In order to reduce NOx emissions, modern gas turbines are often equipped with lean-burn combustion systems, where the high-velocity fuel-lean conditions that limit NOx formation in combustors also inhibit the ability of ignition, high altitude relight, and lean combustion stability. To face these issues, internally staged scheme of fuel injection is proposed. Primary and main fuel staging enable fuel distribution control, and multi-injections of main fuel lead to a fast and efficient mixing. A fuel-staged low emission combustor in the framework of lean-burn combustion is developed in the present study, i.e., the central pilot stage for low power conditions is swirl-cup prefilming atomization, the main stage is jet-in-crossflow multi-injection, and a combination of primary and main stage injection is provided for higher power output conditions. In lean-burn combustors, the swirling main air naturally tends to entrain the pilot flame and quench it at low power conditions, which is adverse to the operability specifications, such as ignition, lean blow-out (LBO), and high-altitude relight. In order to investigate the effects of the main swirl angle on combustion performances, the ignition and LBO performances were evaluated in a single dome rectangular combustor. Furthermore, the spray patterns and flow field are characterized by kerosene-planar laser induced fluorescence and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to provide insight into spray and combustion performances. Flow–flow interactions between pilot and main air streams, spray–flow interactions between pilot spray and main air streams, and flame–flow interactions between pilot flame and main air streams are comprehensively analyzed. The entrainment of recirculating main air streams on pilot air streams enhances with the increase of main swirl angle, because of the upward motion and increasing width of main recirculation zone. A small part of droplets are entrained by the recirculating main air streams at periphery of combustor and a majority of droplets concentrate near the centerline of combustor, making that entrainment of recirculating main air streams on pilot spray and quenching effects of recirculating main air streams on pilot flame are slight, and the extinguishing effects can be ignored. The contributions of main swirl strength to improvement of ignition and LBO performances are due to enhancement of air/fuel mixing by strengthening turbulence level in pilot zone.
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December 2017
Research-Article
Experimental Investigation of Spray and Combustion Performances of a Fuel-Staged Low Emission Combustor: Effects of Main Swirl Angle
Cunxi Liu,
Cunxi Liu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liucunxi@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liucunxi@iet.cn
Search for other works by this author on:
Fuqiang Liu,
Fuqiang Liu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liufuqiang@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liufuqiang@iet.cn
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Jinhu Yang,
Jinhu Yang
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: yangjinhu@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: yangjinhu@iet.cn
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Yong Mu,
Yong Mu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
ingdao 266000, China
e-mail: muyong@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
ingdao 266000, China
e-mail: muyong@iet.cn
Search for other works by this author on:
Chunyan Hu,
Chunyan Hu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: huchunyan@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: huchunyan@iet.cn
Search for other works by this author on:
Gang Xu
Gang Xu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
Search for other works by this author on:
Cunxi Liu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liucunxi@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liucunxi@iet.cn
Fuqiang Liu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liufuqiang@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: liufuqiang@iet.cn
Jinhu Yang
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: yangjinhu@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: yangjinhu@iet.cn
Yong Mu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
ingdao 266000, China
e-mail: muyong@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
ingdao 266000, China
e-mail: muyong@iet.cn
Chunyan Hu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: huchunyan@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: huchunyan@iet.cn
Gang Xu
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190, China;
Institute of Qingdao Light-Duty Gas-Turbine,
Qingdao 266000, China
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
1Corresponding authors.
Contributed by the Combustion and Fuels Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER. Manuscript received July 12, 2016; final manuscript received June 19, 2017; published online August 23, 2017. Editor: David Wisler.
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Dec 2017, 139(12): 121502 (10 pages)
Published Online: August 23, 2017
Article history
Received:
July 12, 2016
Revised:
June 19, 2017
Citation
Liu, C., Liu, F., Yang, J., Mu, Y., Hu, C., and Xu, G. (August 23, 2017). "Experimental Investigation of Spray and Combustion Performances of a Fuel-Staged Low Emission Combustor: Effects of Main Swirl Angle." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. December 2017; 139(12): 121502. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037451
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