Nonlinear Heat-Release/Acoustic Model for Thermoacoustic Instability in Lean Premixed Combustors

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Peracchio ◽  
W. M. Proscia
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Limit Cycle ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Parametric Model ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Cycle Frequency ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instability ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines

Lean premixed combustors, such as those used in industrial gas turbines to achieve low emissions, are often susceptible to the thermoacoustic combustion instabilities, which manifest themselves as pressure and heat release oscillations in the combustor. These oscillations can result in increased noise and decreased durability due to vibration and flame motion. A physically based nonlinear parametric model has been developed that captures this instability. It describes the coupling of combustor acoustics with the rate of heat release. The model represents this coupling by accounting for the effect of acoustic pressure fluctuations on the varying fuel/air ratio being delivered to the flame, causing a fluctuating heat release due to both fuel air ratio variations and flame front oscillations. If the phasing of the fluctuating heat release and pressure are proper, an instability results that grows into a limit cycle. The nonlinear nature of the model predicts the onset of the instability and additionally captures the resulting limit cycle. Tests of a lean premixed nozzle run at engine scale and engine operating conditions in the UTRC single nozzle rig, conducted under DARPA contract, exhibited instabilities. Parameters from the model were adjusted so that analytical results were consistent with relevant experimental data from this test. The parametric model captures the limit cycle behavior over a range of mean fuel air ratios, showing the instability amplitude (pressure and heat release) to increase and limit cycle frequency to decrease as mean fuel air ratio is reduced.

scholarly journals Nonlinear Heat-Release/Acoustic Model for Thermoacoustic Instability in Lean Premixed Combustors

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Peracchio ◽  
W. M. Proscia
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Limit Cycle ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Parametric Model ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Cycle Frequency ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instability ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines

Lean premixed combustors, such as those used in industrial gas turbines to achieve low emissions, are often susceptible to thermoacoustic combustion instabilities, which manifest themselves as pressure and heat release oscillations in the combustor. These oscillations can result in increased noise and decreased durability due to vibration and flame motion. A physically based nonlinear parametric model has been developed that captures this instability. It describes the coupling of combustor acoustics with the rate of heat release. The model represents this coupling by accounting for the effect of acoustic pressure fluctuations on the varying fuel/air ratio being delivered to the flame, causing a fluctuating heat release due to both fuel air ratio variations and flame front oscillations. If the phasing of the fluctuating heat release and pressure are proper, an instability results that grows into a limit cycle. The nonlinear nature of the model predicts the onset of the instability and additionally captures the resulting limit cycle. Tests of a lean premixed nozzle run at engine scale and engine operating conditions in the UTRC Single Nozzle Rig, conducted under DARPA contract, exhibited instabilities. Parameters from the model were adjusted so that analytical results were consistent with relevant experimental data from this test. The parametric model captures the limit cycle behavior over a range of mean fuel air ratios, showing the instability amplitude (pressure and heat release) to increase and limit cycle frequency to decrease as mean fuel air ratio is reduced.

Effects of Intrinsic Flame Instabilities On Thermoacoustic Oscillations in Lean Premixed Gas Turbines

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangyan Li ◽  
Xiaotao Tian ◽  
Ming-long Du ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
Jiashan Cui
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Lewis Number ◽  
Acoustic Mode ◽  
Longitudinal Distribution ◽  
Unstable State ◽  
Rocket Motors ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instability ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instabilities ◽  
Lean Premixed

Abstract Thermoacoustic instabilities are commonly encountered in the development of aeroengines and rocket motors. Research on the fundamental mechanism of thermoacoustic instabilities is beneficial for the optimal design of these engine systems. In the present study, a thermoacoustic instability model based on the lean premixed gas turbines (LPGT) combustion system was established. The longitudinal distribution of heat release caused by the intrinsic instability of flame front is considered in this model. Effects of different heat release distributions and characteristics parameters of the premixed gas (Lewis number Le, Zeldovich Number and Prandtl number Pr) on thermoacoustic instability behaviors of the LPGT system are investigated based on this model. Results show that the LPGT system features with two kinds of unstable thermoacoustic modes. The first one corresponds to the natural acoustic mode of the plenum and the second one corresponds to that of the combustion chamber. The characteristic parameters of premixed gases have a large impact on the stability of the system and even can change the system from stable to unstable state.

A Weakly Nonlinear Approach Based on a Distributed Flame Describing Function to Study the Combustion Dynamics of a Full-Scale Lean-Premixed Swirled Burner

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Laera ◽  
Sergio M. Camporeale
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Limit Cycle ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Describing Function ◽  
Weakly Nonlinear ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Flame Describing Function

Modern combustion chambers of gas turbines for power generation and aero-engines suffer of thermo-acoustic combustion instabilities generated by the coupling of heat release rate fluctuations with pressure oscillations. The present article reports a numerical analysis of limit cycles arising in a longitudinal combustor. This corresponds to experiments carried out on the longitudinal rig for instability analysis (LRIA) test facility equipped with a full-scale lean-premixed burner. Heat release rate fluctuations are modeled considering a distributed flame describing function (DFDF), since the flame under analysis is not compact with respect to the wavelengths of the unstable modes recorded experimentally. For each point of the flame, a saturation model is assumed for the gain and the phase of the DFDF with increasing amplitude of velocity fluctuations. A weakly nonlinear stability analysis is performed by combining the DFDF with a Helmholtz solver to determine the limit cycle condition. The numerical approach is used to study two configurations of the rig characterized by different lengths of the combustion chamber. In each configuration, a good match has been found between numerical predictions and experiments in terms of frequency and wave shape of the unstable mode. Time-resolved pressure fluctuations in the system plenum and chamber are reconstructed and compared with measurements. A suitable estimate of the limit cycle oscillation is found.

CFD Analysis of a Complete Industrial Lean Premixed Gas Turbine Combustor

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Birkby ◽  
R. S. Cant ◽  
W. N. Dawes ◽  
A. A. J. Demargne ◽  
P. C. Dhanasekaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Combustion Model ◽  
Reacting Flow ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Combustion Technology

The introduction of lean premixed combustion technology in industrial gas turbines has led to a number of interesting technical issues. Lean premixed combustors are especially prone to acoustically-coupled combustion oscillations as well as to other problems of flame stability such as flashback. Clearly it is very important to understand the physics that lies behind such behaviour in order to produce robust and comprehensive remedies, and also to underpin the future development of new combustor designs. Simulation of the flow and combustion using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) offers an attractive way forward, provided that the modelling of turbulence and combustion is adequate and that the technique is applicable to real industrial combustor geometries. The paper presents a series of CFD simulations of the Rolls-Royce Trent industrial combustor carried out using the McNEWT unstructured code. The entire combustion chamber geometry is represented including the premixing ducts, the fuel injectors and the discharge nozzle. A modified k-ε model has been used together with an advanced laminar flamelet combustion model that is sensitive to variations in fuel-air mixture stoichiometry. Detailed results have been obtained for the non-reacting flow field, for the mixing of fuel and air and for the combustion process itself at a number of different operating conditions. The study has provided a great deal of useful information on the operation of the combustor and has demonstrated the value of CFD-based combustion analysis in an industrial context.

Low NOx Advanced Vortex Combustor

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan G. Edmonds ◽  
Joseph T. Williams ◽  
Robert C. Steele ◽  
Douglas L. Straub ◽  
Kent H. Casleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Lean Fuel

A lean-premixed advanced vortex combustor (AVC) has been developed and tested. The natural gas fueled AVC was tested at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, WV. All testing was performed at elevated pressures and inlet temperatures and at lean fuel-air ratios representative of industrial gas turbines. The improved AVC design exhibited simultaneous NOx∕CO∕unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions of 4∕4∕0ppmv (all emissions corrected to 15% O2 dry). The design also achieved less than 3ppmvNOx with combustion efficiencies in excess of 99.5%. The design demonstrated marked acoustic dynamic stability over a wide range of operating conditions, which potentially makes this approach significantly more attractive than other lean-premixed combustion approaches. In addition, the measured 1.75% pressure drop is significantly lower than conventional gas turbine combustors, which could translate into an overall gas turbine cycle efficiency improvement. The relatively high velocities and low pressure drop achievable with this technology make the AVC approach an attractive alternative for syngas fuel applications.

scholarly journals Measurement of Air-Fuel Ratio Fluctuations Caused by Combustor Driven Oscillations

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajiv Mongia ◽  
Robert Dibble ◽  
Jeff Lovett
Keyword(s):  
Power Spectrum ◽  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Pressure Oscillations ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

Lean premixed combustion has emerged as a method of achieving low pollutant emissions from gas turbines. A common problem of lean premixed combustion is combustion instability. As conditions inside lean premixed combustors approach the lean flammability limit, large pressure variations are encountered. As a consequence, certain desirable gas turbine operating regimes are not approachable. In minimizing these regimes, combustor designers must rely upon trial and error because combustion instabilities are not well understood (and thus difficult to model). When they occur, pressure oscillations in the combustor can induce fluctuations in fuel mole fraction that can augment the pressure oscillations (undesirable) or dampen the pressure oscillations (desirable). In this paper, we demonstrate a method for measuring the fuel mole fraction oscillations which occur in the premixing section during combustion instabilities produced in the combustor that is downstream of the premixer. The fuel mole fraction in the premixer is measured with kHz resolution by the absorption of light from a 3.39 μm He-Ne laser. A sudden expansion combustor is constructed to demonstrate this fuel mole fraction measurement technique. Under several operating conditions, we measure significant fuel mole fraction fluctuations that are caused by pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber. Since the fuel mole fraction is sampled continuously, a power spectrum is easily generated. The fuel mole fraction power spectrum clearly indicates fuel mole fraction fluctuation frequencies are the same as the pressure fluctuation frequencies under some operating conditions.

Flame Characteristics and Turbulent Flame Speeds of Turbulent, High-Pressure, Lean Premixed Methane/Air Flames

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Griebel ◽  
R. Bombach ◽  
A. Inauen ◽  
R. Scha¨ren ◽  
S. Schenker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flame Front ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Turbulent Flame ◽  
Flame Speed ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Turbulent Flame Speed ◽  
Front Position ◽  
Preheating Temperature ◽  
Lean Premixed

The present experimental study focuses on flame characteristics and turbulent flame speeds of lean premixed flames typical for stationary gas turbines. Measurements were performed in a generic combustor at a preheating temperature of 673 K, pressures up to 14.4 bars (absolute), a bulk velocity of 40 m/s, and an equivalence ratio in the range of 0.43–0.56. Turbulence intensities and integral length scales were measured in an isothermal flow field with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The turbulence intensity (u′) and the integral length scale (LT) at the combustor inlet were varied using turbulence grids with different blockage ratios and different hole diameters. The position, shape, and fluctuation of the flame front were characterized by a statistical analysis of Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence images of the OH radical (OH-PLIF). Turbulent flame speeds were calculated and their dependence on operating conditions (p, φ) and turbulence quantities (u′, LT) are discussed and compared to correlations from literature. No influence of pressure on the most probable flame front position or on the turbulent flame speed was observed. As expected, the equivalence ratio had a strong influence on the most probable flame front position, the spatial flame front fluctuation, and the turbulent flame speed. Decreasing the equivalence ratio results in a shift of the flame front position farther downstream due to the lower fuel concentration and the lower adiabatic flame temperature and subsequently lower turbulent flame speed. Flames operated at leaner equivalence ratios show a broader spatial fluctuation as the lean blow-out limit is approached and therefore are more susceptible to flow disturbances. In addition, because of a lower turbulent flame speed these flames stabilize farther downstream in a region with higher velocity fluctuations. This increases the fluctuation of the flame front. Flames with higher turbulence quantities (u′, LT) in the vicinity of the combustor inlet exhibited a shorter length and a higher calculated flame speed. An enhanced turbulent heat and mass transport from the recirculation zone to the flame root location due to an intensified mixing which might increase the preheating temperature or the radical concentration is believed to be the reason for that.

Investigation on Flowfield and Fuel/Air Premixing Uniformities of Low Swirl Injector for Lean Premixed Gas Turbines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fujun Sun ◽  
Jianqin Suo ◽  
Zhenxia Liu
Keyword(s):  
Penetration Depth ◽  
Residence Time ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Combustible Mixture ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flame Stability ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Auto Ignition ◽  
Lean Premixed

Abstract Based on the development trend of incorporating fuel holes into swirler-vanes and the advantages of wide operating conditions as well as low NOx emissions of LSI, this paper proposes an original lean premixed LSI with a convergent outlet. The influence of key structures on flowfields and fuel/air premixing uniformities of LSI is investigated by the combination of laser diagnostic experiments and numerical simulations. The flowfields of LSI shows that the main recirculation zone is detached from the convergent outlet and its axial dimensions are smaller than that of HSI, which can decrease the residence time of high-temperature gas to reduce NOx emissions. The fuel/air premixing characteristics show that the positions and diameters of fuel holes affect fuel/air premixing by changing the penetration depth of fuel. And when the penetration depth is moderate, it can give full play to the role of swirling air in enhancing premixing of fuel and air. In addition, the increase of the length of the premixing section can improve the uniformity of fuel/ar premixing, but it can also weaken the swirl intensity and increase the residence time of the combustible mixture within the LSI, which can affect flame stability and increase the risk of auto-ignition. Therefore, the design and selection of LSI structural parameters should comprehensively consider the requirements of fuel/air mixing uniformity, flame stability and avoiding the risk of auto-ignition. The results can provide the technical basis for LSI design and application in aero-derivative and land-based gas turbine combustors.

Oxidation Behavior of LTA/YSZ Intermixed Layer Coating

2018 ◽  
pp. 107-130
Author(s):  
Pritee Purohit ◽  
Shashikant T. Vagge
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Power Generators ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Aero Engines ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbine ◽  
Day By Day ◽  
Very High

This chapter describes how for power generators like gas turbines and aero engines, the economic and environmental challenges are increasing day by day for producing electricity more efficiently. The efficiency of power generators can be increased by changing its operating conditions like inlet temperature and procedure. Currently, the inlet temperature to the industrial gas turbine is reaching up to 1400°C. Also, in aero engines, the ring temperature reaches around 1550°C. Therefore, the coatings used in aero engine applications undergo short duration thermal cycles at very high temperature. The mean metal temperatures reach around 950°C and can increase up to 1100°C. But in industrial gas turbines, it varies from 800 to 950°C. Operating temperature of industrial gas turbines slowly reaches to maximum and ideally remains constant for thousands of hours, unlike aero engines.

scholarly journals Variable Geometry Fuel Injector for Low Emissions Gas Turbines

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Smith ◽  
R. Steele ◽  
J. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Variable Geometry ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
System Variable ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Stable Operating ◽  
Lean Premixed

To extend the stable operating range of a lean premixed combustion system, variable geometry can be used to adjust the combustor air flow distribution as gas turbine operating conditions vary. This paper describes the design and preliminary testing of a lean premixed fuel injector that provides the variable geometry function. Test results from both rig and engine evaluations using natural gas are presented. The variable geometry injector has proven successful in the short-term testing conducted to date. Longer term field tests are planned to demonstrate durability.

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