Project Title:

Integration of Combustor Aerodynamics and Fuel Spray to Increase Turndown Fuel-Air

01.02-6576
900445
Integration of Combustor Aerodynamics and Fuel Spray to Increase Turndown Fuel-Air

Abstract:

Ratio in Small Gas Turbine Combustors
This project will integrate combustor aerodynamics and fuel spray patterns to attain
high turndown ratios without significantly modifying conventional combustor geometry.
This will be accomplished by: the creation of two distinct zones within the combustor
primary zone which are independently fueled; use of a dual-lip airblast fuel atomizer
which fuels only the central recirculation zone at low power conditions and both
the dome and central recirculation zones at full power; and employment of staggered,
widely-spaced, upstream-angled primary holes that allow jet penetration into the
dome zone. In Phase I, three-dimensional CFD analysis will be performed on the advanced
configuration as well as a conventional configuration. Comparison will be made to
show the advanced design's potential of increasing turndown fuel-air ratio without
producing excessive smoke emissions. In Phase II, the design would be further optimized.
A sector combustor will be designed, fabricated and tested at various power settings
to experimentally demonstrate the concept.
The final products of this project would be of interest to manufacturers of gas turbine
engines and to government agencies responsible for combustor evaluation.
combustors, primary zone, swirlers, fuel injectors, gas turbine engines