Development of Acoustic Models for High-Performance Combustors

Prediction of acoustic noise generation in actual gas turbine combustors is made difficult by the interaction of fuel jet/droplet breakup, turbulent mixing and combustion with large -scale flow oscillations. Current methodologies rely either on fast and easy-to- implement, albeit less accurate, empirical curve fits or on full-scale unsteady DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) and LES (Large Eddy Simulation). While full scale simulations are capable of higher fidelity, their effectiveness is minimized by unduly long computational turnaround times and taxing requirements on computational resources. Metacomp Technologies proposes a new simulation methodology to predict acoustic noise generation in combustors with turnaround times short enough to be an effective design tool.