Absolute and Convective Instability in Gas Turbine Fuel Injectors

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Hydrodynamic Instabilities ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Predictive Tool ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Acoustic Modes ◽  
Single Stream ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Global Modes

Hydrodynamic instabilities in gas turbine fuel injectors help to mix the fuel and air but can sometimes lock into acoustic oscillations and contribute to thermoacoustic instability. This paper describes a linear stability analysis that predicts the frequencies and strengths of hydrodynamic instabilities and identifies the regions of the flow that cause them. It distinguishes between convective instabilities, which grow in time but are convected away by the flow, and absolute instabilities, which grow in time without being convected away. Convectively unstable flows amplify external perturbations, while absolutely unstable flows also oscillate at intrinsic frequencies. As an input, this analysis requires velocity and density fields, either from a steady but unstable solution to the Navier–Stokes equations, or from time-averaged numerical simulations. In the former case, the analysis is a predictive tool. In the latter case, it is a diagnostic tool. This technique is applied to three flows: a swirling wake at Re = 400, a single stream swirling fuel injector at Re ∼ 106, and a lean premixed gas turbine injector with five swirling streams at Re ∼ 106. Its application to the swirling wake demonstrates that this technique can correctly predict the frequency, growth rate and dominant wavemaker region of the flow. It also shows that the zone of absolute instability found from the spatio-temporal analysis is a good approximation to the wavemaker region, which is found by overlapping the direct and adjoint global modes. This approximation is used in the other two flows because it is difficult to calculate their adjoint global modes. Its application to the single stream fuel injector demonstrates that it can identify the regions of the flow that are responsible for generating the hydrodynamic oscillations seen in LES and experimental data. The frequencies predicted by this technique are within a few percent of the measured frequencies. The technique also explains why these oscillations become weaker when a central jet is injected along the centreline. This is because the absolutely unstable region that causes the oscillations becomes convectively unstable. Its application to the lean premixed gas turbine injector reveals that several regions of the flow are hydrodynamically unstable, each with a different frequency and a different strength. For example, it reveals that the central region of confined swirling flow is strongly absolutely unstable and sets up a precessing vortex core, which is likely to aid mixing throughout the injector. It also reveals that the region between the second and third streams is slightly absolutely unstable at a frequency that is likely to coincide with acoustic modes within the combustion chamber. This technique, coupled with knowledge of the acoustic modes in a combustion chamber, is likely to be a useful design tool for the passive control of mixing and combustion instability.

The Civic: A Concept in Vortex Induced Combustion for the Solar Gemini 10 kW Gas Turbine

1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Shekleton
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Diffusion Flames ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Flame Stabilization ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Combustion Chambers ◽  
Turbine Generator ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Swirl Flame ◽  
Combustion Processes

The Radial Engine Division of Solar Turbines International, an Operating Group of International Harvester, under contract to the U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research & Development Command, developed and qualified a 10 kW gas turbine generator set. The very small size of the gas turbine created problems and, in the combustor, novel solutions were necessary. Differing types of fuel injectors, combustion chambers, and flame stabilizing methods were investigated. The arrangement chosen had a rotating cup fuel injector, in a can combustor, with conventional swirl flame stabilization but was devoid of the usual jet stirred recirculation. The use of centrifugal force to control combustion conferred substantial benefit (Rayleigh Instability Criteria). Three types of combustion processes were identified: stratified and unstratified charge (diffusion flames) and pre-mix. Emphasis is placed on five nondimensional groups (Richardson, Bagnold, Damko¨hler, Mach, and Reynolds numbers) for the better control of these combustion processes.

Development of a Liquid-Fueled, Lean-Premixed Gas Turbine Combustor

1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. H. Cowell ◽  
K. O. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Performance Testing ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Operating Parameters ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Annular Combustor ◽  
Injector Design

Development of a lean-premixed, liquid-fueled combustor is in progress to achieve ultra-low NOx emissions at typical gas turbine operating conditions. A filming fuel injector design was tested on a bench scale can combustor to evaluate critical design and operating parameters for low-emissions performance. Testing was completed using No. 2 diesel. Key design variables tested include premixing length, swirler angle, injector centerbody diameter, and reduced liner cooling. NOx emissions below 12 ppmv at 9 bar pressure were measured. Corresponding CO levels were 50 ppmv. An optimized injector design was fabricated for testing in a three injector sector of an annular combustor. Operating parameters and test results are discussed in the paper.

Predicting Flashback Limits of a Gas Turbine Model Combustor Based on Velocity and Fuel Concentration for H2-Air-Mixtures

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Utschick ◽  
Daniel Eiringhaus ◽  
Christian Köhler ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Turbulent Flame ◽  
Flame Speed ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Fuel Concentration ◽  
Turbine Model

This study investigates the influence of the fuel injection strategy on safety against flashback in a gas turbine model combustor with premixing of H2-air-mixtures. The flashback propensity is quantified and the flashback mechanism is identified experimentally. The A2EV swirler concept exhibits a hollow, thick walled conical structure with four tangential slots. Four fuel injector geometries were tested. One of them injects the fuel orthogonal to the air flow in the slots (jet-in-crossflow-injector, JICI). Three injector types introduce the fuel almost isokinetic to the air flow at the trailing edge of the swirler slots (trailing edge injector, TEI). Velocity and mixing fields in mixing zone and combustion chamber in isothermal water flow were measured with High-speed-Particle-Image-Velocimetry (PIV) and Highspeed-Laser-Induced-Fluorescence (LIF). The flashback limit was determined under atmospheric pressure for three air mass flows and 673 K preheat temperature for H2-air-mixtures. Flashback mechanism and trajectory of the flame tip during flashback were identified with two stereoscopically oriented intensified high-speed cameras observing the OH* radiation. We notice flashback in the core flow due to Combustion Induced Vortex Breakdown (CIVB) and Turbulent upstream Flame Propagation (TFP) near the wall dependent on the injector type. The Flashback Resistance (FBR) defined as the ratio between a characteristic flow speed and a characteristic flame speed measures the direction of propagation of a turbulent flame in the flow field. Although CIVB cannot be predicted solely based on the FBR, its distribution gives evidence for CIVB-prone states. The fuel should be injected preferably isokinetic to the air flow along the entire trailing edge in oder to reduce the RMS fluctuation of velocity and fuel concentration. The characteristic velocity in the entire cross section of the combustion chamber inlet should be at least twice the characteristic flame speed. The position of the stagnation point should be tuned to be located in the combustion chamber by adjusting the axial momentum. Those measures lead to safe operation with highly reactive fuels at high equivalence ratios.

Experimental and Analytical Study of the Acoustic Properties of a Gas Turbine Model Combustor With a Choked Nozzle

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Mazur ◽  
Wenjie Tao ◽  
Philippe Scouflaire ◽  
Franck Richecoeur ◽  
Sébastien Ducruix
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Combustion Noise ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Chamber Pressure ◽  
Flame Surface ◽  
Experimental Database ◽  
Acoustic Modes ◽  
Cavity System

Combustion is now considered as a non-negligible contributor to gas turbine noise. Combustion noise can be divided into two types: direct combustion noise directly caused by flame surface fluctuations and indirect combustion noise caused by non-homogeneities in the burnt gases, which radiate sound when interacting with the first turbine stages. The aim of the present project is to obtain an extensive experimental database as well as a better understanding of the physical phenomena inside a pressurized combustion chamber with a choked exhaust nozzle. To do so, a pressurized model scale combustor has been developed, containing a tangential admission injector creating a swirling premixed flow. Satisfactory premixing is obtained in the injection device by a porous media. The combustion chamber shows large optical accesses and various ports for pressure and temperature sensors. On the upstream side, an impedance control device is installed while, downstream, the exhaust nozzle can be easily varied to study its influence on noise generation. A mean chamber pressure higher than 2 bar can be reached for the targeted operating points. The present analysis of the flame behaviour is a first step towards the study of combustion noise. The flame dynamics are characterized by spectral analysis of the dynamic pressure in the combustion chamber. The aim of this work is to determine the dominating acoustic modes during combustion operation. With the help of analytical calculations, the test bench is first modelled as a two cavity system, and later as a five cavity system, taking into account the feeding lines. The nozzle can be assumed as choked due to the pressurization of the chamber. With this method, the majority of the acoustic modes can be identified and explained. The study shows that these modes are linked to the geometry of the whole combustor including the injection tube, the combustion chamber and the feeding lines.

Low-Order Modelling of the Response of Ducted Flames in Annular Geometries

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen S. Graham ◽  
Ann P. Dowling
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Network Model ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Acoustic Waves ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instabilities ◽  
Lean Premixed

The adoption of lean premixed prevaporised combustion systems can reduce NOx emissions from gas turbines, but unfortunately also increases their susceptibility to thermoacoustic instabilities. Initially, acoustic waves can produce heat release fluctuations by a variety of mechanisms, often by perturbing the equivalence ratio. If correctly phased, heat release fluctuations can subsequently generate more acoustic waves, which at high amplitude can result in significant structural damage to the combustor. The prediction of this phenomenon is of great industrial interest. In previous work, we have coupled a physics based, kinematic model of the flame with a network model to provide the planar acoustic response necessary to close the feedback loop and predict the onset and amplitude of thermoacoustic instabilities in a lab-scale, axisymmetric single burner combustor. The advantage of a time domain approach is that the modal interaction, the influence of harmonics, and flame saturation can be investigated. This paper extends this approach to more realistic, annular geometries, where both planar and circumferential modes must be considered. In lean premixed prevaporised combustors, fluctuations in equivalence ratio have been shown to be a dominant cause of unsteady combustion. These can occur, for example, due to velocity perturbations in the premix ducts, which can lead to equivalence ratio fluctuations at the fuel injectors, which are subsequently convected downstream to the flame surfaces. Here, they can perturb the heat release by locally altering the flame speed, enthalpy of combustion, and, indirectly, the flame surface area. In many gas turbine designs, particularly aeroengines, the geometries are composed of a ring of premix ducts linking a plenum and an annular combustor. The most unstable modes are often circumferential modes. The network model is used to characterise the flow response of the geometry to heat fluctuations at an appropriate location, such as the fuel injectors. The heat release at each flame holder is determined in the time domain using the kinematic flame model derived, as a function of the flow perturbations in the premix duct. This approach is demonstrated for an annular ring of burners on a in a simple geometry. The approach is then extended to an industrial type gas turbine combustor, and used to predict the limit cycle amplitudes.

Predicting Flashback Limits of a Gas Turbine Model Combustor Based on Velocity and Fuel Concentration for H2–Air Mixtures

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Utschick ◽  
Daniel Eiringhaus ◽  
Christian Köhler ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Turbulent Flame ◽  
Flame Speed ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Fuel Concentration ◽  
Turbine Model

This study investigates the influence of the fuel injection strategy on safety against flashback in a gas turbine model combustor with premixing of H2–air mixtures. The flashback propensity is quantified and the flashback mechanism is identified experimentally. The A2EV swirler concept exhibits a hollow, thick-walled conical structure with four tangential slots. Four fuel injector geometries were tested. One of them injects the fuel orthogonal to the air flow in the slots (jet-in-crossflow injector (JICI)). Three injector types introduce the fuel almost isokinetic to the air flow at the trailing edge of the swirler slots (trailing edge injector (TEI)). Velocity and mixing fields in mixing zone and combustion chamber in isothermal water flow were measured with high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) and high-speed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The flashback limit was determined under atmospheric pressure for three air mass flows and 673 K preheat temperature for H2–air mixtures. Flashback mechanism and trajectory of the flame tip during flashback were identified with two stereoscopically oriented intensified high-speed cameras observing the OH* radiation. We notice flashback in the core flow due to combustion-induced vortex breakdown (CIVB) and turbulent flame propagation (TFP) near the wall dependent on the injector type. The flashback resistance (FBR) defined as the ratio between a characteristic flow speed and a characteristic flame speed measures the direction of propagation of a turbulent flame in the flow field. Although CIVB cannot be predicted solely based on the FBR, its distribution gives evidence for CIVB-prone states. The fuel should be injected preferably isokinetic to the air flow along the entire trailing edge in order to reduce the RMS fluctuation of velocity and fuel concentration. The characteristic velocity in the entire cross section of the combustion chamber inlet should be at least twice the characteristic flame speed. The position of the stagnation point should be tuned to be located in the combustion chamber by adjusting the axial momentum. Those measures lead to safe operation with highly reactive fuels at high equivalence ratios.

Measurements of Equivalence Ratio Fluctuations in a Lean Premixed Gas Turbine Combustor Using an IR Absorption Technique

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Ju Lee ◽  
Kyu Tae Kim ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Ir Absorption ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Fuel Injectors ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Absorption Technique

An experimental study was conducted to estimate and confirm equivalence ratio fluctuations at the inlet of a lean premixed gas turbine combustor. Fuel injectors were placed at several locations in the mixing section of the combustor, in order to produce different instability characteristics due to the equivalence ratio fluctuations. An IR absorption technique was used to measure the equivalence ratio fluctuations at the inlet of the dump combustor. The measured IR signals were processed in two different ways and the results were compared to confirm the two calibrated equivalence ratio signals. The processed data showed that the two processing methods gave very similar results, and the phase of the measured equivalence ratio fluctuations at the combustor inlet by the IR absorption technique agreed well with that of equivalence ratio fluctuations predicted by time lags in the mixing section. It was, however, not possible to accurately predict the magnitude of the equivalence ratio fluctuations at the combustor inlet by the time lag analysis because the equivalence ratio fluctuations generataed at the fuel injection location is changed by mixing and diffusion as the fuel is convected through the combustor.

scholarly journals The influence of turbulence on the efficiency and reliability of combustion chamber of the gas turbine

2021 ◽  
pp. 64-64
Author(s):  
Samal Sadykova ◽  
Abay Dostiyarov ◽  
Mikhail Zhumagulov ◽  
Nurlan Kartjanov
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Mathematical Software ◽  
Software Modeling ◽  
Guide Vanes ◽  
Aerodynamic Experiment ◽  
Efficiency And Reliability ◽  
Angle Of Rotation

The article presents the research results related to the influence of turbulence on the efficiency of the combustion chamber of gas turbine. An artificial increase in the intensity of turbulence is considered as a way to improve the formation of a fuel-air mixture. Turbulent flow is formed due to the installation of guide swirlers at the entrance to the device for creating a fuel-air mixture - a micro module. The angle of rotation of the swirler blades is selected. Theoretical research, mathematical software modeling, as well as an aerodynamic experiment have been carried out. As a result, design solutions are provided that significantly increase the efficiency and reliability of the gas turbine combustion chamber. In the course of the study, guide vanes were selected, and their design was established. The recommended swing angle of the swirler guide vanes is 40?. The recommended depth of the fuel injector inside the chamber is 1.0 gauge.

An Experimental Study on the Coupling of Combustion Instability Mechanisms in a Lean Premixed Gas Turbine Combustor

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Ju Lee ◽  
Kyu Tae Kim ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Acoustic Pressure ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Injection Location

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the combined effects of flame-vortex interactions and equivalence ratio fluctuations on self-excited combustion instabilities in a swirl-stabilized lean premixed gas turbine combustor. The combustor was designed so that the fuel injector location and the combustion chamber length could be independently varied. In addition, the fuel and air could be mixed upstream of the choked inlet to the combustor, thereby eliminating the possibility of equivalence ratio fluctuations. Experiments were performed over a broad range of operating conditions and at each condition both the combustor length and the fuel injection location were varied. Dynamic pressure in the combustor, acoustic pressure and velocity in the mixing section, and the overall rate of heat release were simultaneously measured at all operating conditions. Two distinct instability regimes were observed; one near 220 Hz and the other near 345 Hz. It was also found that the strength of the instability changed significantly as the fuel injection location was varied, while the phase of the acoustic pressure and velocity fluctuations in the mixing section did not change. A time series of pressure and CH* chemiluminescence signals confirmed constructive or destructive coupling of the two instability mechanisms; the flame-vortex interaction and the equivalence ratio fluctuation interact each other and determine the instability characteristics in partially premixed conditions.

Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis of Hydrodynamic Stability in a Gas Turbine Fuel Injector

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Outi Tammisola ◽  
Matthew P. Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Local Stability ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Fuel Injector ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Thermoacoustic Instability

Hydrodynamic oscillations in gas turbine fuel injectors help to mix the fuel and air but can also contribute to thermoacoustic instability. Small changes to some parts of a fuel injector greatly affect the frequency and amplitude of these oscillations. These regions can be identified efficiently with adjoint-based sensitivity analysis. This is a linear technique that identifies the region of the flow that causes the oscillation, the regions of the flow that are most sensitive to external forcing, and the regions of the flow that, when altered, have most influence on the oscillation. In this paper, we extend this to the flow from a gas turbine’s single stream radial swirler, which has been extensively studied experimentally (GT2008-50278) [8]. The swirling annular flow enters the combustion chamber and expands to the chamber walls, forming a conical recirculation zone along the centreline and an annular recirculation zone in the upstream corner. In this study, the steady base flow and the stability analysis are calculated at Re 200–3800 based on the mean flow velocity and inlet diameter. The velocity field is similar to that found from experiments and LES, and the local stability results are close to those at higher Re (GT2012-68253) [11]. All the analyses (experiments, LES, uRANS, local stability, and the global stability in this paper) show that a helical motion develops around the central recirculation zone. This develops into a precessing vortex core. The adjoint-based sensitivity analysis reveals that the frequency and growth rate of the oscillation is dictated by conditions just upstream of the central recirculation zone (the wavemaker region). It also reveals that this oscillation is very receptive to forcing at the sharp edges of the injector. In practical situations, this forcing could arise from an impinging acoustic wave, showing that these edges could be influential in the feedback mechanism that causes thermoacoustic instability. The analysis also shows how the growth rate and frequency of the oscillation change with either small shape changes of the nozzle, or additional suction or blowing at the walls of the injector. It reveals that the oscillations originate in a very localized region at the entry to the combustion chamber, which lies near the separation point at the outer inlet, and extends to the outlet of the inner pipe. Any scheme designed to control the frequency and amplitude of the oscillation only needs to change the flow in this localized region.

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