Flow field study of gas turbine combustors

Firstly realizable k-epsilon turbulent model (RKE) and Reynolds stress turbulent model (RSM) were tested against a swirl-cup flow field and the prediction results were compared with the experimental data. Generally, the max error of RKE model and RSM model is about 5% and 3% separately. Thus the RKE model was used in the simulation of a single swirl-cup gas turbine combustor (GTC) and a multi-injection GTC for its low computing cost. In MIC for the same lining structure, each swirl-cup has a recirculation zone after its exit. Gradually, the recirculation zones mixed and united together in the downstream region. Finally, the recirculation zone structure turns to be similar to the structure in the single swirl-cup GTC after the primary combustion holes. As for the same multi-injection head, the primary combustion holes affect flow field obviously: all the recirculation zones finished before the former primary combustion holes of the MIC without the primary combustion holes, and the separated recirculation zones form a new recirculation zone close to the primary holes for the MIC with primary holes.