7,536 research outputs found
Effect of vane twist on the performance of dome swirlers for gas turbine airblast atomizers
For advanced gas turbine engines, two combustor systems, the lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) and the rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL) offer great potential for reducing NO(x) emissions. An important consideration for either concept is the development of an advanced fuel injection system that will provide a stable, efficient, and very uniform combustion system over a wide operating range. High-shear airblast fuel injectors for gas turbine combustors have exhibited superior atomization and mixing compared with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors. This improved mixing has lowered NO(x) emissions and the pattern factor, and has enabled combustors to alternate fuels while maintaining a stable, efficient combustion system. The performance of high-shear airblast fuel injectors is highly dependent on the design of the dome swirl vanes. The type of swirl vanes most widely used in gas turbine combustors are usually flat for ease of manufacture, but vanes with curvature will, in general, give superior aerodynamic performance. The design and performance of high-turning, low-loss curved dome swirl vanes with twist along the span are investigated. The twist induces a secondary vortex flow pattern which will improve the atomization of the fuel, thereby producing a more uniform fuel-air distribution. This uniform distribution will increase combustion efficiency while lowering NO(x) emissions. A systematic swirl vane design system is presented based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional flowfield calculations, with variations in vane-turning angle, rate of turning, vane solidity, and vane twist as design parameters
Self-wrapping of an ouzo drop induced by evaporation on a superamphiphobic surface
Evaporation of multi-component drops is crucial to various technologies and
has numerous potential applications because of its ubiquity in nature.
Superamphiphobic surfaces, which are both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic,
can give a low wettability not only for water drops but also for oil drops. In
this paper, we experimentally, numerically and theoretically investigate the
evaporation process of millimetric sessile ouzo drops (a transparent mixture of
water, ethanol, and trans-anethole) with low wettability on a superamphiphobic
surface. The evaporation-triggered ouzo effect, i.e. the spontaneous
emulsification of oil microdroplets below a specific ethanol concentration,
preferentially occurs at the apex of the drop due to the evaporation flux
distribution and volatility difference between water and ethanol. This
observation is also reproduced by numerical simulations. The volume decrease of
the ouzo drop is characterized by two distinct slopes. The initial steep slope
is dominantly caused by the evaporation of ethanol, followed by the slower
evaporation of water. At later stages, thanks to Marangoni forces the oil wraps
around the drop and an oil shell forms. We propose an approximate diffusion
model for the drying characteristics, which predicts the evaporation of the
drops in agreement with experiment and numerical simulation results. This work
provides an advanced understanding of the evaporation process of ouzo
(multi-component) drops.Comment: 41 pages, 8 figure
Computational/experimental studies of isolated, single component droplet combustion
Isolated droplet combustion processes have been the subject of extensive experimental and theoretical investigations for nearly 40 years. The gross features of droplet burning are qualitatively embodied by simple theories and are relatively well understood. However, there remain significant aspects of droplet burning, particularly its dynamics, for which additional basic knowledge is needed for thorough interpretations and quantitative explanations of transient phenomena. Spherically-symmetric droplet combustion, which can only be approximated under conditions of both low Reynolds and Grashof numbers, represents the simplest geometrical configuration in which to study the coupled chemical/transport processes inherent within non-premixed flames. The research summarized here, concerns recent results on isolated, single component, droplet combustion under microgravity conditions, a program pursued jointly with F.A. Williams of the University of California, San Diego. The overall program involves developing and applying experimental methods to study the burning of isolated, single component droplets, in various atmospheres, primarily at atmospheric pressure and below, in both drop towers and aboard space-based platforms such as the Space Shuttle or Space Station. Both computational methods and asymptotic methods, the latter pursued mainly at UCSD, are used in developing the experimental test matrix, in analyzing results, and for extending theoretical understanding. Methanol, and the normal alkanes, n-heptane, and n-decane, have been selected as test fuels to study time-dependent droplet burning phenomena. The following sections summarizes the Princeton efforts on this program, describe work in progress, and briefly delineate future research directions
An investigation into the conversion of specific carbon atoms in oleic acid and methyl oleate to particulate matter in a diesel engine and tube reactor
The paper is concerned with particulate formation from the fuels oleic acid and methyl oleate. In particular the paper reports, quantitatively, the propensity of individual carbon atoms in these two molecules in being converted to particulate. The conversion of individual carbon atoms to particulate was traced by 'labelling' individual carbon atoms in those two fuel molecules with isotopic carbon-13 (C) and then measuring how many of the labelled atoms was found in the particulate. This allowed the measuring of the conversion rates of individual fuel carbon atoms to particulate. In the case of oleic acid, three carbon atoms were selected as being particularly relevant to particulate formation, and C labelled. One of the carbon atoms was double bonded to the oxygen atom on the carboxylic acid group; and the other two were part of the oleic acid molecule alkyl chain and double bonded to each other. In the case of the methyl oleate, one carbon atom was C labelled. This was the carbon atom that was double bonded to one of the oxygen atoms of the ester group. Experimental results are presented for particulate matter (PM) formed in a laminar flow tube reactor, and also in a direct injection compression ignition engine. The tube reactor has been used for the pyrolysis of oleic acid and methyl oleate at 1300 °C, under oxygen-free conditions and at air-fuel equivalence ratios (λ) of 0.1, and 0.2. Samples of PM were also collected from the compression ignition engine at an intermediate engine load. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) has been used to determine the relative abundance of C in the initial fuel and in the resulting PM. Significant differences in the relative conversion rates of individual carbon atoms are reported; a negligible contribution to PM from the carbon atom directly bonded to two oxygen atoms was found in both the engine and reactor. The labelling technique used in this paper requires low quantities of C labelled molecules to enrich otherwise unlabelled oleic acid; enrichment is at volumetric concentrations typically less than 0.7% (v/v). In addition, emissions data from the engine and tube reactor, including unburned hydrocarbons, CO, CO, NO, and PM size and number distributions measured by differential mobility spectrometer, are also presented
Fractal dimension of fumed silica: Comparison of light scattering and electron microscope methods
Due to the enormous increase in nanopowder production, it becomes necessary to find and develop adapted characterization techniques. In the case of nanostructured agglomerates, the structure of these particles has a direct impact on flowing, and handling, but also on end-use final product properties. In this work, a fractal approach is used to characterize the agglomerate structure using two different, commercially available and widely used, methods: static light scattering (SLS) and image analysis of scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs of the aggregates. Fumed silica aggregates are used for this comparison. The results by image analysis show that fumed silica aggregates have a two-level structure, made of compact aggregates of open aggregates of nanoparticles. This structure is not detected by SLS. For such a structure, SLS seems to be less accurate than image analysis method, although it could be an interesting technique in more simple cases, since it is a much less time-consuming technique
Micromechanical approach for the analysis of wave propagation in particulate composites
Laser ultrasonic non-destructive testing is widely used for the inspection of
mechanical structures. This method uses the propagation of ultrasonic guided
waves (UGW) in the media. For this purpose, it has been demonstrated that the
addition of a thin composite layer between the laser source and the structure
for inspection is necessary. Consequently, this composite is an optoacoustic
transducer composed of an absorption material such as carbon for inclusions and
an expanding material such as an elastomer for the matrix. Thus, optimal
fabrication of this composite should enable the amplification of the signal for
inspection. Indeed, experimental research has demonstrated that variation in
the volume fraction of carbon inclusions, their shape, and the nature of the
matrix, affect the amplification of the signal directly. The aim of this study
is to analyse the wave propagation in particulate viscoelastic composites by a
dynamic self-consistent approach
Time-resolved fuel injector flow characterisation based on 3D laser Doppler vibrometry
In order to enable investigations of the fuel flow inside unmodified
injectors, we have developed a new experimental approach to measure
time-resolved vibration spectra of diesel nozzles using a three dimensional
laser vibrometer. The technique we propose is based on the triangulation of the
vibrometer and fuel pressure transducer signals, and enables the quantitative
characterisation of quasi-cyclic internal flows without requiring modifications
to the injector, the working fluid, or limiting the fuel injection pressure.
The vibrometer, which uses the Doppler effect to measure the velocity of a
vibrating object, was used to scan injector nozzle tips during the injection
event. The data were processed using a discrete Fourier transform to provide
time-resolved spectra for valve-closed-orifice, minisac and microsac nozzle
geometries, and injection pressures ranging from 60 to 160MPa, hence offering
unprecedented insight into cyclic cavitation and internal mechanical dynamic
processes. A peak was consistently found in the spectrograms between 6 and
7.5kHz for all nozzles and injection pressures. Further evidence of a similar
spectral peak was obtained from the fuel pressure transducer and a needle lift
sensor mounted into the injector body. Evidence of propagation of the nozzle
oscillations to the liquid sprays was obtained by recording high-speed videos
of the near-nozzle diesel jet, and computing the fast Fourier transform for a
number of pixel locations at the interface of the jets. This 6-7.5kHz frequency
peak is proposed to be the natural frequency for the injector's main internal
fuel line. Other spectral peaks were found between 35 and 45kHz for certain
nozzle geometries, suggesting that these particular frequencies may be linked
to nozzle dependent cavitation phenomena.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Aerothermal Performance and Soot Emissions of Reacting Flow in a Micro-Gas Turbine Combustor
Micro-gas turbines are used for power generation and propulsion in unmanned aerial vehicles. Despite the growing demand for electric engines in a world striving for a net zero carbon footprint, combustion gas turbines will continue to play a critical role. Hence, there is a need for improved micro-gas turbines that can meet stringent environmental regulations. This paper is the first part of a comprehensive study focused on understanding the fundamental performance and emission characteristics of a micro-gas turbine model, with the aim of finding ways to enhance its operation. The study used a multidisciplinary CFD model to simulate the reacting flow in the combustion chamber and validated the results against experimental data and throughflow simulations. The present work is one of the few work that attempts to address both the aerothermal performance and emissions of the gas turbine. The findings highlight that parameters such as non-uniform outlet pressure, fuel-to-air ratio, and fuel injection velocity can greatly influence the performance and emissions of the micro-gas turbine. These parameters can affect the combustion efficiency, the formation of hot spots at the combustor–turbine interface, and the soot emissions. The results provide valuable insights for optimizing the performance and reducing the emissions of micro-gas turbines and serve as a foundation for further research into the interaction between the combustor and the turbine
- …