In order to reduce emissions, combustion chamber concepts are currently undergoing a major redesign. For instance, combustion with a surplus of air (Lean Combustion) leads to a reduction of NOx emissions. The application of this technology, however, comes with a significant impact on aerodynamics and thermal load in the turbine.
The institute is running two turbine test rigs for the detailed measuring of the flow phenomena. Respectively, different designs and the influence of varied inflow conditions may be examined. All experimental investigations are supported by numerical simulations. Thus, measurements may be interpreted more conveniently and the transfer of the test rig results onto a whole turbomachine may be facilitated.
The test rigs of the institute are operated with air. This allows for the application of high resolution measuring techniques which permits the detailed measurement of the flow and the temperature field. With the help of specific characteristic coefficients it is, in spite of different temperatures, possible to set up conditions similar to the future applications. Hence, the investigations involve fundamental research while still being application oriented as well.
