Optically Accessible Pressurized Research Combustor for Computational Fluid Dynamics Model Validation
The development of, and results from, the operation of an optically accessible industrial-scale research combustor, designed to provide comprehensive data sets to assist the development of large eddy simulation codes for turbulent combustion applications is discussed. The combustor can be operated at elevated pressure and inlet air temperature, with precisely determined thermal, acoustic, and flow boundary conditions. The effect of fuel composition is investigated by augmenting the natural gas baseline fuel with hydrogen using a lean-premixed combustor configuration. A detailed description of the research combustor and test facility is provided, and recent data on the effects of hydrogen content and combustor heat losses on lean extinction limits, dynamic stability, and pollutant emissions are included. Analysis of the results confirm that heat losses in the combustor play an important role in pollutant formation and that characterization of the thermal boundary conditions is crucial in providing explicit data sets for model validation.