Prediction of temperature front in a gas turbine combustion chamber F.Z. Sierra * , J. Kubiak, G. Gonza ´lez, G. Urquiza Centro de Investigacio ´ n en Ingenierı ´ a y Ciencias Aplicadas, CIICAp, Universidad Auto ´ noma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col Chamilpa, C.P. 62210 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico Received 11 June 2004; accepted 24 August 2004 Available online 21 November 2004 Abstract Numerical computation has been applied to investigate the temperature field in a gas turbine com chamber. The simulation assumed that pressure imbalance conditions of air flow between primary an ondary inlets occur. The combustion chamber under study is part of a 70 MW gas turbine from an op ating combined cycle power plant. The combustion was simulated with normal fuel–air flow rate assu stoichiometric conditions. Under these conditions characteristic temperature and pressure fields were obtained provided equity of boundary conditions at air inlets applies. However, with pressure distribu imbalances of the order of 3 kPa between primary and secondary air inlets, excessive heating in regions other than the combustion chamber core were obtained. Over heating in these regions helped to explain what was observed to produce permanent damage to auxiliary equipment surrounding the combusti chamber core, like the cross flame pipes. It is observed that high temperatures which normally develop in the central region of the combustion chamber may reach other surrounding upstream regions by m ifying slightly the air pressure. Microscope scanning of the damaged pipes confirmed that the materi exposed to high temperatures such as predicted through the numerical computation. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Turbulence; Combustion; Modeling; Gas turbine 1359-4311/$ - see front matter 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2004.08.011 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: fse@uaem.mx (F.Z. Sierra). www.elsevier.com/locate/apthermeng Applied Thermal Engineering 25 (2005) 1127–1140