Effect of different triple swirlers on the performance of a triple swirler combustor

Broadening the stable combustion range is particularly desirable for future aircraft engines. The triple swirler is considered to be a promising solution. Experiments were conducted to study different triple swirlers on the performance of a triple swirler combustor, which includes several technology innovations at different inlet airflow velocity (40–70 m/s), temperature (296 K, 373 K, and 473 K), and combustor overall fuel–air ratio with fixed atmospheric pressure. The total pressure loss coefficient increases linearly, while the flow drag coefficient decreases nonlinearly as the inlet airflow velocity increases from 40 m/s to 70 m/s. The flow drag of the combustor assembling counter-rotating swirlers for intermediate swirler and outer swirler is less than that of co-rotating swirlers at the same inlet airflow velocity. The ignition overall fuel–air ratio and lean blowout fuel–air ratio decrease along with inlet airflow velocity and temperature increasing on the whole. The triple swirler with swirl number combination labeling “1.5-1-0.8” has better combustion performance than the other one labeling “0.7-1-1.5”. At the temperature of 473 K, the lean blowout fuel–air ratio is almost below 0.005 for the triple swirler with swirl number combination labeling “1.5-1-0.8” at different inlet airflow velocity, and from this point, it has proved the feasibility of the design rules of triple swirler combustor in this paper.