Hybrid method based on flame volume concept for lean blowout limits prediction of aero engine combustors

The Lean Blowout (LBO) limit is crucial for the aircraft engines. The semi-empirical (such as Lefebvre’s LBO model and Flame Volume (FV) model), numerical and hybrid methods are widely utilized for the LBO limit quick prediction. An innovative hybrid method based on the FV concept is proposed. This method can be classified as a semi-empirical/physical based hybrid prediction method. In this hybrid method, it is assumed that the flame volume varies nearly linearly with the fuel/air ratio near the LBO. The flame volume is obtained directly by the numerical simulation using the threshold value of the visible flame boundary as 900 K. Then the final LBO limits is determined by the FV model. On the premise of keeping the good generality of prediction, the hybrid method based on the FV concept can further improve the prediction accuracy. The comparison with the prediction of the existing available methods on fifteen combustors shows that the hybrid method based on the FV concept achieves better prediction accuracy. The prediction uncertainties between the experimental results and the predicted values by the hybrid method based on the FV concept are within about ±10%.