Swirling and Impinging Effects in an Annular Nonpremixed Jet Flame

The effects of swirl and downstream wall confinement on an annular nonpremixed flame were investigated using direct numerical simulation (DNS). Fully three-dimensional parallel DNS was performed employing high-order numerical methods and high-fidelity boundary conditions to solve governing equations for variable-density flow and finite-rate Arrhenius chemistry. Three swirl numbers have been examined: 0 (without swirl), 0.4 and 0.8, while the effects of downstream wall confinement have been examined for swirl numbers 0 and 0.4. Results have been presented in terms of instantaneous and time-averaged flow quantities, which have also been analysed using energy spectra and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Effects of swirl on the fluid dynamic behaviour of the annular nonpremixed flame were found to be significant. The fluid dynamic behaviour of the flame is greatly affected by the interaction between the geometrical recirculation zone (GRZ) near the jet nozzle exit due to the annular configuration, the central recirculation zone (CRZ) associated with swirl, the unsteady vortical structures in the jet column due to the shear instability, and the downstream wall confinement. Depending on the degree of swirl, the GRZ near the burner mouth and the CRZ may co-exist or one zone may be overwhelmed by another. At a moderate swirl number, the co-existence leads to a flame with strong reaction attached to the burner mouth; while at a high swirl number, the CRZ dominates over the GRZ. The precessing vortex core was observed to exist in the swirling flow fields. The Nusselt number distribution of the annular impinging flames differs from that of round impinging jets. The POD analysis revealed that wall effects on the flow field are mainly associated with the higher mode numbers.     

Correlation of swirl number for a radial-type swirl generator

An experimental investigation was undertaken to derive a new correlation for the swirl number of a radial-type swirl generator under various Reynolds numbers and various vane angle conditions. A radial-type swirl generator with 16 rotary guide vanes was used to generate an annular swirling jet flow. The Reynolds numbers ranged from 60 to 6000, and the vane angles from 0° to 56°. Quantitative measurements for the velocities were made by using an optical method of laser-Doppler anemometry (LDA). Three-component velocity profiles of axial, radial, and azimuthal components at the swirling jet exit were measured for various flow conditions. A flow visualization method using smoke-wire and still photography was also applied to observe the flow patterns of the recirculation region behind the circular bluff body. Under low Reynolds number conditions, the swirl strength was found to be strongly dependent on the Reynolds number as well as on the guide vane angle. Based on the experimental results, a modified swirl number S is derived to characterize the swirling flow, which is useful for the design of a swirl generator.     

Numerical investigation of a perturbed swirling annular two-phase jet

A swirling annular gas–liquid two-phase jet flow system has been investigated by solving the compressible, time-dependent, non-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations using highly accurate numerical methods. The mathematical formulation for the flow system is based on an Eulerian approach with mixed-fluid treatment while an adjusted volume of fluid method is utilised to account for the gas compressibility. Surface tension effects are captured by a continuum surface force model. Swirling motion is applied at the inlet while a small helical perturbation is also applied to initiate the instability. Three-dimensional spatial direct numerical simulation has been performed with parallelisation of the code based on domain decomposition. The results show that the flow is characterised by a geometrical recirculation zone adjacent to the nozzle exit and by a central recirculation zone further downstream. Swirl enhances the flow instability and vorticity and promotes liquid dispersion in the cross-streamwise directions. A dynamic precessing vortex core is developed demonstrating that the growth of such a vortex in annular configurations can be initiated even at low swirl numbers, in agreement with experimental findings. Analysis of the averaged results revealed the existence of a geometrical recirculation zone and a swirl induced central recirculation zone in the flow field.     

Large Eddy Simulations of Unconfined Non-reacting and Reacting Turbulent Low Swirl Jets

The low swirl flow is a novel method for stabilizing lean premixed combustion to achieve low emissions of nitrogen oxides. Understanding the characteristics of low swirl flows is of both practical and fundamental interest. In this paper, in order to gain better insight into low swirl stabilized combustion, large eddy simulation and dynamically thickened flame combustion modeling are used to characterize various features of non-reacting and reacting low swirl flows including vortex breakdown, shear layers’ instability, and coherent structures. Furthermore, four test cases with different equivalence ratios are studied to evaluate the effects of equivalence ratio on the flame and flow characteristics. A finite volume scheme on a Cartesian grid with a dynamic one equation eddy viscosity subgrid model is used for large eddy simulations. The obtained results show that the combustion heat release and increase in equivalence ratio toward the stoichiometric value decrease the local swirl number of the flow field, while increasing the flow spreading at the burner outlet. Results show that the flame becomes W shaped as the equivalence ratio increases. Moreover, the combination of the swirling motion and combustion heat release temporally imposes a vortex breakdown in the post-flame region, which leads to occurrence of a transient recirculation zone. The temporal recirculation zone disappears downstream of the burner outlet due to merging of the inner shear layer from all sides at the centerline. Also, various analyses of shear layers’ wavy and vortical structures show that combustion heat release has the effect of decreasing the instability amplitude and vortex shedding frequency.     

The effect of orifices on the liquid distribution in annular two-phase flow

The effect of using orifices to disrupt the water film in air-water annular two-phase flow has been studied experimentally in a vertical tube by measuring the wall film flowrate at various distances upstream and downstream of several different sizes of orifice. The orifices cause a temporary reduction in the downstream water film flowrate, which returns to its equilibrium value further downstream. The experimental results have been used, together with those of other investigators, to compare the effects of orifices to those of swirl tapes, and further to compare the processes of entrainment and deposition within annular two-phase flow.     

Near-wall investigation of backward-facing step flows

The electrodiffusion technique has been used to investigate reattaching and recirculating flows behind a backward-facing step. The instantaneous wall shear rate vectors were determined using the current signals provided by a three-segment electrodiffusion probe. The near-wall extents of two counter-rotating recirculation zones located behind the step were determined under turbulent flow conditions in a water channel. The near-wall flow inside these recirculation zones was found to be very unsteady, with strong low-frequency fluctuations. The streamwise profiles of the wall shear stress were measured at several values of the Reynolds number and a high level of skin friction was obtained in the reverse-flow region. The strong dependence of the peak value of skin friction on the Reynolds number confirms the viscous-dominated character of the reverse flow appearing inside the recirculation zone. Received: 22 May 2000/Accepted: 28 March 2001     

Flow field characteristics of an axisymmetric sudden-expansion pipe flow with different initial swirl distribution

The results of an experimental investigation depicting the effects of swirl profile on confined flows in a sudden-expansion coaxial dump combustor are presented. Three swirlers (free vortex, forced vortex, and constant angle) with the same nominal swirl number were designed and fabricated to study the effects of swirl type on the isothermal dump combustor flow field. Imparting swirl to the inlet flow resulted in a considerable reduction of the corner recirculation length, a marked increase in turbulent mixing activity, and in one case creation of a central recirculation zone. This article highlights the importance of the combustor inlet swirl profile and shows that swirl type as well as swirl strength can affect the flow field significantly. The present database is well suited for numerical codes development and validation.     

The effects of inlet conditions and expansion ratio on the onset of flow reversal in swirling flow in a sudden expansion

Experiments are reported in which the minimum swirl intensity required to produce a central recirculation zone in a swirling sudden expansion flow is determined as a function of expansion ratio and inlet conditions. Using a swirl generator which allows for independent variation of velocity profile shape and swirl number, it is shown that an inlet tangential velocity distribution with a large solid body vortex core or an axial velocity profile with a maximum on the axis will lead to a higher critical swirl.     

Characterization of particle-laden, confined swirling flows by phase-doppler anemometry and numerical calculation

The particle dispersion characteristics in a confined swirling flow with a swirl number of approx. 0.5 were studied in detail by performing measurements using phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) and numerical predictions. A mixture of gas and particles was injected without swirl into the test section, while the swirling airstream was provided through a co-flowing annular inlet. Two cases with different primary jet exit velocities were considered. For these flow conditions, a closed central recirculation bubble was established just downstream of the inlet.

The PDA measurements allowed the correlation between particle size and velocity to be obtained and also the spatial change in the particle size distribution throughout the flow field. For these results, the behaviour of different size classes in the entire particle size spectrum, ranging from about 15 to 80 μm, could be studied, and the response of the particles to the mean flow and the gas turbulence could be characterized. Due to the response characteristics of particles with different diameters to the mean flow and the flow turbulence, a considerable separation of the particles was observed which resulted in a streamwise increase in the particle mean number diameter in the core region of the central recirculation bubble. For the lower particle inlet velocity (i.e. low primary jet exit velocity), this effect is more pronounced, since here the particles have more time to respond to the flow reversal and the swirl velocity component. This also gave a higher mass of recirculating particle material.

The numerical predictions of the gas flow were performed by solving the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations in connection with the well known kε turbulence model. Although this turbulence model is based on the assumption of isotropic turbulence, the agreement of the calculated mean velocity profiles compared to the measured gas velocities is very good. The gas-phase turbulent kinetic energy, however, is considerably underpredicted in the initial mixing region. The particle dispersion characteristics were calculated by using the Lagrangian approach, where the influence of the particulate phase on the gas flow could be neglected, since only very low mass loadings were considered. The calculated results for the particle mean velocity and the mass flux are also in good agreement with the experiments. Furthermore, the change in the particle mean diameter throughout the flow field was predicted approximately, which shows that the applied simple stochastic dispersion model also gives good results for such very complex flows. The variation of the gas and particle velocity in the primary inlet had a considerable impact on the particle dispersion behaviour in the swirling flow and the particle residence time in the central recirculation bubble, which could be determined from the numerical calculations. For the lower particle inlet velocity, the maximum particle size-dependence residence time within the recirculation region was considerably shifted towards larger particles.     

An experimental investigation of the interaction of swirl flow with partially premixed disk stabilized propane flames

The present work describes the experimental investigation of reacting wakes established through fuel injection and staged premixing with air in an axisymmetric double cavity arrangement, formed along three concentric disks, and stabilized in the downstream vortex region of the afterbody. The burner assembly is operated with a co-flow of swirling air, aerodynamically introduced upstream of the burner exit plane, to allow for the study of the interaction between the resulting partially premixed recirculating afterbody flames with the surrounding swirl. At low swirl the primary afterbody disk stabilizes the partially premixed annular jet in the downstream reacting wake formation region. As swirl increases, a system of two successive vortices emerges along the axis of the developing wake; the primary afterbody vortex is cooperating with an adjacent, swirl induced, central recirculation zone and this combination further promotes turbulent mixing in the hot wake.Complementary measurements of the counterpart isothermal turbulent velocity fields provided important information on the near wake aerodynamics under the interaction of the variable swirl and the double cavity produced annular jet stabilized by the afterbody. Under reacting conditions, measurements of turbulent velocities, temperatures and statistics together with an evaluation of the exhaust emissions were performed using LDV, thin digitally-compensated thermocouples and gas analyzers. A selected number of lean and ultra-lean flames were investigated by regulating the injected fuel and the air supply ratio, while the influence of the variation of the imposed swirl on wake development, flame characteristics and emission performance was documented for constant fuel injections. The differences and similarities between the present partially premixed stabilizer and other types of axisymmetric configurations are also highlighted and discussed.     

Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Confined Highly Swirling Annular Flows

The present paper discusses the Large Eddy Simulation of a confined non-reacting annular swirling jet. The configuration corresponds to a well investigated flow studied experimentally by Sheen (1993). The flow field is characterised by a high swirl number resulting in relatively complex features. The challenging behaviour of the flow is governed by the interaction of several recirculation zones. The central recirculation zone formed by the swirling jet is strongly affected by the cylindrical centre body which acts as a bluff body. The flow features coherent structures such as Precessing Vortex Cores (PVCs), which create regions with high velocity fluctuations. The simulations presented comprise a detailed investigation of the parameters controlling the inert flow and a thorough comparison with the experimental data.     

Investigation of large-scale structures of annular swirling jet in a non-premixed burner using delayed detached eddy simulation

Delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) is accompanied with Stereo-PIV measurements to study the non-reacting flow field of a non-premixed swirl burner in this paper. Comparisons of experimental and numerical data show that the DDES results are capable of predicting the mean swirling flow features adequately. The instantaneous flow field is found to be strongly affected by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The flow near the injector involves a complex behavior including a recirculation zone. The 3D flow structure at the burner exit, visualized by the iso-surface of Q-criterion, displays four instability types. The dominant instabilities are vortex ring structures induced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, and finger structures induced by the swirling instability. Pressure fluctuation signal recorded in the swirling jet region show that the computational flow passes through transition instants from RANS to DDES equations. After that, the swirling jet becomes fully developed with an oscillation frequency of 222 Hz.     

Smoke-wire flow visualization of the near-wake region behind a circular disc at low Reynolds numbers

The flow structures in the near field of the unducted wake region behind a circular disc for annular flow at low Reynolds numbers were studied by smoke-wire flow visualization technique. A twisted-dual-wire was employed to perform the time evolving visualization. Three typical characteristic flow modes: Q-tip, open-top toroid, and closed toroid, were identified in the near disc region. For Reynolds number between 130 and 390, the Q-tip flow mode which subject to a periodic up-down oscillatory motion was observed. The open-top toroid mode which experiences the expelling vortex shedding was found for Reynolds number between 390 and 455. The free separation surface turns around and merges to the central axisymmetric axis to form the conventionally observed toroidal recirculation bubble for Reynolds number higher than 455. The closed toroid mode exhibits both expelling and shear-layer vortex sheddings. With the identified flow modes at low Reynolds numbers, the recirculation contours, recirculation length, and the shedding frequency in each mode were measured and discussed.List of symbols B.R. blockage ratio (=D ² /D _a ² ) - D _a outer diameter of annular jet, 30 mm - D diameter of circular disc, 20 mm - f frequency of vortex shedding, Hz - L _r axial length of recirculation zone - R radius of circular disc, 10 mm - u _a average exit velocity of annular jet - ₀ stream function with value of zero - mass density of annular flow - u average axial velocity - r radial coordinate, originated from center of circular disk - r ₀ radial coordinate of the boundary of the recirculation zone - Re _a Reynolds number of annular jet based on the disc diameter - Z axial coordinate, originated from center of circular disk - w _max maximum half-width of the recirculation zone - St Strouhal number (=fD/D _a )     

Large Eddy Simulation of Low Swirl Flames Under External Flow Excitations

Low swirl flame characteristics under external flow excitations are numerically investigated using large eddy simulations with a dynamically thickened flame combustion model. A finite volume scheme on a Cartesian grid with a dynamic one equation eddy viscosity subgrid scale model is used for large eddy simulations. The excitations are imposed on inlet velocity profiles by a sinusoidal forcing function over a wide range of amplitudes and frequencies. Present investigation shows that although, the swirling motion of the low swirl flame is not intense enough to induce a recirculation zone in ensemble averaged results, external flow excitations increase the local swirl number upstream of the flame front. Such increase in the local swirl number is at maximum value when the low swirl flame is excited at the dominant frequency of the flow field, which in turn induces a vortex breakdown and hence a central recirculation zone. The strength and size of the time averaged recirculation zone depend on both the amplitude and frequency of the excitations. Moreover, phase-locked results indicate that external flow excitations induce local swirl fluctuations ahead of the flame front which alter the strength of the recirculation zone at different phase angles of the excitations.     

Effect of swirl intensity on the flow and combustion of a turbulent non-premixed flat flame

An experiment in a turbulent non-premixed flat flame was carried out in order to investigate the effect of swirl intensity on the flow and combustion characteristics. First, stream lines and velocity distribution in the flow field were obtained using PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) method in a model burner. In contrast with the axial flow without swirl, highly swirled air induced streamlines going along the burner tile, and its backward flow was generated by recirculation in the center zone of the flow field. In the combustion, the flame shape with swirled air also became flat and stable along the burner tile with increment of the swirl number. Flame structure was examined by measuring OH and CH radicals intensity and by calculating Damkohler number (Da) and turbulence Reynolds number (Re _T ). It appeared that luminescence intensity decreased at higher swirl number due to the recirculated flue gas, and the flat flames were comprised in the wrinkled laminar-flame regime. Backward flow by recirculation of the flue gas widely contacted on the flame front, and decreased the flame temperature and emissions concentration as thermal NO. The homogeneous temperature field due to the widely flat flame was obtained, and the RMS in the high temperature region was rather lower at higher swirl number. Consequently, the stable flat flame with low NO concentration was achieved.     

Parametric Study of Alternating Flow Patterns in Non-Reacting Multiple-Swirl Flows

Multiple nozzle combustors, under certain conditions, may result in flowfields that differ between nozzles in an alternating pattern. Previous work has provided some clues on the parameters which govern the appearance of this behavior, but there is a lack of systematic studies. A series of non-reacting simulations of adjacent swirling flows is used to investigate the effect of nozzle exit flare angle and swirl number on the presence of the alternating flow pattern. Two-nozzle simulations are shown to accurately predict if an asymmetric flow characteristic appears and are therefore used in the parametric investigation. Alternating flow patterns are predicted at nozzle exit flare angles of 105 degrees (for a swirl number of 0.79) and 120 degrees (for a swirl number of 0.69 and 0.79). Under conditions close to the stability boundary between symmetric and asymmetric flows, the nozzle exit flare and increased swirl number push the shear layers against the dome wall so that the flows between each nozzle are largely opposite in direction. An increase in nozzle exit flare above 120^° results in separated flows exiting from the inlet and a return to a symmetric flow state. This is consistent with a proposed physical mechanism based on hydrodynamic stability in turbulent opposed jets.     

A numerical study of an annular liquid jet in a compressible gas medium

An annular liquid jet in a compressible gas medium has been examined using an Eulerian approach with mixed-fluid treatment. The governing equations have been solved by using highly accurate numerical methods. An adapted volume of fluid method combined with a continuum surface force model was used to capture the gas–liquid interface dynamics. The numerical simulations showed the existence of a recirculation zone adjacent to the nozzle exit and unsteady large vortical structures at downstream locations, which lead to significant velocity reversals in the flow field. It was found that the annular jet flow is highly unstable because of the existence of two adjacent shear layers in the annular configuration. The large vortical structures developed naturally in the flow field without external perturbations. Surface tension tends to promote the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability and the development of vortical structures that leads to an increased liquid dispersion. A decrease in the liquid sheet thickness resulted in a reduced liquid dispersion. It was identified that the liquid-to-gas density and viscosity ratios have opposite effects on the flow field with the reduced liquid-to-gas density ratio demoting the instability and the reduced liquid-to-gas viscosity ratio promoting the instability characteristics.     

壁湍流相干结构和减阻控制机理

剪切湍流中相干结构的发现是上世纪湍流研究的重大进展之一,这些大尺度的相干运动在湍流的动力学过程中起重要作用,也为湍流的控制指出了新的方向.壁湍流高摩擦阻力的产生与近壁区流动结构密切相关,基于近壁区湍流动力学过程的减阻控制方案可以有效降低湍流的摩擦阻力,但是随着雷诺数的升高, 这些控制方案的有效性逐渐降低.近年来研究发现, 在高雷诺数情况下外区存在大尺度的相干运动,这种大尺度运动对近壁区湍流和壁面摩擦阻力的产生有重要影响,为高雷诺数湍流减阻控制策略的设计提出了新的挑战.该文将对壁湍流相干结构的研究历史加以简单的回顾,重点介绍近壁区相干结构及其控制机理、近年来高雷诺数外区大尺度运动的研究进展,在此基础上提出高雷诺数减阻控制研究的关键科学问题.      

Mass and momentum transport in the near field of swirling turbulent jets. Effect of swirl rate

Local transport of the flow momentum and scalar admixture in the near-field of turbulent swirling jets (Re = 5,000) has been investigated by using a combination of the particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence methods. Advection and turbulent and molecular diffusions are evaluated based on the measured distributions of the mean velocity and concentration and the Reynolds stresses and fluxes. As has been quantified from the data, the flow swirl intensifies the entrainment of the surrounding fluid and promotes mass and momentum exchange in the outer mixing layer. A superimposed swirl results in the appearance of a wake/recirculation region at the jet axis and, consequently, the formation of an inner shear layer. In contrast to the scalar admixture, the momentum exchange in the inner shear layer is found to be strongly intensified by the swirl. For the jet with the highest considered swirl rate, a substantial portion of the surrounding fluid is found to enter the unsteady central recirculation zone, where it mixes with the jet that is issued from the nozzle. The contribution of the coherent velocity fluctuations, which are induced by large-scale vortex structures, to the turbulent transport has been evaluated based on triple decomposition, which was based on proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of the velocity data sets. For the considered domain of the jet with the highest swirl rate and vortex breakdown, the contributions of detected helical vortex structures, inducing pressing vortex core, to the radial fluxes of the flow momentum and the scalar admixture are found to locally exceed 65% and 80%, respectively.     

Inviscid evolution of incompressible swirling flows in pipes: The dependence of the flow structure upon the inlet velocity field

This paper analyses the influence of the inlet swirl on the structure of incompressible inviscid flows in pipes. To that end, the inviscid evolution along a pipe of varying radius with a central body situated inside the pipe is studied for three different inlet swirling flows by solving the Bragg–Hawthorne equation both asymptotically and numerically. The downstream structure of the flow changes abruptly above certain threshold values of the swirl parameter (L). In particular, there exist a value L_r above which a near-wall region of flow reversal is formed downstream, and a critical value L_f above which the axial vortex flow breaks down. It is shown that the dependence upon the pipe geometry of these critical values of the swirl parameter varies strongly with the inlet azimuthal velocity profile considered. An excellent agreement between asymptotic and numerical results is found.