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Flame volume prediction and validation for lean blow-out of gas turbine combustor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2017

E. Ahmed  and
Y. Huang
E. Ahmed*
Affiliation:
Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Aero-Engines, National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Aero-Engines, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
Y. Huang
Affiliation:
Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Aero-Engines, National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Aero-Engines, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

Lean Blow-Out (LBO) limits are critically important in the operation of aero engines. Previously, Lefebvre's LBO empirical correlation has been extended to the flame volume concept by the authors. Flame volume takes into account the effects of geometric configuration, spatial interaction of mixing jets, turbulence, heat transfer and combustion processes inside the gas turbine combustion chamber. For these reasons, LBO predictions based on flame volume are more accurate. Although LBO prediction accuracy has improved, it poses a challenge associated with Vf estimation in real gas turbine combustors. This work extends the approach of flame volume prediction based on fuel iterative approximation with cold flow simulations to reactive flow simulations. Flame volume for 11 combustor configurations were simulated and validated against experimental data. To make prediction methodology robust, as required in preliminary design stage, reactive flow simulations were carried out with the combination of presumed Probability Density Function (PDF) and discrete phase model (DPM) in Fluent 15.0 The criterion for flame identification was defined. Two important parameters—critical injection diameter (Dp,crit) and critical temperature (Tcrit)—were identified and their influence on reactive flow simulation was studied for Vf estimation. Results exhibit ±15% error in Vf estimation with experimental data.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 121 , Issue 1236 , February 2017 , pp. 237 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2017 

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