Combustion Instabilities in Industrial Gas Turbines — Measurements on Operating Plant and Thermoacoustic Modelling

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Hobson ◽  
John E. Fackrell ◽  
G. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Time Delay ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Resonant Mode ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Strong Function ◽  
Fuel Supply ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Observed Behaviour ◽  
Stability Limits

Measurements of vibration and combustion chamber dynamic pressures have been taken on a number of 150MW industrial gas turbines operating on pre-mixed natural gas, both during long periods of base-load operation and during short duration load-swings. The data has been analysed in terms of the frequency and bandwidth of the principle peak in the vibration and pressure spectra as a function of load and other operating parameters. It is observed that bandwidth, which is a measure of the damping of the resonant mode of the combustion chamber’s acoustic resonance, decreases towards zero as the machines approach their combustion stability limits. A theoretical model of the thermoacoustic behaviour of the combustion system has been developed to see to what extent the observed behaviour on the operational machines can be explained in terms of an acoustic model of the ductwork and a flame characterised simply by a time-delay. This time delay is obtained from the frequency response function of the flame in response to unsteady perturbations in inlet velocity and is calculated using computational fluid dynamics. The model has also been used to illustrate the importance of fuel supply system design in controlling combustion stability. It is shown that stability can be a strong function of the acoustic impedance of the fuel supply and that this can lead to enhanced or reduced stability depending on the flame characteristics.

Combustion Instabilities in Industrial Gas Turbines—Measurements on Operating Plant and Thermoacoustic Modeling

2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Hobson ◽  
John E. Fackrell ◽  
Gary Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Time Delay ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Resonant Mode ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Strong Function ◽  
Fuel Supply ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Stability Limits

Measurements of vibration and combustion chamber dynamic pressures have been taken on a number of 150 MW industrial gas turbines operating on pre-mixed natural gas, both during long periods of base-load operation and during short duration load-swings. The data has been analyzed in terms of the frequency and bandwidth of the principle peak in the vibration and pressure spectra as a function of load and other operating parameters. It is observed that bandwidth, which is a measure of the damping of the resonant mode of the combustion chamber’s acoustic resonance, decreases towards zero as the machines approach their combustion stability limits. A theoretical model of the thermoacoustic behavior of the combustion system has been developed to see to what extent the observed behavior on the operational machines can be explained in terms of an acoustic model of the ductwork and a flame characterized simply by a time-delay. This time delay is obtained from the frequency response function of the flame in response to unsteady perturbations in inlet velocity and is calculated using computational fluid dynamics. The model has also been used to illustrate the importance of fuel supply system design in controlling combustion stability. It is shown that stability can be a strong function of the acoustic impedance of the fuel supply and that this can lead to enhanced or reduced stability depending on the flame characteristics. [S0742-4795(00)01403-4]

scholarly journals Effects of Ambient Conditions and Fuel Composition on Combustion Stability

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Janus ◽  
George A. Richards ◽  
M. Joseph Yip ◽  
Edward H. Robey
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Fuel Composition ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Reaction Region ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Thermal Nox ◽  
Combustion Oscillation

Recent regulations on NOx emissions are promoting the use of lean premix (LPM) combustion for industrial gas turbines. LPM combustors avoid locally stoichiometric combustion by premixing fuel and air upstream of the reaction region, thereby eliminating the high temperatures that produce thermal NOx. Unfortunately, this style of combustor is prone to combustion oscillation. Significant pressure fluctuations can occur when variations in heat release periodically couple to acoustic modes in the combustion chamber. These oscillations must be controlled because resulting vibration can shorten the life of engine hardware. Laboratory and engine field testing have shown that instability regimes can vary with environmental conditions. These observations prompted this study of the effects of ambient conditions and fuel composition on combustion stability. Tests are conducted on a subscale combustor burning natural gas, propane, and some hydrogen/hydrocarbon mixtures. A premix, swirl-stabilized fuel nozzle typical of industrial gas turbines is used. Experimental and numerical results describe how stability regions may shift as inlet air temperature, humidity, and fuel composition are altered. Results appear to indicate that shifting instability regimes are primarily caused by changes in reaction rate.

An Experimental Study of Effects of Confinement Ratio on Swirl Stabilized Flame Macrostructures

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiheng Tong ◽  
Mao Li ◽  
Marcus Thern ◽  
Jens Klingmann
Keyword(s):  
Flame Front ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Image Reconstruction Method ◽  
Root Position ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines

Swirl stabilized premixed flames are common in industrial gas turbines. The flame shape in the combustor is highly related to the combustion stability and the performance of the gas turbine. In the current paper, the effects of confinement on the time averaged flame structures or flame macrostructures are studied experimentally. Experiments are carried out with swirl number S = 0.66 in two cylindrical confinements with diameters of d1 = 39 mm and d2 = 64 mm and confinement ratio c1 = 0.148 and c2 = 0.0567. All the experiments were carried out in atmospheric. CH∗ chemiluminescence from the flame was recorded to visualize the flame behavior. An inverse Abel image reconstruction method was employed to better distinguish the flame macrostructures. Different mechanisms forming the time averaged M shape flames are proposed and analyzed. It is found that the confinement wall plays an important role in determining the flame macrostructures. The flow structures including the inner and outer recirculation zones formed in the confinement are revealed to be the main reasons that affects different flame macrostructures. Meanwhile, the alternation of flame shapes determines the flame stability characteristics. A smaller confinement diameter forced the flame front to bend upstream into the outer recirculation zone hence forming a M shape flame. A strong noise caused by the interaction of the flame front in the outer recirculation zone with the combustor wall was observed. Another unsteady behavior of the flame in the bigger combustor, which was caused by the alternation of the flame root position inside and outside the premixing tube, is also presented. The V shape flame in the two combustors radiated weaker chemiluminescence but the main heat release zone was elongated than the M shape flame. Other operating conditions, i.e. total mass flow rate of the air flow and the equivalence ratio also affect the flame macrostructures. The flame blowout limits were also altered under different test conditions. The bigger confinement has better performance in stabilizing the flame by having lower lean blowout limits.

Impact of Fuel Supply Impedance on Combustion Stability of Gas Turbines

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Huber ◽  
Wolfgang Polifke
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Reacting Flow ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Combustion Dynamics ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instabilities ◽  
Fuel Supply

In the development of gas turbines the prevention of thermoacoustic instabilities plays an important role. The present study analyzes the influence of the acoustic impedance of the fuel supply system on combustion stability in a generic configuration representative of practical lean-premix combustors. Transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) of turbulent reacting flow and system identification (SI) are combined to obtain a description of the combustion dynamics in terms of two flame transfer functions, which describe the response of heat release rate to fluctuations of velocity and equivalence ratio, respectively. In this way, the mixing and transport of the fuel from the injector to the flame, the kinematic response of the flame to upstream flow fluctuations, and combined effects like the perturbation of flame speed and position due to equivalence ratio perturbations are all captured. The flame transfer functions obtained are combined with a network model for the system acoustics in such a way that results from a single CFD simulation can be used to investigate a wide variety of combustor and fuel supply configurations in a quantitative and very efficient manner. It is demonstrated that a change of the fuel supply impedance can significantly influence the amplitude of equivalence ratio fluctuations as well as the relative phase of the two transfer functions, and thereby provide a means for control of combustion instabilities.

scholarly journals Characterization of Oscillations During Premix Gas Turbine Combustion

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Richards ◽  
Michael C. Janus
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Reference Velocity ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Fuel Nozzle

The use of premix combustion in stationary gas turbines can produce very low levels of NOx emissions. This benefit is widely recognized, but turbine developers routinely encounter problems with combustion oscillations during the testing of new pre mix combustors. Because of the associated pressure fluctuations, combustion oscillations must be eliminated in a final combustor design. Eliminating these oscillations is often time-consuming and costly because there is no single approach to solve an oscillation problem. Previous investigations of combustion stability have focused on rocket applications, industrial furnaces, and some aeroengine gas turbines. Comparatively little published data is available for premised combustion at conditions typical of an industrial gas turbine. In this paper, we report experimental observations of oscillations produced by a fuel nozzle typical of industrial gas turbines. Tests are conducted in a specially designed combustor, capable of providing the acoustic feedback needed to study oscillations. Tests results are presented for pressures up to 10 atmospheres, and with inlet air temperatures to 588 K (600 F) burning natural gas fuel. Based on theoretical considerations, it is expected that oscillations can be characterized by a nozzle reference velocity, with operating pressure playing a smaller role. This expectation is compared to observed data, showing both the benefits and limitations of characterizing the combustor oscillating behavior in terms of a reference velocity rather than other engine operating parameters. This approach to characterizing oscillations is then used to evaluate how geometric changes to the fuel nozzle will affect the boundary between stable and oscillating combustion.

Characterization of Oscillations During Premix Gas Turbine Combustion

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Richards ◽  
M. C. Janus
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Combustion Stability ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Reference Velocity ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Fuel Nozzle

The use of premix combustion in stationary gas turbines can produce very low levels of Nox emissions. This benefit is widely recognized, but turbine developers routinely encounter problems with combustion oscillations during the testing of new premix combustors. Because of the associated pressure fluctuations, combustion oscillations must be eliminated in a final combustor design. Eliminating these oscillations is often time-consuming and costly because there is no single approach to solve an oscillation problem. Previous investigations of combustion stability have focused on rocket applications, industrial furnaces, and some aeroengine gas turbines. Comparatively little published data is available for premixed combustion at conditions typical of an industrial gas turbine. In this paper, we report experimental observations of oscillations produced by a fuel nozzle typical of industrial gas turbines. Tests are conducted in a specially designed combustor capable of providing the acoustic feedback needed to study oscillations. Tests results are presented for pressure up to 10 atmospheres, with inlet air temperatures up to 588 K (600 F) burning natural gas fuel. Based on theoretical considerations, it is expected that oscillations can be characterized by a nozzle reference velocity, with operating pressure playing a smaller role. This expectation is compared to observed data that shows both the benefits and limitations of characterizing the combustor oscillating behavior in terms of a reference velocity rather than other engine operating parameters. This approach to characterizing oscillations is then used to evaluate how geometric changes to the fuel nozzle will affect the boundary between stable and oscillating combustion.

Fuel System Suitability Considerations for Industrial Gas Turbines

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G. Elliott ◽  
R. Kurz ◽  
C. Etheridge ◽  
J. P. O’Connell
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Equations Of State ◽  
Dew Point ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Fuel System ◽  
Fuel Gas ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines

Industrial Gas Turbines allow operation with a wide variety of gaseous and liquid fuels. To determine the suitability for operation with a gas fuel system, various physical parameters of the proposed fuel need to be determined: heating value, dew point, Joule-Thompson coefficient, Wobbe Index, and others. This paper describes an approach to provide a consistent treatment for determining the above physical properties. Special focus is given to the problem of determining the dew point of the potential fuel gas at various pressure levels. A dew point calculation using appropriate equations of state is described, and results are presented. In particular the treatment of heavier hydrocarbons, and water is addressed and recommendations about the necessary data input are made. Since any fuel gas system causes pressure drops in the fuel gas, the temperature reduction due to the Joule-Thompson effect has to be considered and quantified. Suggestions about how to approach fuel suitability questions during the project development and construction phase, as well as in operation are made.

Deformation and Fracture Behaviors in the Freestanding APS-TBC - Effects of Process Parameters and Thermal Exposure

2007 ◽  
Vol 353-358 ◽  
pp. 1935-1938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Yamazaki ◽  
T. Kinebuchi ◽  
H. Fukanuma ◽  
N. Ohno ◽  
K. Kaise
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Process Parameters ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Thermal Exposure ◽  
Substrate Material ◽  
Process Variables ◽  
Microstructural Investigation ◽  
Deformation And Fracture ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Tbc Systems

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), that reduce the temperature in the underlying substrate material, are an essential requirement for the hot section components of industrial gas turbines. Recently, in order to take full advantage of the potential of the TBC systems, experimental and analytical investigations in TBC systems have been performed. However there is a little information on the deformation behavior of the top coating. In addition, the effects of the thermal exposure and the process parameters on the mechanical properties of the top coating have never been clarified. From these backgrounds, the effects of the process variables in APS and the thermal exposure on the mechanical properties were investigated in order to optimize the APS process of top coatings. The experimental results indicated that the mechanical properties of the APS-TBC, i.e. the tensile strength and the elastic modulus, were significantly changed by the process variables and the long term thermal exposure. The microstructural investigation was also carried out and the relationship between the mechanical properties and the porosity was discussed.

Steady State Detection in Industrial Gas Turbines for Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics Applications

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Celis ◽  
Érica Xavier ◽  
Tairo Teixeira ◽  
Gustavo R. S. Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Condition Monitoring ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Signal Analysis ◽  
Operating Regime ◽  
State Detection ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
Monitoring And Diagnostics ◽  
Operating Regimes

This work describes the development and implementation of a signal analysis module which allows the reliable detection of operating regimes in industrial gas turbines. Its use is intended for steady state-based condition monitoring and diagnostics systems. This type of systems requires the determination of the operating regime of the equipment, in this particular case, of the industrial gas turbine. After a brief introduction the context in which the signal analysis module is developed is highlighted. Next the state of the art of the different methodologies used for steady state detection in equipment is summarized. A detailed description of the signal analysis module developed, including its different sub systems and the main hypotheses considered during its development, is shown to follow. Finally the main results obtained through the use of the module developed are presented and discussed. The results obtained emphasize the adequacy of this type of procedures for the determination of operating regimes in industrial gas turbines.

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