A Computational Procedure for Diffuser-Combustor Flow Interaction Analysis

This paper describes a diffuser-combustor flow interaction analysis procedure for gas turbine combustion systems. The method is based on the solution of the Navier–Stokes equations in a generalized nonorthogonal coordinate system. The turbulence effects are modeled via the standard two-equation (k-ε) model. The method has been applied to a practical gas turbine combustor-diffuser system that includes support struts and fuel nozzles. Results have been presented for a three-dimensional simulation, as well as for a simplified axisymmetric simulation. The flow exhibits significant three-dimensional behavior. The axisymmetric simulation is shown to predict the static pressure recovery and the total pressure losses reasonably well.