Lean premixed (LPM) combustion systems are susceptible to thermoacoustic instability, which occurs when acoustic pressure oscillations are in phase with the unsteady heat release rates. Porous media has inherent acoustic damping properties, and has been shown to mitigate thermoacoustic instability; however, theoretical models for predicting thermoacoustic instability with porous media do not exist. In the present study, a 1-D model has been developed for the linear stability analysis of the longitudinal modes for a series of constant cross-sectional area ducts with porous media using a n-Tau flame transfer function. By studying the linear regime, the prediction of acoustic growth rates and subsequently the stability of the system is possible. A transfer matrix approach is used to solve for acoustic perturbations of pressure and velocity, stability growth rate, and frequency shift without and with porous media. The Galerkin approximation is used to approximate the stability growth rate and frequency shift, and it is compared to the numerical solution of the governing equations. Porous media is modeled using the following properties: porosity, flow resistivity, effective bulk modulus, and structure factor. The properties of porous media are systematically varied to determine the impact on the eigenfrequencies and stability growth rates. Porous media is shown to increase the stability domain for a range of time delays (Tau) compared to similar cases without porous media.

Lean premixed (LPM) combustion systems are susceptible to thermoacoustic instability, which occurs when acoustic pressure oscillations are in phase with the unsteady heat release rates. Porous media has inherent acoustic damping properties and has been shown to mitigate thermoacoustic instability; however, theoretical models for predicting thermoacoustic instability with porous media do not exist. In the present study, a one-dimensional (1D) model has been developed for the linear stability analysis of the longitudinal modes for a series of constant cross-sectional area ducts with porous media using a n-Tau flame transfer function (FTF). By studying the linear regime, the prediction of acoustic growth rates and subsequently the stability of the system is possible. A transfer matrix approach is used to solve for acoustic perturbations of pressure and velocity, stability growth rate, and frequency shift without and with porous media. The Galerkin approximation is used to approximate the stability growth rate and frequency shift, and it is compared to the numerical solution of the governing equations. Porous media is modeled using the following properties: porosity, flow resistivity, effective bulk modulus, and structure factor. The properties of porous media are systematically varied to determine the impact on the eigenfrequencies and stability growth rates. Porous media is shown to increase the stability domain for a range of time delays (Tau) compared to similar cases without porous media.

Gas turbine operation increasingly relies on lean premixed (LPM) combustion to reduce harmful emissions, which is susceptible to thermoacoustic instabilities. Most combustion systems are technically premixed and exhibit a degree of equivalence ratio inhomogeneity. Thermoacoustic pressure oscillations can couple with the heat release oscillations through the generation of equivalence ratio fluctuations at fuel injection sites, which are then convected to the flame front. Previous experimental studies have shown that porous inert media (PIM) can passively mitigate these instabilities by adding acoustic damping and by reducing the thermoacoustic feedback mechanism. To understand the role of PIM on these equivalence ratio oscillations, spatially resolved, phased averaged equivalence ratio fluctuations are measured using the ratio of OH*/CH* chemiluminescence. Spatial imaging of OH* or CH* radicals produce integrated line of sight intensity values and an Abel transformation is used to obtain spatially resolved values. Phase averaged images are synced with dynamic pressure measurements, and an axisymmetric atmospheric burner is used to study the effects of ring-shaped PIM on the spatially resolved equivalence ratio field with self-excited thermoacoustic instabilities. The results show that PIM significantly reduces these fluctuations, and the effects on the stability of the system are discussed.

Cooling of gas turbine blades is critical to long term durability. Accurate prediction of blade metal temperature is a key component in the design of the cooling system. In this design space, spatial distribution of heat transfer coefficients plays a significant role. Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) has been shown to be a robust method for predicting heat transfer. Because of the high computational cost of LES as Reynolds number (Re) increases, most investigations have been performed at low Re of O(104). In this paper, a two-pass duct with a 180° turn is simulated at Re = 100,000 for a stationary and a rotating duct at Ro = 0.2 and Bo = 0.5. The predicted mean and turbulent statistics compare well with experiments in the highly turbulent flow. Rotation-induced secondary flows have a large effect on heat transfer in the first pass. In the second pass, high turbulence intensities exiting the bend dominate heat transfer. Turbulent intensities are highest with the inclusion of centrifugal buoyancy and increase heat transfer. Centrifugal buoyancy increases the duct averaged heat transfer by 10% over a stationary duct while also reducing friction by 10% due to centrifugal pumping.

The paper investigates the transport of sand particles in the two-pass internal cooling duct of a turbine blade under rotation. The size range is representative of Fine Arizona Road Test Dust from Powder Technology Inc., corresponding to 50% of injected particles being less than 4 microns in diameter, with 90% being less than 50 microns, The geometry consists of a U-bend with 17 ribs in each pass. The ribs are staggered with an e/Dh = 0.1 and a P/e = 10. LES simulation is used with a Reynolds number, Re = 100,000, a Buoyancy parameter, Bo = 0.5, and a rotation number, Ro = 0.2. Deposition and impingement patterns are investigated for three different wall temperatures, 950, 1000, and 1050°C under rotating and stationary conditions. In the first pass, rotation results in much higher levels of impingement and deposition along the trailing wall in comparison to the leading wall and the stationary duct leading and trailing walls. This is due to the action of Coriolis forces which push the particles towards the trailing wall on entry into the rotating duct resulting is a high level of interaction with the trailing duct surface and ribs. Roughly 0.5% of the impacting particles deposit. As a result of this about 84% of the particles deposit in the first pass compared to only 27% in the stationary duct. It is found that temperature effects in the range of wall temperatures from 950–1050°C had no significant effect on deposition. This is because the particle temperatures remained below 900°C, much below the softening temperature of 1120 °C, to have any significant impact on the deposition dynamics. Thus most of the deposits are theorized to be caused by multiple collisions which eventually lead to deposition.