Experimental study and numerical simulation on a cross-drilled swirl combustor

Experimental studies and RANS simulation were performed for cross-drilled and non-cross-drilled swirl combustors, with emphasis on investigating and comparing their velocity and temperature characteristics and combustion performance. The experimental and numerical results show that an enlarged recirculation zone with higher temperature can be formed in the cross-drilled swirl combustor, which only causes a very slight change of swirl number, compared with the non-cross-drilled one and consequently results in an improved performance of flame holding and combustion. In addition, the recirculation zone formed by the cross-drilled swirler moves to the farther downstream of the fuel injector and hence can reduce the exposure of the fuel injector to the high-temperature combustion zone. A parametric study for various inlet air velocities and excess air factors further substantiates the effectiveness of the cross-drilled swirler on the improving the combustion performance.Department of Mechanical Engineerin