Prediction of Combustor Emissions and Engine Operability Using a Reactor Network Model

Abstract The prediction of pollutant emissions and burner performance under varying operating conditions is a key aspect for the characterization and development of advanced combustion technologies. Although the continuous growth in computational power increasingly enables CFD analyses based on RANS and LES approaches, the development of low-cost computational models remains advantageous for exploring a wide range of operating conditions. In this context, Chemical Reactor Networks (CRN) represent a well-established and widely adopted approach, offering the capability to deliver meaningful insights at a significantly reduced computational cost compared to CFD simulations. The objective of this work is to develop a reactor network model to analyze the behavior of the combustor developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) within the framework of the European FFLECS (Novel Fuel-Flexible ultra-Low Emissions Combustion systems for Sustainable aviation) project. This burner has been designed to operate with progressively increasing Jet-A1/hydrogen blends, up to the condition of 100% hydrogen. To enhance flexibility, minimize pollutant emissions, and extend the operability range, multiple hydrogen injection configurations are defined. By employing the reactor network approach, it is possible to obtain important insights into the behavior of a fuel-flexible combustor under varying operating conditions and to interpret the trends observed experimentally.