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Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Seminar
Wed, Oct 25, 2017 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Adam Steinberg, Associate Professor/University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
Talk Title: Thermoacoustic Dynamics in Aeronautical Gas Turbine Combustors
Abstract: Thermoacoustic instability in combustion systems refers to the tendency for small perturbations to grow into sustained high-amplitude oscillations, driven by feedback between heat release and pressure dynamics. This seminar will explore various aspects of thermoacoustic instabilities that were studied experimentally in a practical aeronautical gas turbine combustor using optical measurement techniques. Specific challenges arising in the application of optical diagnostics to high-pressure, liquid-fueled combustors will be addressed. We then will discuss two types of thermoacoustic behavior. The first involves apparently spontaneous increases and decreases in oscillation amplitude that occurred at particular operating points. The second pertains to conditions exhibiting steady and intense oscillations, but with extreme sensitivity between the operating point and oscillation amplitude. Both of these behaviors can be explained using the experimental data. Such insights help guide engine designers to more robust systems, and provide important information regarding the application of computational fluid dynamics simulations to thermoacoustically oscillating combustion systems.
Biography: Adam Steinberg is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, where he holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Turbulent Reactive Flows. His research focuses on the application of laser-based measurement techniques to solve problems in fundamental and applied thermo-fluids, with particular emphasis on aerospace and power generation systems. He obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2009, and worked at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) before joining the University of Toronto in 2011. He is the recipient of the inaugural Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Research Award from the Combustion Institute, as well as several other distinctions. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Combustion and Flame and the AIAA Propellants and Combustion Technical Committee, and is a Colloquium Co-Chair for the International Symposium on Combustion.
Host: Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Ashleen Knutsen
