Experimental Results for a High Swirl, Ultra Compact Combustor for Gas Turbine Engines

Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) experiments have been conducted within the cavity of an atmospheric pressure, small scale, Ultra Compact Combustor (UCC). The UCC uses highly swirled flow in a cavity around the outside periphery of the combustor to generate high centripetal acceleration in the fluid. This enhances mixing and leads to a very short axial flame length. Additionally, due to the circumferential velocity, much of the residence time required by the flame is provided by the circumference of the engine rather than axial length as in conventional combustors. These two effects combine to produce observed flame lengths less than half those of conventional swirl stabilized combustors. These short flame lengths lend themselves to reduced engine size and weight and open the possibility for inter-turbine burning (ITB) reheat cycles for aircraft engines.