Popis: |
To adhere to the current requirements for NOx emissions in combustion systems, modern land and air based gas turbine engines often operate in the lean regime. While operating near the lean blowout limit does reduce harmful emissions, combustor stability is sacrificed and extinction becomes a major concern. To understand the characteristics of lean operation, an experimental study was conducted to map the time averaged flow field in a typical industrial, counter-swirling, liquid fuel combustor. 2-D mean velocities and Reynolds stresses were measured throughout the combustor. Measurements taken for both the non-reacting and reacting flow fields enable a direct analysis of the result of heat addition on a turbulent swirling flow field. To further understand the overall flow field, liquid droplet diameter measurements were taken to determine the spray characteristics. For the reacting flow, chemical composition at the combustor exit was also measured. From these, an understanding of the reacting flow field will aid in predicting lean blowout events. |