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Assessing the Predictive Capabilities of Combustion LES as Applied to the Sydney Flame Series

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Abstract

Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and flamelet-based combustion models were applied to four bluff-body stabilized nonpremixed and partially premixed flames selected from the Sydney flame series, based on Masri’s bluff-body test rig (University of Sydney). Three related non-reacting flow cases were also investigated to assess the performance of the LES solver. Both un-swirled and swirled cases were studied exhibiting different flow features, such as recirculation, jet precessing and vortex breakdown. Due to various fuel compositions, flow rates and swirl numbers, the combustion characteristics of the flames varied greatly. On six meshes with different blocking structure and mesh sizes, good prediction of flow and scalar fields using LES/flamelet approaches and known fuel and oxidizer mass fluxes was achieved. The accuracy of predictions was strongly influenced by the combustion model used. All flames were calculated using at least two modeling strategies. Starting with calculations of isothermal flow cases, simple single flamelet based calculations were carried out for the corresponding reacting cases. The combustion models were then adjusted to fit the requirements of each flame. For all flame calculations good agreement of the main flow features with the measured data was achieved. For purely nonpremixed flames burning attached to the bluff-body’s outer edge, flamelet modeling including strain rate effects provided good results for the flow field and for most scalars. The prediction of a partially premixed swirl flame could only be achieved by applying a flamelet-based progress variable approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Energy and Power Plant Technology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstrasse 30, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Clemens Olbricht, Anja Ketelheun, Frederik Hahn & Johannes Janicka

  2. Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstrasse 32, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Johannes Janicka

Authors
  1. Clemens Olbricht
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  2. Anja Ketelheun
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  3. Frederik Hahn
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  4. Johannes Janicka
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Correspondence to Anja Ketelheun.

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Olbricht, C., Ketelheun, A., Hahn, F. et al. Assessing the Predictive Capabilities of Combustion LES as Applied to the Sydney Flame Series. Flow Turbulence Combust 85, 513–547 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-010-9300-5

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