Effect of Inlet-Mixture Stratification and Preheating on a Premixer and Bluff-Body Combustor
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 6
Abstract
This work presents the computational investigation of the nonreacting flow field and of the fuel–air mixing characteristics in a stratified, premixer/bluff-body combustor configuration under the effect of elevated inlet mixture temperatures. Four levels of preheats of the inlet reactants are investigated, ranging from 300 to , for lean to ultralean mixture settings. Different fuel–air mixing wake topologies were captured by regulating the fuel injection level, the incoming fuel–air ratio gradient, and the mixture preheat. An implicit, finite-volume-based large eddy simulation method was employed yielding satisfactory agreement between simulations and counterpart experimental data by successfully reproducing the large-scale features of the interaction of the primary afterbody recirculation with the incoming annular shear layer and the impact of preheat on the developing disk wake topology and fuel–air mixing performance. Thus, the effects of inlet mixture stratification, alone or in combination with inlet preheat, on the performance characteristics of the disk stabilizer were elucidated, while parameters controlling the fuel–air mixing in the recirculation zone and the near wake region were also characterized.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would also like to acknowledge Mr. Georgantas Ioannis for his assistance and support on the computational procedure and hardware infrastructure.
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Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 6 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 19, 2020
Accepted: Jun 11, 2020
Published online: Aug 26, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jan 26, 2021
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