Flow Instability Control in a Model Swirl-Stabilized Combustor with Central Jet Injection

Swirling flows often occur in nature and industrial applications. With an increase in swirl intensity, such rotating flows are known to become unstable and undergo a sudden breakdown of the vortex core, resulting in unsteady flow dynamics with intensive pressure fluctuations. In particular, swirling flows are organized in combustion chambers to stabilize the flame around the central recirculation zone, formed due to the vortex core breakdown. However, the impact of large-scale vortex structures, including the precessing vortex core and secondary helical vortices, on unsteady combustion regimes is still unclear. The present paper demonstrates experimentally that for the swirling flow of a model swirl combustor, the injection of a central jet may be used to alter the configuration of coherent flow structures, including helical vortices. In particular, the asymmetric hydrodynamics mode, associated with the precessing vortex core, is suppressed, whereas the symmetrical one becomes dominant. This effect demonstrates the importance of central jet injection to control the dominant mode of flow instability for the design of swirl combustors.