ORCID
0009-0005-8240-6470
Keywords
combustion, fluid mechanics, turbulent flames, engineering, design
Abstract
As industry transitions to a net-zero carbon future, turbulent premixed combustion will remain an integral process for power generating gas turbines and are also desired for aviation engines due to their ability to minimize pollutant emissions. However, accurately predicting the behavior of a turbulent reacting flow field remains a challenge. To better understand the dynamics of premixed reacting flows, this study experimentally investigates the evolution of turbulence in a high-speed bluff-body combustor. The combustor operates across a range of equivalence ratios from 0.7-1 to quantify the role of heat release and flame scales on the evolution of turbulence as the flow evolves from reactants to products. High-speed particle image velocimetry and CH* chemiluminescence imaging systems are simultaneously employed to quantify turbulent flame and flow dynamics. The results demonstrate that the flame augments turbulence fluctuations as the flow evolves from reactants to products for all cases. However, turbulence fluctuations increase monotonically with the heat of combustion and corresponding turbulent flame speed. Nondimensional spatial profiles of turbulence are used to develop a correlation to predict the increase in turbulent fluctuations in extended progress variable space. A Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) decomposition is also explored to better characterize the effects of heat release on turbulence evolution dynamics. The correlations and RANS decomposition can guide modeling capabilities to better predict confined turbulent reacting flows and accelerate design strategies for premixed turbines with carbon-free fuels.
Completion Date
2025
Semester
Spring
Committee Chair
Ahmed, Kareem
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Department
Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering
Identifier
DP0029302
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Fortin, Max, "Characterization Of Turbulent Flames In Confined Combustors" (2025). Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024. 134.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2024/134