Experimental investigation of performance of high-shear atomizer with discrete radial-jet fuel nozzle: mean and dynamic characteristics

Abstract

Abstract The present study focuses on the performance of a novel high-shear atomizer with a discrete radial-jet fuel nozzle to overcome the constraints associated with the simplex-pressure-swirl and duplex-fuel nozzles at the high-end power demand of a gas turbine combustor. The high-shear atomizer consists of multiple inner and outer radial swirlers with interchangeable flare and fuel nozzle. The performance of the atomizer with discrete radial-jet fuel nozzle is elucidated at ALR (mass ratio of air to liquid) 14.1 through variations in geometrical design parameters of the swirl cup. The parameters of interest are the split ratio (γ), relative swirl direction of inner and outer swirler (co- and counter-rotation), flare angle (θ) and flare mixing length (η). Spray characteristics at ALR 4.72, 7.08 and 9.44 are also presented for an atomizer by freezing the geometrical design. The particle image velocimetry diagnostic technique is employed to capture the spray flow field. The non-dimensional radial (W/Df; W, radial width of CTRZ (in mm) and Df, exit diameter of flare (mm)) and axial (L/Df) sizes of the central toroidal recirculation zone and near field swirl number (SN5) of the flow are explored. Further, variations in the droplet size distribution of the atomizer across all the ALR are discussed in detail. The Sauter mean diameter across all the test cases is found to be in the range of 9–30 μm, 15–37 μm, 15–50 μm and 23–75 μm at ALR 14.1, 9.44, 7.08 and 4.72 respectively, which shows good atomization capability of the atomizer with discrete jets. The spatial distribution of the spray volume/mass in an azimuthal plane is examined in the circumferential and radial directions, which shows consistent and excellent azimuthal symmetry of the spray even with a decrease in ALR value. The overall mean and dynamic spray characteristics of the atomizer suggest that high-shear atomizer in combination with a discrete radial-jet fuel nozzle would be a better candidate than an atomizer with a simplex pressure-swirl fuel nozzle in rich-quench-lean concept-based gas turbine combustors.