Ercole A. Lörstad D. & Fureby C; 2024, “Turbulent Combustion Model Sensitivity in LES of a Gas Turbine Combustor”, 19th Int Conf. on Num. Comb. Kyoto, Japan. (https://www.combustionsociety.jp/nc24/)
Abstract: In this study, a model gas turbine combustor featuring a premixed swirl-stabilized flame is simulated with finite rate chemistry Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The design, originating from the Swedish National Center for Combustion Science and Technology (CECOST), aims to replicate the flow and flame features of an industrial gas turbine combustor under atmospheric conditions. A 10.5 million cells hexahedral grid with local refinement in critical regions is used. The simulations, performed in OpenFOAM, target a lean, stable, methane-air flame. Using the pathway centric 42 step reaction mechanism of Zettervall et al. together with the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC), Partially Stirred Reactor (PaSR), and Quasi Laminar (QL), combustion models we assess the influence against experimental data, through OH- and CH2O-PLIF, as well as PIV measurements. Good qualitative and quantitative agreement is obtained but differences between models are also observed in temperature and species distributions, impacting flame characteristics and dynamics. Notably, the EDC displays a more intense, more compact flame with effective stabilization, while PaSR exhibits complex dynamic phenomena involving large-scale fluctuations of the flame front. Findings emphasize the sensitivity of lean methane-air flame simulations to combustion model selection, with implications for broader applications where model differences may rival those from distinct alternative fuels, or operating conditions.
