Numerical Analysis of Spray Dispersion, Evaporation and Combustion in a Single Gas Turbine Combustor

Abstract

Spray dispersion, evaporation and combustion have been numerically studied in a complex industrial configuration, which consists in a single annular combustor that was experimentally measured by Rolls-Royce-Deutschland Company. Simulations have been achieved using the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. The computations of the continuous phase have been performed by means of RANS simulations. Though the k-ε as well as the Reynolds Stress model (Jones-Musonge) have been used for turbulence modeling. The 3D-computations have been performed in a fully two-way coupling. The effects of turbulence on droplets distribution are accounted for using the Markov sequence dispersion model. The equilibrium as well as the non-equilibrium evaporation model have been applied. In order to account for the combustion, the diffusion flame model is chosen. It relies on the computation of the mixture fraction that has been affected by the presence of vapor source terms. For the interaction of the turbulence with the chemistry, the mixture fraction variance has also been solved. For that purpose a presumed beta-PDF function has been considered. The equilibrium and the flamelet chemistry approaches have been used for the generation of the chemistry tables. The performed simulations have also been compared to commercial CFD-codes. From there one observes, that the obtained results using the mentioned sub-models combination agree most favorably with experimental measurements. One noted that the Reynolds Stress model provided smoother temperature distribution compared to k-ε. The flamelet model has been performed using three different scalar dissipation rates. One observes that differences are mainly located at the nozzle exit, where the scalar dissipation rate has got the highest value. Although the comparison between the numerical results and the experimental data was possible only at the combustor exit, due to the limitation on the measurement techniques, one can reiterate that the combination of the following sub-models: thermodynamically consistent model for the turbulence modulation, Langmuir-Knudsen non-equilibrium model for the evaporation, Reynolds Stress Model for the turbulence and flamelet model for the chemistry establish a reliable complete model that seems to allows a better description of reactive multi-phase flow studied in the frame of this work.