Fuel and Combustion

Fuel and Combustion

Numerical simulation of industrial gas turbine combustion chamber using FGM method

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Taha Zavarian 1
Masoud Eidi Attar Zade 2
Mohammad Javad Shahriari 3
1 Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Tehran
3 Persian Gulf Turbine Company, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jfnc.2026.588359.1461
Abstract
In this paper, a numerical simulation of an industrial gas turbine combustor has been performed using two combustion models, FGM (Flamelet Generated Manifold) and EBU (Eddy Break-Up) along with a k-ε turbulence model. The main objective is to investigate the effect of the combustion model selection on the average stagnation temperature and the outlet temperature profile of the combustor, which are important from the perspective of performance and turbine component life. The simulations have been performed using Simcenter STAR-CCM+ software and a 3D meshing including fluid and solid domains. The numerical results have been compared with the reference data of the turbine manufacturer. Also, the effect of two turbulence sub-models, k-ε Realizable and k-ε Standard, on the simulation accuracy has been investigated. The findings show that the FGM model predicts the outlet temperature cooler and closer to the reference distribution with less error than the EBU. Also, the combination of the Standard k-ε turbulence model with the FGM combustion model provides a better match with the reference data.

Highlights

In this study, numerical simulation of the combustion chamber of an industrial gas turbine was performed with two combustion models, FGM and EBU, and the k-ε turbulence model. The results showed that the FGM model is more accurate in predicting the average outlet stagnation temperature than the EBU. Also, the outlet temperature profile obtained from the FGM model is closer to the reference distribution and provides a cooler temperature.

In examining the effect of the turbulence model, it was found that the k-ε Standard model has a better ability to simulate eddies, mixing of cold and hot flows, and a more uniform temperature distribution than the k-ε Realizable model. The average outlet stagnation temperature in the k-ε Standard model was calculated to be 1557.2 Kelvin (1% error) and in the k-ε Realizable model to be 1656.2 Kelvin (5.26% error), indicating the superiority of the k-ε Standard model.

Examination of the outlet chemical species showed that the most produced pollutant was NO, which is due to the high temperature of the combustion chamber. Also, the temperature distribution on the liner wall showed that the flame concentration occurs near the wall and before the first row of holes in the first zone of the chamber, which can reduce the liner life. Finally, it is suggested that by modifying the swirler and improving the DLE process, the flame will move away from the wall and the NO production rate will be reduced.

In summary, the combination of the k-ε Standard turbulence model with the FGM combustion model is considered a suitable option for accurate simulation of industrial gas turbine combustion chambers.

Keywords
Numerical simulation of combustion chamber
Gas turbine
FGM model
Subjects
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Fuel and Combustion

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 June 2026