Experimentally-resolved flow and thermal fields at the Exit of an annular non-reacting combustor sector

To gain deeper insights into the interactions between combustors and high-pressure turbines, an annular non-reacting combustor sector equipped with swirlers and effusion cooling liners was constructed. The swirler was changeable, and various swirling flow intensities exiting the combustor were achieved by changing the installment angle of the vanes in the swirler. Hot mainstream air flowed through the swirlers and mixed with coolant air injected from the effusion cooling liners, thereby generating flow distortions characterized by hot streaks, swirling flow, and pressure gradients. A seven-hole probe with a thermocouple, mounted on a traverse system, was used to resolve the resulting flow and thermal fields at the combustor exit for different operating conditions. Results revealed that different swirlers altered the development of swirling flow within the combustor, affecting the mixing intensity between the mainstream and cooling air, ultimately leading to significantly changed pressure, velocity, and temperature fields at the exit plane. While the temperature ratio of the hot mainstream to the cooling air had a minimal impact on the flow behaviors, it does affect the pressure gradients.