• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.445-455
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• 2010

In order to effectively predict thermo-acoustic instability within real combustors of rocket engines and gas turbines, in the present study, the Helmholtz equation in conjunction with the time lag hypothesis is discretized by the finite element method on three-dimensional hybrid unstructured mesh. Numerical nonlinearity caused by the combustion response term is linearized by an iterative method, and the large-scale eigenvalue problem is solved by the Arnoldi method available in the ARPACK. As a consequence, the final solution of complex valued eigenfrequency and acoustic pressure field can be interpreted as resonant frequency, growth rate, and modal shape for acoustic modes of interest. The predictive capabilities of the present method have been validated against two academic problems with complex impedance boundary and premixed flame, as well as an ambient acoustic test for liquid rocket combustion chamber with/without baffle.