Investigation of Sustainable Combustion Processes of the Industrial Gas Turbine Injector

This study investigates the combustion dynamics of methane in a dual swirl combustor, focusing on improving combustion efficiency and understanding flow features. Methane, as a conventional fuel, offers high energy content and relatively low carbon emissions compared to other hydrocarbons, making it a promising choice for sustainable energy solutions. Accurate numerical models are essential for the optimization of combustion processes, particularly in the design of combustion engines utilizing methane. In this work, we employ a partially premixed combustion model based on a mixture fraction and progress-variable approach to simulate methane combustion dynamics. Turbulent behavior is modeled using Detached-Eddy Simulation (DES), with the DLR dual swirl combustor serving as the geometric model. The simulations are performed at a global equivalence ratio of 0.65 for partially premixed methane. The results show good validation against experimental data, including time-averaged velocity components, turbulent fluctuations, mixture fraction, and temperature profiles. Additionally, the analysis of instantaneous flow features reveals the presence of a precessing vortex core. This study provides a robust numerical methodology, validated against experimental data, offering valuable insights into the combustion behavior of methane in dual swirl combustors and its industrial applicability.