Kaixing Wang

Currently, steady-state analysis predominates in combustion chamber design, while dynamic combustion characteristics remain underexplored, and there is a lack of a comprehensive index system to assess dynamic combustion behavior. This study conducts a numerical simulation of the dynamic characteristics of the combustion chamber, employing a method combining large eddy simulation (LES) and Flamelet Generated Manifold (FGM). The inlet air temperature, air flow rate, and fuel flow rate were varied by 1%, 2%, and 3%, respectively, with a pulsation period of 0.008 s. The effects of nine different inlet parameter pulsations on both time-averaged and instantaneous combustion performance were analyzed and compared to benchmark conditions. The results indicate that small pulsations in the inlet parameters have minimal impact on the steady-state time-averaged performance. In the region near the cyclone outlet, which corresponds to the flame root area, pronounced unsteady flame characteristics were observed. Fluctuations in inlet parameters led to an increase in temperature fluctuations near the flame root. Analysis of the outlet temperature results for each operating condition reveals that inlet parameter fluctuations can mitigate the inherent combustion instability of the combustion chamber and reduce temperature fluctuations at the outlet hot spot.

High-altitude relight is a critical challenge for aero-engines, directly impacting the safety and emergency response capabilities of aircraft. This paper systematically reviews the physical mechanisms, key factors, and relevant prediction models of high-altitude relight, highlighting the detrimental effects of extreme conditions such as low pressure and temperature on fuel evaporation rates, flame propagation speeds, and turbulent combustion processes. A comprehensive overview of the current state of high-altitude relight research is presented, alongside recommendations for enhancing the ignition performance of aero-engines under extreme conditions. This paper focuses on the development of ignition prediction models, including early empirical and semi-empirical models, as well as physics-based models for turbulent flame propagation and flame kernel tracking, assessing their applicability in high-altitude relight scenarios. Although flame kernel tracking has shown satisfactory performance in predicting ignition probability, it still overly relies on manually set parameters and lacks precise descriptions of the physical processes of flame kernel generation. Future studies on some topics, including refining flame kernel modeling, strengthening the integration of experimental data and numerical simulations, and exploring the incorporation of new ignition technologies, are needed, to further improve model reliability and predictive capability.

This experimental study investigated the influence of different turbine guide vane parameters on the ignition limit and light-round processes in a triple-dome combustor. It was found that for the triple-dome combustor, the minimum fuel/air ratios at the ignition limit all show a trend of initial decrease followed by subsequent increase with the growth of incoming air mass flow rate. The ignition fuel/air ratio decreases with the increase in turbine blockage ratio, and the optimal scheme is achieved with a blockage ratio of 0.8. Under the condition where the incoming air mass flow rate is 0.089 kg/s, the light-round time decreases with the increase in fuel/air ratio, and the light-round time of the combustor without guide vanes is shorter than that of the other schemes. With the increase in incoming air mass flow rate, the light-round time of the schemes with guide vanes is shortened. Under the same incoming air mass flow rate and fuel/air ratio, the increase in the blockage ratio will lead to an increase in the light-round time of the triple-dome combustor.

Flow field, atomization field characteristics, and liquid film breakup behaviors of a pre-filming air-blast atomizer are investigated using PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry), PLIF (Fuel Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence), and high-speed shadowgraph technique under different air mass rates (m_a), fuel mass rates (m_f), and fuel temperatures (T). The influence of structures constituting the pre-filming air-blast atomizer on the flow field organization and atomization field organization are investigated too. The results illustrate that air-blast atomizer structures have a great difference on the flow fields and atomization fields. Air-blast atomizer structures have great differences on the liquid film breakup processes too. Flow field structure and atomization structure are mainly determined by the swirler structure, whereas there are seldom influences of air mass rate and fuel mass rate on them. The results of the mechanisms of flow field organization and atomization field organization in this study can be used to support the design of new low-emission combustor.