Large-eddy simulation and acoustic analysis of a turbulent flow field in a swirl-stabilized combustor

To conduct a comprehensive study on the flow characteristics and acoustic oscillation in a gas turbine combustor, a 3D large-eddy simulation (LES) was implemented. The formulation consists of the Favre-filtered conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy. The subgrid-scale dynamics are modeled using a compressible flow version of the Smagorinsky model. To investigate the dominant coherent structure, the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method was used for post-processing. The combustor of concern is the LM6000, lean-premixed dry low-NOx annular combustor, developed by General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE). Four important characteristics of swirl flow are visualized: vortex breakdown, procession and dissipation of vortical structures, recirculation zones, and helical waves immediately downstream of the swirl injector. It is shown that the turbulent motion of swirl flow directly affects acoustic oscillation through the cycle and spectral analysis. The four most dominant acoustic modes are extracted from the flow field by the POD analysis. The transverse modes in the y and z directions are dominant in all four modes, since the pressure fields are significantly affected by swirl flow.