Session: 01-06 Alternative Fuels in Whole Engine Performance

Paper Number: 153241

A Novel Low NOx Hydrogen Micromix Combustion Arrangement Optimized for Additive Manufacturing and Annular Aeroengine Combustors 

This paper presents the development and numerical analysis of a novel low NOx hydrogen micromix combustor arrangement optimized for additive manufacturing and integration into annular aeroengine combustors. The newly designed radial spoke (RS) burner arrangement, namely the RS-burner concept, employs multiple micromix injectors of different sizes optimized for additive manufacturing methods, especially focusing on Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), to achieve low-NOx hydrogen combustion. A detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study was performed using STAR-CCM+ to investigate flow and combustion characteristics. The performance of the preliminary design was analyzed using a fully parameterized Half Spoke Model (HSM) for validation of the new combustor design.

Preliminary results showed promising flame stability and reduced NOx emissions, with key focus on flame separation and the effects of the injector size distribution. Further optimization strategies involved the injector spacing, leading to improved flame separation and NOx reduction. A comparison of several burner configurations highlighted the performance differences and the feasibility of the new micromix combustor arrangement. The optimized configuration showed potential for further reduced NOx emissions while maintaining efficient combustion performance. The paper concludes that the RS-burner configuration, enabled by additive manufacturing, provides a viable solution for low-NOx hydrogen combustion in annular aeroengine combustors.

Presenting Author: Jan Vierkötter University of Applied Sciences Aachen

Presenting Author Biography: Jan Vierkötter is a Research Engineer at the University of Applied Sciences Aachen, specializing in hydrogen micromix combustion and NOx reduction. He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and focuses on applying additive manufacturing to improve combustion technologies for sustainable aviation.

Authors:

Harald Funke University of Applied Sciences Aachen
Jan Vierkötter University of Applied Sciences Aachen
Jan Keinz University of Applied Sciences Aachen