Title:
Investigating Lean Blowout of an Alternative Jet Fuel in a Gas Turbine Combustor
Investigating Lean Blowout of an Alternative Jet Fuel in a Gas Turbine Combustor
Author(s)
Narayanan, Vijay
Advisor(s)
Menon, Suresh
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to
Permanent Link
Abstract
In the global effort to reduce the climate impact of combustion emissions, sustainable
aviation fuels offer the ease and reliability of conventional petroleum-derived jet fuels without
the significant pollutant effects. Ongoing research efforts include experimental testing
of alternative jet fuels to identify fuel candidates that produce less pollutant combustion
products and are cheaper and environmentally cleaner to source than conventional jet fuels.
Fuel lean combustion already reduces the emissions of jet engines and increases fuel
efficiency, but lean blowout (LBO) can occur at reduced throttle and minimum power scenarios
such as descent. Lean blowout (LBO) has been identified as a critical figure of merit
to ensure the stability of alternative jet fuels in the place of conventional fuels.
This work aimed to further understand the LBO phenomenon, leveraging computational
studies of the alternative fuel designated C-5 by the National Jet Fuel Combustion
Program (NJFCP). The fuel sensitivity of LBO has been established by the NJFCP’s participants
recently. In this thesis, the chemical kinetics for C-5 is first verified using zerodimensional
(0-D) and one-dimensional (1-D) studies and then this is followed by three
dimensional (3D) large-eddy simulations (LES). In LES to observe LBO, a direct-step and
gradual equivalence ratio reduction were separately employed to assess fuel sensitivity of
LBO against available experimental data. The time histories of pressure, temperature, and
composition were analyzed for precursor signatures of LBO both inside and outside the
flame. Localized extinction, a reduction in the vortex breakdown bubble size and magnitude,
and a reduction in the exhaust velocity were all observed to occur during the LBO
event.
Sponsor
Date Issued
2022-01-05
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Thesis