Gas turbine combustors using lean-premixed combustion often utilizes a swirling flow to generate a centraltoroidal recirculation zone (CTRZ) for flame stabilization. The characteristics of a CTRZ, such as the volume of a CTRZ, can be predicted by the ...
Gas turbine combustors using lean-premixed combustion often utilizes a swirling flow to generate a centraltoroidal recirculation zone (CTRZ) for flame stabilization. The characteristics of a CTRZ, such as the volume of a CTRZ, can be predicted by the swirl number at the combustor inlet (or the exit of the swirl injector). In the present study, a new correlation for the swirl number is derived to estimate the swirl number at the end of a swirl-injector pipe, especially for the pipe with a variable cross-sectional area, where existing formulas cannot be applied accurately. First, we derive a correlation for the case with a flat-vane axial swirler. Next, theoretical and numerical analyses are performed to show that the variation of the swirl number in an annular pipe is mainly dependent on the geometry of the pipe. Finally, our correlation is generalized by coupling to a correlation of a radial-type swirl generator. The suggested correlations are validated and analyzed with RANS simulations.