Thermoacoustic instability in combustors
File(s)annurev-fluid-121021-032828.pdf (1.67 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Morgans, Aimee S
Yang, Dong
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Thermoacoustic instability is a flow instability that arises due to a two-way coupling between acoustic waves and unsteady heat release rate. It can cause damaging, large-amplitude oscillations in the combustors of gas turbines, aeroengines, rocket engines, etc., and the transition to decarbonized fuels is likely to introduce new thermoacoustic instability problems. With a focus on practical thermoacoustic instability problems, especially in gas turbine combustors, this review presents the common types of combustor and burner geometry used. It discusses the relevant flow physics underpinning their acoustic and unsteady flame behaviors, including how these differ across combustor and burner types. Computational tools for predicting thermoacoustic instability can be categorized into direct computational approaches, in which a single flow simulation resolves all of the most important length scales and timescales, and coupled/hybrid approaches, which couple separate computational treatments for the acoustic waves and flame, exploiting the large disparity in length scales associated with these. Examples of successful computational prediction of thermoacoustic instability in realistic combustors are given, along with outlooks for future research in this area.
Date Issued
2025-01-01
Date Acceptance
2024-07-01
Citation
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 2025, 57 (1), pp.9-33
ISSN
0066-4189
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Start Page
9
End Page
33
Journal / Book Title
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics
Volume
57
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See credit lines of images or other third-party material in this article for license information.
License URL
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-121021-032828
Subjects
thermoacoustic instability
combustion instability
acoustics
aeroacoustics
reacting flows
combustors
burners
acoustic damping
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-07-26