sheds a light on the heterogeneous impact of COVID-19 across demographic and geographic factors, but also helps policymakers and planners design more effective safety policies and interventions during critical conditions such as the pandemic.


Author(s):  
Jim S. Cowart ◽  
Leonard J. Hamilton

A Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) gasoline engine has been modified to run on computer controlled Port Fuel Injection (PFI) and electronic ignition. Additionally a fast acting sampling valve (controlled by the engine control computer) has been placed in the engine’s intake system between the fuel injector and cylinder head in order to measure the fuel components that are vaporizing in the intake port immediately after the fuel injection event, and separately during the intake valve open period. This is accomplished by fast sampling a small portion of the intake port gases during a specified portion of the engine cycle which are then analyzed with a gas chromatograph. Experimental mixture preparation results as a function of inlet port temperature and pressure are presented. As the inlet port operates at higher temperatures and lower manifold pressures more of the injected fuels’ heavier components evolve into the vapor form immediately after fuel injection. The post-fuel injection fuel-air equivalence ratio in the intake port is characterized. The role of the fuel injection event is to produce from 1/4 to slightly over 1/2 of the combustible fuel-air mixture needed by the engine, as a function of port temperature. Fuel vapor sampling during the intake valve open period suggests that very little fuel is vaporizing from the intake port puddle below the fuel injector. In-cylinder fuel vapor sampling shows that significant fuel vapor generation must occur in the lower intake port and intake valve region.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. K. Rizk ◽  
J. S. Chin ◽  
M. K. Razdan

Satisfactory performance of the gas turbine combustor relies on the careful design of various components, particularly the fuel injector. It is, therefore, essential to establish a fundamental basis for fuel injection modeling that involves various atomization processes. A two-dimensional fuel injection model has been formulated to simulate the airflow within and downstream of the atomizer and address the formation and breakup of the liquid sheet formed at the atomizer exit. The sheet breakup under the effects of airblast, fuel pressure, or the combined atomization mode of the airassist type is considered in the calculation. The model accounts for secondary breakup of drops and the stochastic Lagrangian treatment of spray. The calculation of spray evaporation addresses both droplet heat-up and steady-state mechanisms, and fuel vapor concentration is based on the partial pressure concept. An enhanced evaporation model has been developed that accounts for multicomponent, finite mass diffusivity and conductivity effects, and addresses near-critical evaporation. The presents investigation involved predictions of flow and spray characteristics of two distinctively different fuel atomizers under both nonreacting and reacting conditions. The predictions of the continuous phase velocity components and the spray mean drop sizes agree well with the detailed measurements obtained for the two atomizers, which indicates the model accounts for key aspects of atomization. The model also provides insight into ligament formation and breakup at the atomizer exit and the initial drop sizes formed in the atomizer near field region where measurements are difficult to obtain. The calculations of the reacting spray show the fuel-rich region occupied most of the spray volume with two-peak radial gas temperature profiles. The results also provided local concentrations of unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) in atomizer flowfield, information that could support the effort to reduce emission levels of gas turbine combustors.


Author(s):  
Francisco J. Martinez Zambrano ◽  
Armin K. Silaen ◽  
Kelly Tian ◽  
Joe Maiolo ◽  
Chenn Zhou

Abstract Steelmaking is an energy-intensive process. Thus, energy efficiency is highly important. Several stages of steelmaking involve combustion processes. One of the most energy-consuming processes in steelmaking is the slab reheating process in a reheat furnace (RF). The energy released by fuel combustion is used to heat steel slabs to their proper hot-rolling temperature. The steel slabs move through the reheat furnace passing the three stages of heating called: Preheating Zone (PZ), Heating Zone (HZ), and Soaking Zone (SZ) to finally leave the discharge door at a rolling temperature of 2375 °F. One way to improve a reheat furnace’s fuel consumption is by implementing oxygen-enriched combustion. This study investigates the implementation of oxygen-enriched combustion in a pusher-type reheat furnace. The increment of oxygen in the combustion process allows for increasing the furnace gas temperature. Consequently, the oxygen enrichment approach allows for the reduction of fuel injection. The principal goal of this investigation is to model the combustion-based on oxygen-enrichment and develop parametric studies of fuel injection rates. The different simulations aim to match the slab heat flux profile of the industrial reheat furnace pusher-type. Computational fluid dynamics are used to generate the slab heat flux distribution. To reach more uniform slab heating, oxygen and fuel ports were alternated. Also, injection angles were modified to optimize slab heating and avoid the impact of hot spots. Thermocouple readings of the industrial reheat furnace are compared to simulation results. The results determined that 40–45% fuel reduction can be achieved.


Author(s):  
Yeshayahou Levy ◽  
Semion Lipkin ◽  
Valery Nadvany ◽  
Valery Sherbaum

Small and inexpensive jet engines are usually equipped with vaporizing fuel supply systems. This is in order to deliver low fuel flow-rates from relatively low-pressure fuel supply systems and the need for simple configuration. The difficulties associated with small engines are mainly during ignition or at high altitude re-lights, when the combustor is cold, air supply is poor, and fuel demand and pressure are low. Such conditions lead to poor atomization within the vaporizer resulting in very large droplets at its exit tip or even to a pool of liquid fuel within the combustor. Thus, there is no fuel vapor for ignition. Ignition is very difficult or even impossible under such conditions. Therefore, small engines are commonly equipped with dual fuel supply systems, either in the form of gaseous fuel for the ignition stage or with an additional higher-pressure supply line to the dedicated fuel nozzles for the purpose of ignition. Additional solutions involve the use of a large glow plug or high-energy pyrotechnic cartridges in the kilo-Joule range, to heat the combustor casing prior to ignition. The present work is concerned with the development of alternative and novel atomization systems, which would improve atomization at low pressures and consequently facilitate the ignition process, thus minimizing the need for supporting systems. The work refers to an alternative design for an existing vaporizer system of a small jet engine with 400 Nt of thrust. It focuses on an alternative design for the fuel injection within the vaporizer housing while maintaining all external dimensions and operating conditions unchanged. Three types of fuel nozzles were investigated: • a special impact atomizer, • a miniature pressure swirl atomizer, • a doublet atomizer involving two swirling nozzles (preliminary study only). Droplet size distribution under various nozzle pressure drops and air velocities were measured with Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA) and global spray characteristics were obtained by photography. All modified atomization systems demonstrated improved performance and better atomization than the existing system. Initially, water was used as a liquid. At a later stage, the modified impact atomizer was tested and successful spark ignition was demonstrated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-52
Author(s):  
Filip SZWAJCA ◽  
Krzysztof WISŁOCKI

Gas engines are a viable source of propulsion due to the ecological indicators of gas fuels and the large amount of the needed natural resources. Combustion of lean homogeneous gas mixtures allows achieving higher thermal efficiency values, which is a key factor in current engine development trends. Using the spark-jet ignition system (also called as Turbulent Jet Ignition or Two-stage combustion) significantly improves the efficiency and stability of the combustion process, especially in the part-load operation on lean or very lean mixtures. This paper presents the impact of using two different fuel injection methods: Port Fuel Injection or Mixer on the operation stability of a gas engine designed for LDVs. Comparative studies of two different mixture preparation systems were carried out on a single-cylinder AVL 5804 test engine. By re-cording the cylinder pressure for a significant number of engine cycles, it became possible to determine the repeatability of engine operation and to correlate the results with the mixture formation system and the air-fuel ratio. In the performed research the beneficial effect of the mixer system application on the engine operation stability in the part-load conditions was found.


2019 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech BUESCHKE ◽  
Maciej SKOWRON ◽  
Krzysztof WISŁOCKI ◽  
Filip SZWAJCA

The increase in ignitability consist a main aim of implementation of the turbulent jet ignition (TJI) in relation to the combustion of diluted charges. Such an ignition system has been introduced to the lean-burn CNG engine in the scope of GasOn-Project (Gas Only Internal Combustion Engines). In this study the impact of TJI application on the main combustion indexes has been investigated using RCM and analyzed on the bases of the indicating and optical observations data. The images have been recorded using LaVision HSS5 camera and post-processed with Davis software. Second part of the study based on indicating measurements consist the analysis of combustion regarding the variation in the geometry of pre-chamber nozzles. It has been noted, that combustion with TJI indicates signi- ficantly bigger flame luminescence and simultaneously – faster flame front development, than the combustion initiated with conventional SI. The positive impact of nozzles angular position on engine operational data has been found in the static charge movement conditions, regarding the combustion stability.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Počta ◽  
Peter Kortiš ◽  
Martin Vaculík

This paper describes measurements of the impact of background traffic on speech quality in an environment of WLANs (IEEE 802.11). The simulated background traffic consists of three types of current traffics in telecommunication networks such as data transfer service, multimedia streaming service, and Web service. The background traffic was generated by means of the accomplished Distributed Internet Traffic Generator (D-ITG). The impact of these types of traffic and traffic load on speech quality using the test sequence and speech sequences is the aim of this paper. The assessment of speech quality is carried out by means of the accomplished Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) algorithm. The proposal of a new method for improved detection of the critical conditions in wireless telecommunication networks from the speech quality point of view is presented in this paper. Conclusion implies the next application of the method of improved detection of critical conditions for the purpose of algorithms for link adaptation from the speech quality point of view in an environment of WLANs. The primary goal of these algorithms is improving speech quality in the VoWLAN connections, which are established in the competent link.


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