This paper describes some of the evolutionary trends over the last two decades in the external aerodynamic design of aircraft gas turbine combustor systems. Although low pressure loss, acceptable flow quality and flow distribution are still the prime design targets, it is argued that it has been the increased emphasis on low pollutant emissions which has driven recent developments in combustor technology and it is these which have had the biggest impact on diffuser and external flame tube aerodynamics. The trend towards radially deeper combustors, leading to radially staged, double-annular systems, is a particular example of this process. These developments have given rise to a change in the nature of experimental studies, with increased emphasis on the correct representation of inlet conditions and of extra detail and precision in measurements. The increased cost, in both time and money, of comprehensive experimental mapping of alternative diffuser designs has placed a greater urgency on the development and application of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) techniques to combustor external aerodynamics. Several recent examples of investigations using both experimental and computational methods are reviewed, to illustrate one of the main conclusions of the present paper, namely that a combined measurement/CFD approach has become the most effective way to improve combustor aerodynamics.
Diffuser aerodynamic design - the impact of developments in combustor technology
Aerodynamische Diffusorauslegung - Hauptentwicklungsrichtung in der Brennkammertechnik
ISABE, International Symposium on Air Breathing Engines, 12 ; 2 ; 1033-1044
1995
12 Seiten, 18 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 27 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Diffuser Aerodynamic Design - The Impact of Developments in Combustor Technology
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