This paper presents experimental results for a low-NO_x aero gas turbine combustor, in particular, a third-generation swirl-venturi lean direct injection (SV-LDI-3) combustor concept called V4. The purpose of testing was three-fold. First, to evaluate the combustor against the 80% NO_x reduction goal set by NASA's AATT project. Second, to compare V4 to a previous SV-LDI-3 combustor concept called V3, especially at low power conditions. Third, to examine the accuracy of a type of correlation equation frequently used by engine systems analysis groups to estimate NO_x emissions. All three testing goals were met. For the first testing goal, with an estimated NO_x reduction of 85%-90%, SV-LDI-3 V4 surpassed the AATT goal. For the second goal, however, V4 did not perform better than V3 at low power conditions. For the third goal, it was found that a major assumption of the correlation equations — a simple dependence on combustor inlet pressure — did not hold.
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