SBIR-STTR Award

A new inovative passive mxing enhancer design concept is proposed for development and implementation in either turbine engine augmentor and/or main combustor. The design concept utilzes certain geometrical features to create and induce significant amounts of axial vorticity that leads to enhanced mixing and flame stabilization mainly for turbine engines augmentors and combustors.

Benefit:
The proposed novel ppassive mixing concept will improve either fuel-air mixing, combustion products-air-fuel mixing, and flame stabilization for both augmentors and combustors with very little total pressure drop. Such a design concept would provide the needed mixing enhancements in advanced military augmentors and combustors, hence improve augmentor and combustor ignition, LBO, and flame stabilization at a fraction of a total pressure drop that will be required for other design concepts.   

Keywords:
Passive Mixing Design Concept, Vorticity Generators, Flame Stabilzation, Augmentor Flame Holder, Combustor.

A novel multi-lobe flame holder design concept was designed, fabricated, and tested under high vitiated air flow temperature conditions for Light-Off (LO)and Lean Blow Out (LBO) performance. The new novel flame holder concept clearly demonstrated an improved LO/LBO performance pver the conventional V-Gutter flame holder. A three-flame test rig which consisted of a gas-generator, spray bars, and test section was also designed and fabricated. The Phase-II efforts will focus on further development and demonstration of the multi-lobe flame holder concept and preparation of full size augmentor system for follow-up system testing and trnasitioning ii into turbine engine hardware.

Benefit:
The novel multi-lobe flame holder concept has already demonstrated a better LO and LBO performance than the conventional V-gutter flame holder. Such an LBO improvement will increase the static stability margin and allow the engine to operate at lower perssure with stable flame. This will enable widen the flight envelop and/or increase thrust for the same stability limit as that of the V-Gutter flame holders by reducing dry pressure losses. The novel concept is already being considered by an OEM of military turbine engines for transitioning it into one of their engines. This novel concept will also be of greate interest to Other OEMs to which it will be marketed at the end of Phase-II. b

Keywords:
Multi-Lobe, Flame Holder, Lean Blow Out, Light Off, Static Stability, Augmentors