Numerical Assessment of SCAP: A Passive System for Preventing Thermoacoustic Oscillations in Gas Turbine Annular Combustors

Author(s):  
Stefano Tiribuzi

ENEL operates a dozen combined cycle units whose V94.3A gas turbines are equipped with annular combustors. In such lean premixed gas turbines, particular operation conditions could trigger large pressure oscillations due to thermoacoustic instabilities. The ENEL Research unit is studying this phenomenon in order to find out methods which could avoid or mitigate such events. The use of effective numerical analysis techniques allowed us to investigate the realistic time evolution and behaviour of the acoustic fields associated with this phenomenon. KIEN, an in-house low diffusive URANS code capable of simulating 3D reactive flows, has been used in the Very Rough Grid approach. This approach permits the simulation, with a reasonable computational time, of quite long real transients with a computational domain extended over all the resonant volumes involved in the acoustic phenomenon. The V94.3A gas turbine model was set up with a full combustor 3D grid, going from the compressor outlet up to the turbine inlet, including both the annular plenum and the annular combustion chamber. The grid extends over the entire circular angle, including all the 24 premixed burners. Numerical runs were performed with the normal V94.3A combustor configuration, with input parameters set so as no oscillations develop in the standard ambient conditions. Wide pressure oscillations on the contrary are associated with the circumferential acoustic modes of the combustor, which have their onset and grow when winter ambient conditions are assumed. These results also confirmed that the sustaining mechanism is based on the equivalence ratio fluctuation of premix mixture and that plenum plays an important role in such mechanism. Based on these findings, a system for controlling the thermoacoustic oscillation has been conceived (Patent Pending), which acts on the plenum side of the combustor. This system, called SCAP (Segmentation of Combustor Annular Plenum), is based on the subdivision of the plenum annular volume by means of a few meridionally oriented walls. Repetition of KIEN runs with a SCAP configuration, in which a suitable number of segmentation walls were properly arranged in the annular plenum, demonstrated the effectiveness of this solution in preventing the development of wide thermoacoustic oscillations in the combustor.

Author(s):  
Salvatore Matarazzo ◽  
Hannes Laget ◽  
Evert Vanderhaegen ◽  
Jim B. W. Kok

The phenomenon of combustion dynamics (CD) is one of the most important operational challenges facing the gas turbine (GT) industry today. The Limousine project, a Marie Curie Initial Training network funded by the European Commission, focuses on the understanding of the limit cycle behavior of unstable pressure oscillations in gas turbines, and on the resulting mechanical vibrations and materials fatigue. In the framework of this project, a full transient CFD analysis for a Dry Low NOx combustor in a heavy duty gas turbine has been performed. The goal is to gain insight on the thermo-acoustic instability development mechanisms and limit cycle oscillations. The possibility to use numerical codes for complex industrial cases involving fuel staging, fluid-structure interaction, fuel quality variation and flexible operations has been also addressed. The unsteady U-RANS approach used to describe the high-swirled lean partially premixed flame is presented and the results on the flow characteristics as vortex core generation, vortex shedding, flame pulsation are commented on with respect to monitored parameters during operations of the GT units at Electrabel/GDF-SUEZ sites. The time domain pressure oscillations show limit cycle behavior. By means of Fourier analysis, the coupling frequencies caused by the thermo-acoustic feedback between the acoustic resonances of the chamber and the flame heat release has been detected. The possibility to reduce the computational domain to speed up computations, as done in other works in literature, has been investigated.


Author(s):  
M. Huth ◽  
A. Heilos ◽  
G. Gaio ◽  
J. Karg

The Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle concept is an emerging technology that enables an efficient and clean use of coal as well as residuals in power generation. After several years of development and demonstration operation, now the technology has reached the status for commercial operation. SIEMENS is engaged in 3 IGCC plants in Europe which are currently in operation. Each of these plants has specific characteristics leading to a wide range of experiences in development and operation of IGCC gas turbines fired with low to medium LHV syngases. The worlds first IGCC plant of commercial size at Buggenum/Netherlands (Demkolec) has already demonstrated that IGCC is a very efficient power generation technology for a great variety of coals and with a great potential for future commercial market penetration. The end of the demonstration period of the Buggenum IGCC plant and the start of its commercial operation has been dated on January 1, 1998. After optimisations during the demonstration period the gas turbine is running with good performance and high availability and has exceeded 18000 hours of operation on coal gas. The air-side fully integrated Buggenum plant, equipped with a Siemens V94.2 gas turbine, has been the first field test for the Siemens syngas combustion concept, which enables operation with very low NOx emission levels between 120–600 g/MWh NOx corresponding to 6–30 ppm(v) (15%O2) and less than 5 ppm(v) CO at baseload. During early commissioning the syngas nozzle has been recognised as the most important part with strong impact on combustion behaviour. Consequently the burner design has been adjusted to enable quick and easy changes of the important syngas nozzle. This design feature enables fast and efficient optimisations of the combustion performance and the possibility for easy adjustments to different syngases with a large variation in composition and LHV. During several test runs the gas turbine proved the required degree of flexibility and the capability to handle transient operation conditions during emergency cases. The fully air-side integrated IGCC plant at Puertollano/Spain (Elcogas), using the advanced Siemens V94.3 gas turbine (enhanced efficiency), is now running successfully on coal gas. The coal gas composition at this plant is similar to the Buggenum example. The emission performance is comparable to Buggenum with its very low emission levels. Currently the gas turbine is running for the requirements of final optimization runs of the gasifier unit. The third IGCC plant (ISAB) equipped with Siemens gas turbine technology is located at Priolo near Siracusa at Sicilly/Italy. Two Siemens V94.2K (modified compressor) gas turbines are part of this “air side non-integrated” IGCC plant. The feedstock of the gasification process is a refinery residue (asphalt). The LHV is almost twice compared to the Buggenum or Puertollano case. For operation with this gas, the coal gas burner design was adjusted and extensively tested. IGCC operation without air extraction has been made possible by modifying the compressor, giving enhanced surge margins. Commissioning on syngas for the first of the two gas turbines started in mid of August 1999 and was almost finished at the end of August 1999. The second machine followed at the end of October 1999. Since this both machines are released for operation on syngas up to baseload.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 720-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bettocchi ◽  
M. Pinelli ◽  
P. R. Spina ◽  
M. Venturini

In the paper, neuro-fuzzy systems (NFSs) for gas turbine diagnostics are studied and developed. The same procedure used previously for the setup of neural network (NN) models (Bettocchi, R., Pinelli, M., Spina, P. R., and Venturini, M., 2007, ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 129(3), pp. 711–719) was used. In particular, the same database of patterns was used for both training and testing the NFSs. This database was obtained by running a cycle program, calibrated on a 255MW single-shaft gas turbine working in the ENEL combined cycle power plant of La Spezia (Italy). The database contains the variations of the Health Indices (which are the characteristic parameters that are indices of gas turbine health state, such as efficiencies and characteristic flow passage areas of compressor and turbine) and the corresponding variations of the measured quantities with respect to the values in new and clean conditions. The analyses carried out are aimed at the selection of the most appropriate NFS structure for gas turbine diagnostics, in terms of computational time of the NFS training phase, accuracy, and robustness towards measurement uncertainty during simulations. In particular, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) architectures were considered and tested, and their performance was compared to that obtainable by using the NN models. An analysis was also performed in order to identify the most significant ANFIS inputs. The results obtained show that ANFISs are robust with respect to measurement uncertainty, and, in all the cases analyzed, the performance (in terms of accuracy during simulations and time spent for the training phase) proved to be better than that obtainable by multi-input/multioutput (MIMO) and multi-input/single-output (MISO) neural networks trained and tested on the same data.


Author(s):  
R. Bettocchi ◽  
M. Pinelli ◽  
P. R. Spina ◽  
M. Venturini

In the paper, Neuro-Fuzzy Systems (NFSs) for gas turbine diagnostics are studied and developed. The same procedure used previously for the set up of Neural Network (NN) models was used. In particular, the same database of patterns was used for both training and testing the NFSs. This database was obtained by running a Cycle Program, calibrated on a 255 MW single shaft gas turbine working in the ENEL combined cycle power plant of La Spezia (Italy). The database contains the variations of the Health Indices (which are the characteristic parameters that are indices of gas turbine health state, such as efficiencies and characteristic flow passage areas of compressor and turbine) and the corresponding variations of the measured quantities with respect to the values in new and clean conditions. The analyses carried out are aimed at the selection of the most appropriate NFS structure for gas turbine diagnostics, in terms of computational time of the NFS training phase, accuracy and robustness towards measurement uncertainty during simulations. In particular, Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) architectures were considered and tested, and their performance was compared to that obtainable by using the NN models. An analysis was also performed in order to identify the most significant ANFIS inputs. The results obtained show that ANFISs are robust with respect to measurement uncertainty, and, in all the cases analyzed, the performance (in terms of accuracy during simulations and time spent for the training phase) proved to be better than that obtainable by MIMO and MISO Neural Networks trained and tested on the same data.


Author(s):  
D. Little ◽  
H. Nikkels ◽  
P. Smithson

For a medium sized (300 MW) utility producing electricity from a 130 MW combined cycle, and supplemental 15 MW to 77 MW capacity simple cycle gas turbines, the incremental fuel costs accompanying changes in generating capacity vary considerably with unit, health, load level, and ambient. To enable incremental power to be sold to neighbouring utilities on an incremental fuel cost basis, accurate models of all gas turbines and the combined cycle were developed which would allow a realistic calculation of fuel consumption under all operating conditions. The fuel cost prediction program is in two parts; in the first part, gas turbine health is diagnosed from measured parameters; in the second part, fuel consumption is calculated from compressor and turbine health, ambient conditions and power levels. The paper describes the program philosophy, development, and initial operating experience.


Author(s):  
Kristen LeClair ◽  
Thomas Schmitt ◽  
Garth Frederick

Economic and regulatory requirements have transformed today’s power plant operations. High reserve margins and increased fuel costs have driven combined cycle plants that were once dispatched primarily at base-load to be cycled off during off-peak hours. For many plants, the increased cycling has contributed to shorter maintenance intervals and higher overall operating costs. Technology advancements in combustion system design and in gas turbine control systems has led to extensions in the emissions-compliant operating window of gas turbines, also known as turndown. With extended turndown capability, customers are now able to significantly reduce fuel consumption during minimum load operation at off-peak hours, while simultaneously minimizing the number of shutdowns. Extended turndown reduces operational costs by offsetting the fuel consumption costs against the costs associated with starting up and the maintenance costs associated with such starts. Along with the increased emphasis on turndown capability, there has been a rising need to develop and standardize methods by which turndown capability can be accurately measured and reported. By definition, the limiting factor for turndown is the exhaust gas emissions, primarily CO and NOx. A concurrent and accurate measurement of performance and emissions is an essential ingredient to the determination of turndown capability. Of particular challenge is the method by which turndown results that were measured at one set of ambient conditions can be accurately projected to a specific guarantee condition, or to a range of ambient conditions, for which turndown capabilities have been guaranteed. The turndown projection methodology needs to consider combustion physics, control system algorithms, and basic cycle thermodynamics. Recent advances in the integration of empirically tuned physics-based combustion models with control system models and the gas turbine thermodynamic simulation, has resulted in test procedures for use in the contractual demonstration of turndown capability. A discussion of these methods is presented, along with data showing the extent to which the methods have provided accurate and repeatable test results.


Author(s):  
Tarek A. Tawfik ◽  
Thomas P. Smith

Retrofitting existing power generation plants by repowering is becoming an attractive option to improve plant performance with less cost. “Hot Windbox Repowering” involves utilizing the hot exhaust gas from a combustion gas turbine and using it as combustion air for an existing fossil-fuel boiler. “Combined Cycle Repowering” or “Full Repowering” involves completely replacing the existing boiler with a combined cycle consisting of a gas turbine(s) and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The existing steam turbine will be used in both repowering scenarios. This paper discusses an engineering study and summarizes the results obtained from repowering an existing heavy-oil / natural gas fired steam power plant in the north east of the United States. The plant consists of a 600 MW boiler and steam turbine. Several engineering studies were considered and evaluated thermodynamically and economically to retrofit such plant. Several options were considered involving different gas turbines, gas turbine combinations, and different repowering methods. The best option is based on retrofitting the unit by a combination of both, hot windbox repowering and combined cycle repowering. The proposed design consists of one gas turbine repowering the windbox of the existing boiler, and a second gas turbine operating in a separate combined cycle configuration with the generated superheated steam tying into the main steam line and expanding in the existing steam turbine. Several heat balances were developed to assist in obtaining meaningful results for this feasibility study. Actual costs were obtained for the gas turbines and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), as well as installation costs for a more accurate evaluation. The results indicate that the combined output of the repowered unit will generate an additional 295 MW and reduce the heat rate by more than 11 percent at full load and annual average ambient conditions. The estimated capital cost of the project is expected to range from $235 to $245 millions.


Author(s):  
Hsiao-Wei D. Chiang ◽  
Pai-Yi Wang ◽  
Hsin-Lung Li

With increasing demand for power and with shortages envisioned especially during the peak load times during the summer, there is a need to boost gas turbine power. In Taiwan, most of gas turbines operate with combined cycle for base load. Only a small portion of gas turbines operates with simple cycle for peak load. To prevent the electric shortage due to derating of power plants in hot days, the power augmentation strategies for combined cycles need to be studied in advance. As a solution, our objective is to add an overspray inlet fogging system into an existing gas turbine-based combined cycle power plant (CCPP) to study the effects. Simulation runs were made for adding an overspray inlet fogging system to the CCPP under various ambient conditions. The overspray percentage effects on the CCPP thermodynamic performance are also included in this paper. Results demonstrated that the CCPP net power augmentation depends on the percentage of overspray under site average ambient conditions. This paper also included CCPP performance parametric studies in order to propose overspray inlet fogging guidelines for combined cycle power augmentation.


Author(s):  
Gerard Kosman ◽  
Tadeusz Chmielniak ◽  
Wojciech Kosman

This paper presents procedure, which supports planning a strategy of operation, repairs and modernizations. Reliability and effectiveness are assumed to form the criteria for appropriate operation with a special attention to working costs. The procedure involves diagnostic analysis. Information derived from diagnostic may be utilized in many ways. It allows to determine losses, which derive from components wear or improper operation, and track the wear rate of machines components. This in turn allows to assess the losses, which appear in case of extended period between routine repairs. The most important application of the diagnostic results is the determination of the working costs for a CHP plant. It establishes a relation between the working costs of a gas turbine and its future time of operation. In addition it analyses the influence of the parameters independent of the gas turbine user (such as ambient conditions) on the operation and costs. The calculations presented in this paper involve a diagnostic module designed for uncooled and cooled gas turbines. The health state is assessed through a set of performance indices. Thermal measurements are the input data for the module, which may utilize even a small number of available measurements. The working costs create the basis for the procedure, which supports planning the strategy of operation and repairs. The procedure consists of several diagnostic rules. It draws conclusions from given premises. A premise includes a set of data, which involve among others working costs calculated according to health state. A conclusion indicates whether a further operation is possible and under what circumstances. The circumstances specify any required adjustments of the operation conditions or suggest an exchange or repair of some turbine components, which might be damaged.


Author(s):  
Charalampos Andreades ◽  
Raluca O. Scarlat ◽  
Lindsay Dempsey ◽  
Per Peterson

Modern large air Brayton gas turbines have compression ratios ranging from 15 to 40 resulting in compressor outlet temperatures ranging from 350 °C to 580 °C. Fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors, molten salt reactors, and concentrating solar power can deliver heat at temperatures above these outlet temperatures. This article presents an approach to use these low-carbon energy sources with a reheat-air Brayton combined cycle (RACC) power conversion system that would use existing gas turbine technology modified to introduce external air heating and one or more stages of reheat, coupled to a heat recovery steam generator to produce bottoming power or process heat. Injection of fuel downstream of the last reheat stage is shown to enable the flexible production of additional peaking power. This article presents basic configuration options for RACC power conversion, two reference designs based upon existing Alstom and GE gas turbine compressors and performance of the reference designs under nominal ambient conditions. A companion article studies RACC start up, transients, and operation under off-nominal ambient conditions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document