UC Irvine

The two-phase flow downstream of a production gas-turbine engine combustor fuel injection system (i.e., "swirl cup") is characterized at atmospheric pressure in the absence of reaction. The swirl cup features a centrally located simplex atomizer, a surrounding liquid filming surface, and counter-swirling air streams. Two-component phase Doppler interferometer is employed to determine the time averaged droplet size and velocity distributions and the time-averaged velocities of the continuous phase (gas-phase in the presence of spray). The time-dependent behavior of both phases is documented with a high-speed video camera. This work represents the first detailed characterization of the two-phase flow field in a production fixture and reveals the complexity of the flow field produced. The interferometric results, for example, reveal an on-axial recirculation zone and show that droplets are entrained as a function of size. Large slip velocities between the gas phase and the droplets are measured in all regions of the flow, indicating the presence of momentum transfer between phases. The magnitude of the slip velocities is correlated with droplet size. High speed photographs (1) reveal the dynamic behavior of the droplet and continuous phase, (2) identify clustering of droplets, and (3) reaffirm a correlation of droplet recirculation with size. © 1992 Combustion Institute.