Hybrid CFD/low-order modeling of thermoacoustic limit cycle oscillations in can-annular configurations

We propose a hybrid strategy for modeling non-linear thermoacoustic phenomena, e.g. limit-cycle (LC) oscillations, in can-annular combustion systems. The suggested model structure comprises a compressible CFD simulation limited to the burner/flame zone of one single can, coupled to a low-order model (LOM) representing the remaining combustor. In order to employ the suggested strategy for modeling non-linear phenomena like LC oscillations, the LOM must capture non-linear flame dynamics in the cans, which are not resolved by CFD. Instead of identifying such non-linear flame models in preliminary simulations, we aim at learning the non-linear dynamics “on-the-fly”, while simulating the self-excited system under consideration. Based on the observation of flame dynamics in the CFD domain, the parameters of the employed non-linear models are estimated during run time. The present study reveals that block-oriented models, which comprise a linear dynamic part followed by a static non-linear function, are well suited for this purpose. The proposed hybrid model is applied to a laminar can-annular combustor. Results agree well with the monolithic CFD simulation of the entire combustor, while the computational cost is drastically reduced. The employed flame models, whose parameters are identified during the simulation of the self-excited LC oscillation, represent well the relevant non-linear dynamics of the considered flame.