The effect of fuel injector geometry on the flow structure of a swirl-stabilized gas turbine burner

This thesis presents an experimental study on the effect of geometry on the flow structure of experimental swirl-stabilized gas turbine burners. The purpose of this project was to test a number of geometric changes to a burner and determine how these changes affected the flow field in order to evaluate how they might affect a combustion process.; Tests were initially conducted in a water channel on several full-scale experimental burner models, which included the use of elliptic outlet geometries and a vortex breakdown stabilizer. Velocity and phase-averaged PLIF measurements are presented for the different burner configurations. More extensive measurements were then conducted in a cold flow air channel on a series of one-quarter scale experimental swirlers. The scale models were designed with different geometries in order to test the effect of different blade angles and spacings. The models were also tested with a vortex breakdown stabilizer and a mixing section located between the swirler outlet and the sudden expansion. A scale model burner with an elliptic outlet was also tested. Stereo PIV measurements are presented for the different configurations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...