Investigation of Flow and Fuel/Air Mixing in a Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine DLN Combustor Using Laser Diagnostics and Numerical Simulation

Cold flow and mixing characteristics inside a 300 MW class F-class heavy-duty DLN combustor are thoroughly explored. Employing PIV, PLIF experiments, and numerical simulations, the research evaluates velocity distribution and mixing within the combustion chamber. The experimental phase introduces innovative optical schemes, enhancing experiment execution. Various turbulence models are assessed for suitability. LES simulations closely replicates experimental features, while RANS models like RNG k-epsilon and Realizable k-epsilon capture the combustion chamber flow characteristics, aiding structure selection. Mixing analysis reveals effective fuel–air premixing within the chamber, maintaining uniformity despite experimental concentration differences. LES agrees well with experiments in mixing simulations, while RANS models show less precision in predicting fuel mixing rates, highlighting a research area for improvement. This study contributes insights into DLN combustor flow and mixing dynamics, harmonizing experimentation and numerical simulation. Implications include turbulence model selection and experiment guidance for similar contexts.