The Development of LPP Combustor for ESPR

An axially staged combustor equipped with an LPP combustion system and CMC liner walls has been investigated for stable combustion and low NOx emissions for the ESPR project. Several fuel injectors were designed and manufactured for the LPP burner, and single sector combustor tests were conducted to evaluate fundamental combustion characteristics such as emissions, instabilities, auto-ignition, and flash back at typical operating conditions from idle to Mn 2.2 cruise. The latest test results showed that the LPP burner had a good potential for the low NOx target. It was also found that the NOx emission level was greatly affected by a distortion in the air flow velocity field upstream of the LPP burner due to the diffuser and fuel feed arm. The CMC material was investigated to apply for the high temperature and low NOx combustor. Annular combustor liner walls were manufactured with the CMC material, and they have been tested at low pressure conditions to evaluate the soundness of the material and the mounting and seal system. This paper reports the latest research activities on the LPP combustion system and CMC liner walls for the ESPR project.