An experimental study of thermoacoustic instabilities in a RP-3 fueled multi-swirl stabilized lean direct injection combustor

•The V-shaped flame shifts to a detached one during modal transition.•As combustion instability intensifies, locally and overall flame driving energy increases markedly.•When combustion deviates from steady state, sound pressure increases suddenly, altering flame shape significantly. An investigation of self-excited combustion instabilities in a RP-3 fueled, multi-swirl stabilized, lean direct injection (LDI) combustor was performed and investigated with different operating conditions (inlet Reynolds number and fuel–air ratio (FAR)). Pressure fluctuation and heat release data were simultaneously collected using a 3-channel synchronous acquisition system. The results show that as the FAR increases, combustion transitions from a low oscillation mode to a high oscillation mode. During the modal transition, the oscillating flame structure, formed by vortex shedding in the shear layer and the recirculation zone, is then transformed into contraction and expansion movements from the front of the central recirculation zone towards the downstream and radial directions of the combustor. When combustion is in a low oscillation mode, the driving capability of the flame is relatively low. Upon entering a high oscillation mode, the overall driving energy of the flame can maintain combustion in a limit cycle oscillation state.