A novel modal expansion method for low-order modeling of thermoacoustic instabilities in complex geometries

Abstract

This work proposes an improvement to existing methods based on modal expansions used for the prediction of thermoacoustic instabilities in zero Mach number flow conditions. Whereas the orthogonal basis made of the acoustic eigenmodes of the domain bounded by rigid walls is classically used, an alternative method based on a modal expansion onto an over-complete set of acoustic eigenmodes is proposed. This allows avoiding the misrepresentation of the acoustic velocity field often observed near non rigid-wall boundaries. A Low Order Model network utilizing a state-space framework is then built upon this novel type of modal expansion. Several test cases, going from non reacting ducts to a complex geometry with combustion, are studied to assess the potential of the approach. The methodology not only successfully mitigates the misrepresentation in the acoustic field in the presence of non-rigid-wall boundaries, but it also drastically improves the convergence speed. The modularity of the method and its ability to handle complex geometries are illustrated by considering a configuration featuring an annular chamber, an annular plenum, as well as multiple burners. This novel technique is expected to bring worthy improvements to existing Low Order Models using modal expansions for the prediction of combustion instabilities.