A Model to Predict Acoustic Resonant Frequencies of Distributed Helmholtz Resonators on Gas Turbine Engines

Helmholtz resonators, traditionally designed as a narrow neck backed by a cavity, are widely applied to attenuate combustion instabilities in gas turbine engines. The use of multiple small holes with an equivalent open area to that of a single neck has been found to be able to significantly improve the noise damping bandwidth. This type of resonator is often referred to as “distributed Helmholtz resonator„. When multiple holes are employed, interactions between acoustic radiations from neighboring holes changes the resonance frequency of the resonator. In this work, the resonance frequencies from a series of distributed Helmholtz resonators were obtained via a series of highly resolved computational fluid dynamics simulations. A regression analysis of the resulting response surface was undertaken and validated by comparison with experimental results for a series of eighteen absorbers with geometries typically employed in gas turbine combustors. The resulting model demonstrates that the acoustic end correction length for perforations is closely related to the effective porosity of the perforated plate and will be obviously enhanced by acoustic radiation effect from the perforation area as a whole. This model is easily applicable for engineers in the design of practical distributed Helmholtz resonators.