Analysis of fuel vaporization, fuel/air mixing, and combustion in lean premixed/prevaporized combustors

Requirements to reduce pollutant emissions from gas turbines used in aircraft propulsion and ground-based power generation have led to consideration of lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) combustion concepts. This paper describes a series of the LPP combustor analyses performed with KIVA-II, a multi-dimensional CFD code for problems involving sprays, turbulence, and combustion. Modifications to KIVA-II`s boundary condition and chemistry treatments have been made to meet the needs of the present study. The study examines the relationships between fuel vaporization, fuel/air mixing, and combustion in a generic LPP combustor. Parameters considered include: mixer tube diameter, mixer tube length, mixer tube configuration (straight versus converging/diverging tubes), air inlet velocity, air inlet swirl angle, secondary air injection (dilution holes), fuel injection velocity, fuel injection angle, number of fuel injection ports, fuel spray cone angle, and fuel droplet size. Cases have been run with and without combustion to examine the variations in fuel/air mixing and potential for flashback due to the above parameters. The degree of fuel/air mixing is judged by comparing average, minimum, and maximum fuel/air ratios at the exit of the mixer tube, while flame stability is monitored by following the location of the flame front as the solution progresses from ignition to steady state.