Conical Grid Plate Flame Stabilizers: Stability and Emissions for Liquid Fuels

Author(s):  
A. F. Ali ◽  
G. E. Andrews

Flame Stability and Emission results are presented for a jet shear layer primary zone design consisting of a 90° conical flame stabiliser with a central annular vaporiser fuel injection system feeding an array of air jets. The performance with kerosene and gas oil fuels is compared with previous work with propane. The influence of the primary zone residence time or Mach number is shown to be much more significant for liquid fuels than for propane. An acceptable combustion efficiency was only achieved at a Mach number of 0.03, corresponding to 60% of the combustion air in the primary zone, provided that the pressure loss was maintained as the Mach number was reduced by using a stabiliser of higher blockage. NOx emissions with kerosene were compatible with those for propane, but for gas oil there was a significant increase in NOx.

Author(s):  
H. S. Alkabie ◽  
G. E. Andrews

Curved blade radial swirlers using all the primary air were investigated with applications to lean burning gas turbine combustor primary zones with low NOx emissions. Two modes of fuel injection were compared, central and radial swirler pássage injection for gaseous and liquid fuels. Both fuel systems produced low NOx emissions but the upstream mixing in the swirler passages resulted in ultra low NOx emissions. A 140mm diameter atmospheric pressure combustor was used with 43% of the combustor air flow into the primary zone through the radial swirler. Radial gas composition measurements at various axial distances were made and these showed that the flame stability and NOx emissions were controlled by differences in local mixing at the base of the swirling shear layer downstream of the swirler outlet. For radial passage fuel injection it was found that a very high combustion efficiency was obtained for both propane and liquid fuels at 400K and 600K inlet temperatures. The flame stability, although worse than for central fuel injection was considerably better than for a premixed system. The NOx emissions at one bar pressure and 600K inlet temperature, compatible with a high combustion efficiency, for propane and kerosene were 3 and 6 ppm at 15% oxygen. For Gas Oil the NOx emissions were higher, but were still very low at 12ppm. Assuming a square root dependence of NOx on pressure these results indicate that NOx emissions of 48ppm for Gas Oil and less than 12ppm for gaseous fuels could be achieved at 16 bar pressure, which is typical of recent industrial gas turbines. High air flow radial swirlers with passage fuel injection have the potential for a dry solution to the NOx emissions regulations.


Author(s):  
A. F. Ali ◽  
G. E. Andrews

Emission results are presented for a jet shear layer flame stabiliser design consisting of a 90° conical flame stabiliser with an array of holes and a central annular vaporiser fuel injection system. This design was tested with premixed propane and air and with direct propane injection into the vaporiser at two blockages and approach velocities. The results showed that an array of jet shear layers could be fuelled by a single fuel injector without incurring excessive NOx emissions. An increase in the primary zone residence time was found to result in an improved combustion efficiency, with no increase in NOx, provided that the stabiliser blockage was increased to maintain the pressure loss.


Author(s):  
Abhishek Dubey ◽  
Pooja Nema ◽  
Abhijit Kushari

Abstract This paper describes experimental investigation of a Reverse Flow Slinger (RFS) combustor that has been developed in order to attain high flame stability and low emissions in gas turbine engines. The combustor employs centrifugal fuel injection through a rotary atomizer and performs flame stabilization at the stagnation zone generated by reverse flow configuration. The design facilitates entrainment of hot product gases and internal preheating of the inlet air which enhances flame stability and permits stable lean operation for low NOx. Moreover, the use of rotary atomizer eliminates the need for high injection pressure resulting in a compact and lightweight design. Atmospheric pressure combustion was performed with liquid fuels, Jet A-1 and Methanol at ultra-lean fuel air ratios (FAR) with thermal intensity of 28 - 50 MW/m3atm. Combustor performance was evaluated by analyzing the lean blowout, emissions and combustion efficiency. Test results showed high flame stability of combustor and a very low lean blowout corresponding to global equivalence ratio of around 0.1 was obtained. Sustained and stable combustion at low heat release was attained and NOx emissions as low as of 0.4 g/Kg and 0.1 g/Kg were obtained with Jet A-1 and Methanol respectively. Combustion efficiency of 55% and 90% was obtained in operation with Jet A-1 and Methanol. Performance of the combustor was significantly better with Methanol in terms of emissions and efficiency.


Author(s):  
H. S. Alkabie ◽  
G. E. Andrews ◽  
N. T. Ahmad

Swirling flow primary zones with between 30% and 60% simulated primary zone air flow were investigated using curved blade radial swirlers. Two radial swirlers were compared with the same open area but different outlet diameters, d, giving different expansion ratios, D/d, from the swirler to the combustor diameter, D. Two combustors were used, 76 mm and 140 mm diameter, the larger one corresponding to the size of several gas turbine can combustors. There was no influence of D/d on the weak extinction. It was demonstrated that an adequate efficiency was not achieved in the weak region until there was a significant outer expansion and associated recirculation zone. It was shown that these systems with central gaseous fuel injection had good flame stability with very low NOx emissions. Propane and natural gas were compared and the NOx emissions were 50% lower with natural gas. The optimum NOx emissions, compatible with a high combustion efficiency, were close to 10 ppm NOx emissions corrected to 15% oxygen.


Author(s):  
H. S. Alkabie ◽  
G. E. Andrews

The influence of vane angle and hence swirl number of a radial swirler on the weak extinction, combustion inefficiency and NOx emissions was investigated at lean gas turbine combustor primary zone conditions. A 140mm diameter atmospheric pressure low NOx combustor primary zone was developed with a Mach number simulation of 30% and 43% of the combustor air flow into the primary zone through a curved blade radial swirler. The range of radial swirler vane angles was 0–60 degrees and central radially outward fuel injection was used throughout with a 600K inlet temperature. For zero vane angle radially inward jets were formed that impinged and generated a strong outer recirculation. This was found to have much lower NOx characteristics compared with a 45 degree swirler at the same pressure loss. However, the lean stability and combustion efficiency in the near weak extinction region was not as good. With swirl the central recirculation zone enhanced the combustion efficiency. For all the swirl vane angles there was little difference in combustion inefficiency between the swirlers. However, the NOx emissions were reduced at the lowest swirl angles and vane angles in the range 20–30 degrees were considered to be the optimum for central injection. NOx emissions for central injection as low as 5ppm at 15% oxygen and 1 bar were demonstrated for zero swirl and 20 degree swirler vane angle. This would scale to well under 25 ppm at pressure for all current industrial gas turbines.


Author(s):  
Timothy S. Snyder ◽  
Thomas J. Rosfjord ◽  
John B. McVey ◽  
Aaron S. Hu ◽  
Barry C. Schlein

A dry-low-NOx, high-airflow-capacity fuel injection system for a lean-premixed combustor has been developed for a moderate pressure ratio (20:1) aeroderivative gas turbine engine. Engine requirements for combustor pressure drop, emissions, and operability have been met. Combustion performance was evaluated at high power conditions in a high-pressure, single-nozzle test facility which operates at full baseload conditions. Single digit NOx levels and high combustion efficiency were achieved A wide operability range with no signs of flashback, autoignition, or thermal problems was demonsuated. NOx sensitivities 10 pressure and residence time were found to be small at flame temperatures below 1850 K (2870 F). Above 1850 K some NOx sensitivity to pressure and residence Lime was observed and was associated with the increased role of the thermal NOx production mechanism at elevated flame temperatures.


Author(s):  
A. F. Ali ◽  
G. E. Andrews

The influence of the number and size of the jet shear layers, at a constant total hole area, was investigated in a propane fuelled conical grid plate flame stabiliser. The combustion inefficiency, NOx and flame stability were determined for shear layer designs with 90, 8 and 4 holes. The total shear layer volume increased as the number of holes was reduced and combustion within these larger shear layers was responsible for the superior flame stability and combustion efficiency, but higher NOx emissions. Large shear layers and hence a small number of holes were necessary to achieve an adequate performance at a 400K inlet temperature, but at 600K the 90 hole system had the best combination of low NOx and combustion inefficiency. However, the 8 hole system had a performance close to the 90 hole system at 600K and better than it at 400K and was concluded to be the preferable design.


Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 119511
Author(s):  
Kumari Ambe Verma ◽  
Krishna Murari Pandey ◽  
Mukul Ray ◽  
Kaushal Kumar Sharma

Author(s):  
G. Riccio ◽  
P. Adami ◽  
F. Martelli ◽  
D. Cecchini ◽  
L. Carrai

An aerodynamic study for the premixing device of an industrial turbine gas combustor is discussed. The present work is based on a joint application of numerical CFD and experimental investigation tools in order to verify and optimize the combustor gaseous fuel injection system. The objective is the retrofit of an old generation gas turbine combustion chamber that is carried out considering new targets of NOx emission keeping the same CO and combustion stability performances. CFD has been used to compare different premixing duct configurations for improved mixing features. Experimental test has been carried out in order to assess the pollutant emissions, flame stability and pattern factor characteristics of the full combustion chamber retrofitted with the modified injection system.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document