Effects of Non-Uniform Combustor Exit Flow on Turbine Aerodynamics

Abstract

Very-low NOx combustion concepts require a high swirl number of the flow in the combustion chamber to allow for lean burn combustion. This article deals with the influence of the resulting combustor exit swirl on the turbine aerodynamics of the first stage. This investigation is based on numerical simulations. According to the literature research additional insight into combustor-turbine interaction is achieved by taking into account a fully two dimensional inlet boundary condition. Up to now published results on combustor-turbine interaction were mostly restricted to the inhomogeneous temperature distribution at the turbine inlet. The investigations are carried out on a real engine geometry — the E3E Core 3/2 — a research project of Rolls-Royce Deutschland on lean combustion. Calculations are conducted by means of the Rolls-Royce plc code Hydra. The swirled inlet boundary condition is further scaled to test rig conditions to check for the transferability between the test rig and the real engine geometry. The results show a significant impact of the inhomogeneous turbine inflow on the stage efficiency and the thermal load. The optimization potential due to the clocking position of the combustor swirl is analyzed. The impact on the secondary flow mechanisms is analyzed with a novel visualization technique. A frequency spectrum analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of the 2D inlet boundary condition on the rotor row.