Scaling Thermo-Acoustic Characteristics of LP and LPP Swirl Flames

Author(s):  
Michael Russ ◽  
Axel Meyer ◽  
Horst Bu¨chner

One of the main objectives of combustion research in field of gas turbine application during the last decades was and still is the reduction of pollutant emissions. The most promising technology to reduce these pollutants turned out to be Lean Premixed (LP) and Lean Premixed Pre-Vaporized (LPP) combustion. However, serious problems concerning combustion-driven instabilities occurred with the implementation of the LP/LPP-concept. Today, prediction and systematic suppression of self-sustained combustion instabilities is an issue still unsolved, due to incomplete understanding of the physical feedback mechanism and the lack of models for dynamic flame response, i.e. frequency dependent characteristics of LP/LPP swirl flames. In that context, the purpose of the current paper is the establishment of a physical model to describe frequency dependent flame dynamics concerning burning velocity of steady-state premixed flames. Derived from that basic understanding, scaling laws for the prediction of unstable operation conditions will be established in dependence on main operation parameters such as thermal load, mixture temperature, air equivalence ratio and especially of fuel and operating pressure. Therefore, a new swirl-burner has been designed, offering the feasibility to choose the type of fuel, to adjust the swirl number for main and pilot burner and the burner exit geometry steplessly and to vary preheating temperatures, air equivalence ratios and thermal loads in a range of industrial relevance for gas turbine applications. To establish a periodical modulation of the mixture mass flow of the main L(P)P flame at the burner outlet sinusoidally in-time with well-defined frequencies and amplitudes, a pulsating unit was used. Using a mixing/ pre-vaporizing unit to create a time-independent and spatial homogeneous mixture of natural gas/ kerosene vapor and combustion air at the burner outlet, flame transfer functions of LP- and LPP swirl flames depending on main operating parameters were determined. The discussed results then lead to stability map for a given combustion system depending on the main operation parameters based on the knowledge of only one fully-described parameter combination leading to an instable condition. Based on this scaling procedure and confirmed by further experimental work the prediction of stability limits depending especially on the type of fuel, the swirl number and the operating pressure will be possible.

Author(s):  
Martin Lohrmann ◽  
Horst Bu¨chner

The prediction and the systematic suppression of self-sustained combustion instabilities in combustors for gas turbine applications still suffer from incomplete physical understanding of the feedback mechanisms and lack of experimental data of the dynamic flame characteristics of Lean-Premixed swirl flames. Hence, the experimental determination of the flame transfer functions of LP swirl flames was achieved using a mixing unit to generate a time-independent and spatial homogeneous mixture of natural gas and combustion air at the burner exit. The determined LP flame dynamics are strongly affected by the formation and in-phase reaction of coherent vortex structures, well known as drivers of combustion instabilities, that have been visualized with an phase-correlated imaging technique. The results discussed in this paper lead to a basic understanding of the frequency-dependent dynamics of LP swirl flames on periodic disturbances and especially, of the influence of the preheating temperature and the air equivalence ratio on the amplitude responses and phase angle functions. Based on the measurements and theoretical considerations concerning the burning velocity of steady-state premixed flames a physical model and — derived from it — scaling laws for the prediction of unstable operation modes in dependence of main operation parameters of the flame were formulated and validated by measurements.


Author(s):  
Daero Joung ◽  
Kang Y. Huh ◽  
Yunho An

This paper describes simulation of a small stationary gas turbine combustor of a reverse flow, semi-silo type for power generation. The premixed coherent flame model (PCFM) is applied for partially premixed methane/air with an imposed downstream flame area density (FAD) to avoid flashback and incomplete combustion. Physical models are validated against the measurements of outlet temperature, product gas composition, and NO emission at the low operating pressure. Parametric study is performed to investigate the effect of load and pilot/total (P/T) fuel ratio on mixing characteristics and the resulting temperature distribution and pollutant emissions. As the P/T fuel ratio increases, the high temperature region over 1900 K enhances reaction of the mixture from the main nozzle in the primary mixing zone. For low P/T ratios, the pilot stream dilutes the mixture, on the contrary, to suppress reaction with an increasing height of the lifted flame. The NO is associated with the unmixedness as well as the mean temperature level and tends to increase with increasing load and P/T ratio. The high operating pressure does not affect overall velocity and temperature distribution, while it tends to increase NO and liner temperature under the given boundary conditions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Mazaheri ◽  
Alireza Shakeri

Numerical study of pollutant emissions (NO and CO) in a Jet Stirred Reactor (JSR) combustor for methane oxidation under Elevated Pressure Lean Premixed (EPLP) conditions is presented. A Detailed Flow-field Simplified Chemistry (DFSC) method, a low computational cost method, is employed for predicting NO and CO concentrations. Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations with species transport equations are solved. Improved-coefficient five-step global mechanisms derived from a new evolutionary-based approach were taken as combustion kinetics. For modeling turbulent flow field, Reynolds Stress Model (RSM), and for turbulence chemistry interactions, finite rate-Eddy dissipation model are employed. Effects of pressure (3, 6.5 bars) and inlet temperature (408–573 K) over a range of residence time (1.49–3.97 ms) are numerically examined. A good agreement between the numerical and experimental distribution of NO and CO was found. The effect of decreasing the operating pressure on NO generation is much more than the effect of increase in the inlet temperature.


Author(s):  
O. Liedtke ◽  
A. Schulz ◽  
S. Wittig

The present paper describes a new burner for a micro gas turbine utilizing the lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) combustion. The major objective of the new combustor concept is to achieve low pollutant emissions, in particular carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOx). Therefore, a homogeneous air fuel mixture is imperative for a lean combustion. Due to the thermodynamic cycle conditions of the micro gas turbine, the combustion air temperature is too low for an intense evaporation of a liquid fuel droplet spray. The new combustor concept therefore, is based on fuel film evaporation on the hot inner surface of a premix tube. The heat required for fuel film evaporation is transferred from the hot combustion gases, flowing along the outer surface of the tube, through the tube wall. The combustor wall is a multi-layered assembly consisting of a ceramic inner liner, a compliant layer, and the outer metal casing. This design allows almost adiabatic combustion to be established. The design process of the combustor is assisted by comprehensive numerical studies of droplet and fuel film evaporation. The commercial CFD code “CFD-RC” has been utilized to investigate the isothermal flow of the combustor. The vortex flow of the burner, which provides for flame stabilization, is described in detail. First experimental tests have been conducted. Measured pollutant concentrations of the exhaust gases meet international standards and demonstrate the great potential of the new combustor.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 6776-6784
Author(s):  
Truc Huu Nguyen ◽  
Jungkyu Park ◽  
Changhun Sin ◽  
Seungchai Jung ◽  
Shaun Kim

Computation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Shokri Amzin ◽  
Mohd Fairus Mohd Yasin

As emission legislation becomes more stringent, the modelling of turbulent lean premixed combustion is becoming an essential tool for designing efficient and environmentally friendly combustion systems. However, to predict emissions, reliable predictive models are required. Among the promising methods capable of predicting pollutant emissions with a long chemical time scale, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), is conditional moment closure (CMC). However, the practical application of this method to turbulent premixed flames depends on the precision of the conditional scalar dissipation rate,. In this study, an alternative closure for this term is implemented in the RANS-CMC method. The method is validated against the velocity, temperature, and gas composition measurements of lean premixed flames close to blow-off, within the limit of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) capability. Acceptable agreement is achieved between the predicted and measured values near the burner, with an average error of 15%. The model reproduces the flame characteristics; some discrepancies are found within the recirculation region due to significant turbulence intensity.


Author(s):  
Tim Lieuwen ◽  
Vince McDonell ◽  
Eric Petersen ◽  
Domenic Santavicca

This paper addresses the impact of fuel composition on the operability of lean premixed gas turbine combustors. This is an issue of current importance due to variability in the composition of natural gas fuel supplies and interest in the use of syngas fuels. Of particular concern is the effect of fuel composition on combustor blowout, flashback, dynamic stability, and autoignition. This paper reviews available results and current understanding of the effects of fuel composition on the operability of lean premixed combustors. It summarizes the underlying processes that must be considered when evaluating how a given combustor’s operability will be affected as fuel composition is varied.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document