A Study on the Flowfield of an Innovative Z-Flowpath Gas Turbine Combustor

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zongming Yu ◽  
Yong Huang ◽  
Fang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Path ◽  
Main Flow ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Primary Zone ◽  
Commercial Code ◽  
The Stability

Reverse flow combustors were widely used in small and micro gas turbine engines. The wall area of this type of combustors was quite large. And there were two flow turning points in their flow-path. Thus the wall cooling and main flow dilution were two intrinsic problems for them. Apart from that, their high pressure losses and heavy weight were also two problems which seriously deteriorate the performance of the engines. Moreover, their primary hole jets on opposite walls were non-symmetrical, which would affect the stability and intensity of the recirculation flows. In order to improve the combustion performance, a new conceptual Z-flowpath combustor was proposed. The new combustor consisted of two 45 degree yawing instead of returning in the main flow-path. The flowfield of the new combustor was predicted by the commercial code FLUENT, after a validation for the flowfield in a model reverse flow combustor with previous experimental results. The prediction showed that the flowfield of the primary zone in the Z-flowpath combustor was highly symmetrical, the size and the intensity of the recirculation zone were about 10 and 2 times greater than the normal reverse flow combustor, respectively, while the pressure loss and the total area of the flame tube wall of the Z-flowpath combustor were decreased dramatically to be 69.4% and 51% of that in the reverse flow combustor, respectively.

scholarly journals Cold Flow Computations for the Diffuser-Combustor Section of an Industrial Gas Turbine

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dadong Zhou ◽  
Ting Wang ◽  
William R. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Structured Grid ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Enhance Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbine

In the first part of a multipart project to analyze and optimize the complex three-dimensional diffuser-combustor section of a highly advanced industrial gas turbine under development, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysts has been conducted. The commercial FEA code I-DEAS was used to complete the three-dimensional solid modeling and the structured grid generation. The flow calculation was conducted using the commercial CFD code PHOENICS. The multiblock method was employed to enhance computational capabilities. The mechanisms of the total pressure losses and possible ways to enhance efficiency by reducing the total pressure losses were examined. Mechanisms that contribute to the nonuniform velocity distribution of flow entering the combustor were also identified. The CFD results were informative and provided insight to the complex flow patterns in the reverse flow dump diffuser, however, the results are qualitative and are useful primarily as guidelines for optimization as opposed to firm design configuration selections.

Analysis of Indirectly Fired Gas Turbine for Wet Biomass Fuels Based on Commercial Micro Gas Turbine Data

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Elmegaard ◽  
Bjo̸rn Qvale
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Process Integration ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Typical Data ◽  
Wet Biomass ◽  
Simple Change

The results of a study of a novel gas turbine configuration is being presented. In this power plant, an Indirectly Fired Gas Turbine (IFGT), is being fueled with very wet biomass. The exhaust gas is being used to dry the biomass, but instead of striving to recover as much as possible of the thermal energy, which has been the practice up to now, the low temperature exhaust gases after having served as drying agent, are lead out into the environment; a simple change of process integration that has a profound effect on the performance. Four different cycles have been studied. These are the Simple IFGT fueled by dry biomass assuming negligible pressure loss in the heat exchanger and the combustion chamber, the IFGT fueled with wet biomass (Wet IFGT) assuming no pressure losses, and finally both the Simple and the Wet IFGT incorporating typical data for pressure losses of commercially available micro turbines. The study shows that the novel configuration, in which an IFGT and a drying unit have been combined, has considerable merit, in that its performance exceeds that of the currently available methods converting wet biomass to electric power by a factor of five. The configuration also has clear advantages with respect to corrosion and to the environmental friendliness and the quantity of the waste products and their usefulness.

Numerical Investigation of Endwall Boundary Layer Removal on Highly-Loaded Axial Compressor Blade Rows

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Gu¨mmer ◽  
M. Goller ◽  
M. Swoboda
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Flow Path ◽  
Compressor Blade ◽  
Main Flow ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Layer Removal ◽  
Highly Loaded

This paper presents results of numerical investigations carried out to explore the benefit of endwall boundary layer removal from critical regions of highly-loaded axial compressor blade rows. At the loading level of modern aero-engine compressors the performance is primarily determined by three-dimensional flow phenomena occuring in the endwall regions. 3DNS simulations were conducted on both a rotor and a stator test case in order to evaluate basic effects and the practical value of bleeding air from specific locations at the casing endwall. The results of the numerical survey demonstrated substantial benefits of relatively small bleed rates to the local flow field and to the performance of the two blade rows. On the rotor, boundary layer fluid was removed from the main flow path through an axisymmetric slot in the casing over the rotor tip. This proved to give some control over the tip leakage vortex flow and the associated loss generation. On the stator, boundary layer fluid was taken from the flow path through a single bleed hole within the passage. Two alternative off-take configurations were evaluated, revealing a large impact of the bleed hole shape and location on the cross-passage flow and the suction side corner separation. On both blade rows investigated, rotor and stator, boundary layer removal resulted in a reduction of local reverse flow, blockage and losses in the respective near-casing region. This paper gives insight into changes occuring in the 3D passage flow field near the casing and summarises the effects on the radial matching and pitchwise-averaged performance parameters, namely loss and deviation of the rotor and stator when suction is active. Primary focus is put on the aerodynamics in the blade rows in the main flow path; details of the internal flow structure within the bleed off-take cavities/ports are not discussed here.

Effects of Air Induct Structure to Flow Uniformity and Resistance for Primary Surface Recuperator of a Micro Gas Turbine

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Qu ◽  
Shan Gao
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Flow Uniformity ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine

Primary surface recuperator is important for micro gas turbines, the flow distribution and pressure loss are sensitive to the induct structure design significantly. The air induct structure for one recuperator is modelled and simulated. Several flow fields and pressure losses are obtained for different designs of air induct structure. The air induct structure can affect the flow uniformity, further influence the pressure loss a lot. For several changes of air induct structure, the non-distribution of air flow can be decreased from 67% to 13%, and the pressure loss can be decreased to 50% of the original. Considering the recuperator design and the gas turbine, one optimized structure is recommended, which has less local pressure loss and better flow distribution.

Prediction of lean blowout performance on variation of combustor inlet area ratio for micro gas turbine combustor

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirubakaran V. ◽  
Naren Shankar R.
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Area Ratio ◽  
Gas Temperature ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Primary Zone

Purpose This paper aims to predict the effect of combustor inlet area ratio (CIAR) on the lean blowout limit (LBO) of a swirl stabilized can-type micro gas turbine combustor having a thermal capacity of 3 kW. Design/methodology/approach The blowout limits of the combustor were predicted predominantly from numerical simulations by using the average exit gas temperature (AEGT) method. In this method, the blowout limit is determined from characteristics of the average exit gas temperature of the combustion products for varying equivalence. The CIAR value considered in this study ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 and combustor inlet velocities range from 1.70 to 6.80 m/s. Findings The LBO equivalence ratio decreases gradually with an increase in inlet velocity. On the other hand, the LBO equivalence ratio decreases significantly especially at low inlet velocities with a decrease in CIAR. These results were backed by experimental results for a case of CIAR equal to 0.2. Practical implications Gas turbine combustors are vulnerable to operate on lean equivalence ratios at cruise flight to avoid high thermal stresses. A flame blowout is the main issue faced in lean operations. Based on literature and studies, the combustor lean blowout performance significantly depends on the primary zone mass flow rate. By incorporating variable area snout in the combustor will alter the primary zone mass flow rates by which the combustor will experience extended lean blowout limit characteristics. Originality/value This is a first effort to predict the lean blowout performance on the variation of combustor inlet area ratio on gas turbine combustor. This would help to extend the flame stability region for the gas turbine combustor.

The Design and Model Simulation of a Micro Gas Turbine Combustor Supplied With Methane/Syngas Fuels

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-Rong Liu ◽  
Hsin-Yi Shih
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Primary Zone ◽  
Exit Temperature ◽  
Laminar Flamelet

The design and model simulation of a can combustor has been made for future syngas (mainly H2/CO mixtures) combustion application in a micro gas turbine. In previous modeling studies with methane as the fuel, the analysis indicated the design of the combustor is quite satisfactory for the 60-kW gas turbine; however, the cooling may be the primary concerns as several hot spots were found at the combustor exit. When the combustor is fueled with methane/syngas mixtures, the flames would be pushed to the sides of the combustor with the same fuel injection strategy. In order to sustain the power load, the exit temperature became too high for the turbine blades, which deteriorated the cooling issue of the compact combustor. Therefore, the designs of the fuel injection are modified, and film cooling is employed. Consequently, the simulation of the modified combustor is conducted by the commercial CFD software Fluent. The computational model consists of the three-dimensional, compressible k-ε model for turbulent flows and PPDF (Presumed Probability Density Function) model for combustion process between methane/syngas and air invoking a laminar flamelet assumption. The flamelet is generated by detailed chemical kinetics from GRI 3.0. Thermal and prompt NOx mechanisms are adopted to predict the NO formation. At the designed operation conditions, the modeling results show that the high temperature flames are stabilized in the center of the primary zone where a recirculation zone is generated for methane combustion. The average exit temperature of the modified can combustor is 1293 K, which is close to the target temperature of 1200 K. Besides, the exit temperatures exhibit a more uniform distribution by coupling film cooling, resulting in a low pattern factor of 0.22. The NO emission is also low with the increased number of the dilution holes. Comparing to the results for the previous combustor, where the chemical equilibrium was assumed for the combustion process, the flame temperatures are predicted lower with laminar flamelet model. The combination of laminar flamelet and detailed chemistry produced more reasonable simulation results. When methane/syngas fuels are applied, the high temperature flames could also be stabilized in the core region of the primary zone by radially injecting the fuel inward instead of outward through the multiple fuel injectors. The cooling issues are also resolved through altering the air holes and the film cooling. The combustion characteristics were then investigated and discussed for future application of methane/syngas fuels in the micro gas turbine. Although further experimental testing is still needed to employ the syngas fuels for the micro gas turbine, the model simulation paves an important step to understand the combustion performance and the satisfactory design of the combustor.

An Integrated Design Approach for Micro Gas Turbine Combustors: Preliminary 0-D and Simplified CFD Based Optimization

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Fuligno ◽  
Diego Micheli ◽  
Carlo Poloni
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustors ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Primary Zone ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Integrated Design Process ◽  
Cfd Analyses

The present work presents a novel approach for the optimised design of small gas turbine combustors, that integrates a 0-D code. CFD analyses and an advanced game theory multi-objective optimization algorithm. The output of the 0-D code is a baseline design of the combustor, given the required fuel characteristics, the basic geometry (tubular or annular) and the combustion concept (i.e. lean premixed primary zone or diffusive processes). For the optimization of the baseline design a parametric CAD/mesher model is then defined and submitted to a CFD code. Free parameters of the optimization process are position and size of the liner holes arrays, their total area and the shape of the exit duct, while different objectives are the minimisation of NOx emissions, pressure losses and combustor exit Pattern Factor. As a first demonstrative example, the integrated design process was applied to a tubular combustion chamber with a lean premixed primary zone for a recuperative methane-fuelled small gas turbine of the 100 kW class.

Experimental Investigations of Pressure Losses on the Performance of a Micro Gas Turbine System

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Zanger ◽  
Axel Widenhorn ◽  
Manfred Aigner
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Additional Pressure ◽  
Surge Margin ◽  
Compressor Surge

Pressure losses between compressor outlet and turbine inlet are a major issue of overall efficiency and system stability for a SOFC/MGT hybrid power plant system. The goal of this work is the detailed analysis of the effects of additional pressure losses on MGT performance in terms of steady-state and transient conditions. The experiments were performed at the micro gas turbine test rig at the German Aerospace Centre in Stuttgart using a butterfly control valve to apply additional pressure loss. The paper reports electric power and pressure characteristics at steady-state conditions, as well as, a new surge limit, which was found for the Turbec T100 micro gas turbine. Furthermore, the effects of additional pressure loss on compressor surge margin are quantified and a linear relation between relative surge margin and additional pressure loss is shown. For transient variation of pressure loss at constant turbine speed time delays are presented and a compensation issue of the commercial gas turbine controller is discussed. Finally, bleed-air blow-off and reduction of turbine outlet temperature are introduced as methods of increasing surge margin. It is quantified that both methods have a substantial effect on compressor surge margin. Furthermore, a comparison between both methods is given in terms of electric power output.

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