Patent ID: 8375722

Claim:
Apparatus for inducing periodic pressure waves within a gas turbine combustor assembly to model the acoustic process within the gas turbine combustor assembly, comprising: a gas turbine combustor assembly having an inlet and an exit, the combustor is arranged to permit a through-flow of fluid flowing generally from the inlet to the exit during use; wave inducing means located at the exit, the wave inducing means is constructed to continuously rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to an axis of the combustor that extends between the inlet and an outlet at the area of the exit, and also constructed such that when the wave inducing means is continuously rotated unidirectionally to vary the area of the exit, periodic pressure waves having a repeatedly known magnitude and directionality within the combustor are produced; and at least one sensor constructed to detect interactions between the pressure waves and the combustion process within the combustor assembly to determine the effect of the periodic pressure waves on the combustion process during use.