Abstract
Achieving an optimal level of flow swirl is required for efficient mixing of air and fuel in order to realise lean combustion. A novel method is devised to achieve a necessary level of swirl, using NACA airfoil profiles as the baseline for swirl stator blades. Formulas for achieving a required level of swirl have been derived and implemented in a computer program that generates aerodynamic vanes which meet the specified swirl. The usability of the program over a broad range of Reynolds numbers is verified. A curve fitting method has been developed, taking into account the trailing edge angles and blade solidity, in order to speed up the iterative process. A significant computational speed-up is achieved from this approach, and an excellent initial preliminary vane design can be obtained, which can later be introduced inside an automated optimisation process.
