Advanced Identification of Coherent Structures in Swirl-Stabilized Combustors

We present an application of a newly introduced method to analyze the time-resolved experimental data from the flow field of a swirl-stabilized combustor. This method is based on the classic proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) extended by a temporal constraint. The filter operation embedded in this method allows for continuous fading from the classic POD to the Fourier mode decomposition. This new method—called spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD)—allows for a clearer separation of the dominant mechanisms due to a clean spectral separation of phenomena. In this paper, the fundamentals of SPOD are shortly introduced. The actual focus is put on the application to a combustor flow. We analyze high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements from flow fields in a combustor at different operation conditions. In these measurements, we consider externally actuated, as well as natural dynamics and reveal how the natural and actuated modes interact with each other. As shown in the paper, SPOD provides detailed insight into coherent structures in the swirl flames. Two distinct PVC structures are found that are very differently affected by acoustic actuation. The coherent structures are related to the heat release fluctuations, which are derived from simultaneously acquired OH* chemiluminescence measurements. Besides the actuated modes, a low frequency mode was found that significantly contribute to the global heat release fluctuations.