Numerical Simulation for the Preliminary Design of Fuel Flexible Stationary Gas Turbine Combustors Using Conventional and Alternative Fuels

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Washington Orlando Irrazabal Bohorquez ◽  
João Roberto Barbosa ◽  
Rob Johan Maria Bastiaans ◽  
Philip de Goey
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Primary Zone

Currently, high efficiency and low emissions are most important requisites for the design of modern gas turbines due to the strong environmental restrictions around the world. In the past years, alternative fuels have been considered for application in industrial gas turbines. Therefore, combustor performance, pollutant emissions and the ability to burn several fuels became of much concern and high priority has been given to the combustor design. This paper describes a methodology focused on the design of stationary gas turbines combustion chambers with the ability to efficiently burn conventional and alternative fuels. A simplified methodology is used for the calculations of the equilibrium temperature and chemical species in the primary zone of a gas turbine combustor. Direct fuel injection and diffusion flames, together with numerical methods like Newton-Raphson, LU Factorization and Lagrange Polynomials, are used for the calculations. Diesel, ethanol and methanol fuels were chosen for the numerical study. A computer code sequentially calculates the main geometry of the combustor. From the numerical simulation it is concluded that the basic gas turbine combustor geometry, for some operating conditions and burning diesel, ethanol or methanol, are of similar sizes, because the development of aerodynamic characteristics predominate over the thermochemical properties. It is worth to note that the type of fuel has a marked effect on the stability and combustion advancement in the combustor. This can be seen when the primary zone is analyzed under a steady-state operating condition. At full power, the pressure is 1.8 MPa and the temperature 1,000 K at the combustor inlet. Then, the equivalence ratios in the primary zone are 1.3933 (diesel), 1.4352 (ethanol) and 1.3977 (methanol) and the equilibrium temperatures for the same operating conditions are 2,809 K (diesel), 2,754 K (ethanol) and 2,702 K (methanol). This means that the combustor can reach similar flame stability conditions, whereas the combustion efficiency will require richer fuel/air mixtures of ethanol or methanol are burnt instead of diesel. Another important result from the numerical study is that the concentration of the main pollutants (CO, CO2, NO, NO2) is reduced when ethanol or methanol are burnt, in place of diesel.

Experimental and numerical study of flame structure and emissions in a micro gas turbine combustor

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedant Dwivedi ◽  
Srikanth Hari ◽  
S. M. Kumaran ◽  
B. V. S. S. S. Prasad ◽  
Vasudevan Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Emission Characteristics ◽  
Nitric Oxides ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine

Abstract Experimental and numerical study of flame and emission characteristics in a tubular micro gas turbine combustor is reported. Micro gas turbines are used for distributed power (DP) generation using alternative fuels in rural areas. The combustion and emission characteristics from the combustor have to be studied for proper design using different fuel types. In this study methane, representing fossil natural gas, and biogas, a renewable fuel that is a mixture of methane and carbon-dioxide, are used. Primary air flow (with swirl component) and secondary aeration have been varied. Experiments have been conducted to measure the exit temperatures. Turbulent reactive flow model is used to simulate the methane and biogas flames. Numerical results are validated against the experimental data. Parametric studies to reveal the effects of primary flow, secondary flow and swirl have been conducted and results are systematically presented. An analysis of nitric-oxides emission for different fuels and operating conditions has been presented subsequently.

Numerical Simulation of Gas Flow and Heat Transfer in Cross-Wavy Primary Surface Channel for Microtubine Recuperators

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. X. Liang ◽  
Q. W. Wang ◽  
L. Q. Luo ◽  
Z. P. Feng
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
High Heat Transfer ◽  
The Cross

Three-dimensional numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the flow field and heat transfer performance of the Cross-Wavy Primary Surface (CWPS) recuperators for microturbines. Using high-effective compact recuperators to achieve high thermal efficiency is one of the key techniques in the development of microturbine in recent years. Recuperators need to have minimum volume and weight, high reliability and durability. Most important of all, they need to have high thermal-effectiveness and low pressure-losses so that the gas turbine system can achieve high thermal performances. These requirements have attracted some research efforts in designing and implementing low-cost and compact recuperators for gas turbine engines recently. One of the promising techniques to achieve this goal is the so-called primary surface channels with small hydraulic dimensions. In this paper, we conducted a three-dimensional numerical study of flow and heat transfer for the Cross-Wavy Primary Surface (CWPS) channels with two different geometries. In the CWPS configurations the secondary flow is created by means of curved and interrupted surfaces, which may disturb the thermal boundary layers and thus improve the thermal performances of the channels. To facilitate comparison, we chose the identical hydraulic diameters for the above four CWPS channels. Since our experiments on real recuperators showed that the Reynolds number ranges from 150 to 500 under the operating conditions, we implemented all the simulations under laminar flow situations. By analyzing the correlations of Nusselt numbers and friction factors vs. Reynolds numbers of the four CWPS channels, we found that the CWPS channels have superior and comprehensive thermal performance with high compactness, i.e., high heat transfer area to volume ratio, indicating excellent commercialized application in the compact recuperators.

Gas Turbine Exhaust Expansion Joints, Diverter and Damper Designs for the New Generation of Higher Temperature, High Efficiency Gas Turbines

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lothar Bachmann ◽  
W. Fred Koch
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Expansion Joints ◽  
Gas Turbine Exhaust ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Turbine Exhaust

The purpose of this paper is to update the industry on the evolutionary steps that have been taken to address higher requirements imposed on the new generation combined cycle gas turbine exhaust ducting expansion joints, diverter and damper systems. Since the more challenging applications are in the larger systems, we shall concentrate on sizes from nine (9) square meters up to forty (40) square meters in ducting cross sections. (Reference: General Electric Frame 5 through Frame 9 sizes.) Severe problems encountered in gas turbine applications for the subject equipment are mostly traceable to stress buckling caused by differential expansion of components, improper insulation, unsuitable or incompatible mechanical design of features, components or materials, or poor workmanship. Conventional power plant expansion joints or dampers are designed for entirely different operating conditions and should not be applied in gas turbine applications. The sharp transients during gas turbine start-up as well as the very high temperature and high mass-flow operation conditions require specific designs for gas turbine application.

Numerical Simulation on Gas Turbine Film Cooling of Curved Surface With Backward Injection

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashank Shetty ◽  
Xianchang Li ◽  
Ganesh Subbuswamy
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Strong Mixing ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Film Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Aerodynamic Loss

Due to the unique role of gas turbine engines in power generation and aircraft propulsion, significant effort has been made to improve the gas turbine performance. As a result, the turbine inlet temperature is usually elevated to be higher than the metal melting point. Therefore, effective cooling of gas turbines is a critical task for engines’ efficiency as well as safety and lifetime. Film cooling has been used to cool the turbine blades for many years. The main issues related to film cooling are its poor coverage, aerodynamic loss, and increase of heat transfer coefficient due to strong mixing. To overcome these problems, film cooling with backward injection has been found to produce a more uniform cooling coverage under low pressure and temperature conditions and with simple cylindrical holes. Therefore, the focus of this paper is on the performance of film cooling with backward injection at gas turbine operating conditions. By applying numerical simulation, it is observed that along the centerline on both concave and convex surfaces, the film cooling effectiveness decreases with backward injection. However, cooling along the span is improved, resulting in more uniform cooling.

Gas Turbine Fouling: The Influence of Climate and Part-Load Operating Conditions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Aldi ◽  
Nicola Casari ◽  
Mirko Morini ◽  
Michele Pinelli ◽  
Pier Ruggero Spina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Environmental Influence ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Part Load

Abstract Energy and climate change policies associated with the continuous increase in natural gas costs pushed governments to invest in renewable energy and alternative fuels. In this perspective, the idea to convert gas turbines from natural gas to syngas from biomass gasification could be a suitable choice. Biogas is a valid alternative to natural gas because of its low costs, high availability and low environmental impact. Syngas is produced with the gasification of plant and animal wastes and then burnt in gas turbine combustor. Although synfuels are cleaned and filtered before entering the turbine combustor, impurities are not completely removed. Therefore, the high temperature reached in the turbine nozzle can lead to the deposition of contaminants onto internal surfaces. This phenomenon leads to the degradation of the hot parts of the gas turbine and consequently to the loss of performance. The amount of the deposited particles depends on mass flow rate, composition and ash content of the fuel and on turbine inlet temperature (TIT). Furthermore, compressor fouling plays a major role in the degradation of the gas turbine. In fact, particles that pass through the inlet filters, enter the compressor and could deposit on the airfoil. In this paper, the comparison between five (5) heavy-duty gas turbines is presented. The five machines cover an electrical power range from 1 MW to 10 MW. Every model has been simulated in six different climate zones and with four different synfuels. The combination of turbine fouling, compressor fouling, and environmental conditions is presented to show how these parameters can affect the performance and degradation of the machines. The results related to environmental influence are shown quantitatively, while those connected to turbine and compressor fouling are reported in a more qualitative manner. Particular attention is given also to part-load conditions. The power units are simulated in two different operating conditions: 100 % and 80 % of power rate. The influence of this variation on the intensity of fouling is also reported.

Boundary Layer Flashback Prediction for Turbulent Premixed Jet Flames: Comparison of Two Models

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Kalantari ◽  
Nicolas Auwaijan ◽  
Vincent McDonell
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Turbulent Flame ◽  
Flame Speed ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Jet Flames ◽  
Turbulent Flame Speed ◽  
Turbulent Premixed

Abstract Lean-premixed combustion is commonly used in gas turbines to achieve low pollutant emissions, in particular nitrogen oxides. But use of hydrogen-rich fuels in premixed systems can potentially lead to flashback. Adding significant amounts of hydrogen to fuel mixtures substantially impacts the operating range of the combustor. Hence, to incorporate high hydrogen content fuels into gas turbine power generation systems, flashback limits need to be determined at relevant conditions. The present work compares two boundary layer flashback prediction methods developed for turbulent premixed jet flames. The Damköhler model was developed at University of California Irvine (UCI) and evaluated against flashback data from literature including actual engines. The second model was developed at Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) using data obtained at gas turbine premixer conditions and is based on turbulent flame speed. Despite different overall approaches used, both models characterize flashback in terms of similar parameters. The Damköhler model takes into account the effect of thermal coupling and predicts flashback limits within a reasonable range. But the turbulent flame speed model provides a good agreement for a cooled burner, but shows less agreement for uncooled burner conditions. The impact of hydrogen addition (0 to 100% by volume) to methane or carbon monoxide is also investigated at different operating conditions and flashback prediction trends are consistent with the existing data at atmospheric pressure.

Effects of Spray Parameters and Operating Conditions on an Industrial Gas Turbine Washing System

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike C. Mund ◽  
Pericles Pilidis
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Injection Velocity ◽  
Spray Parameters ◽  
Compressor Inlet ◽  
Spray Distribution

Gas turbines for power generation are exposed to a variety of ambient conditions and are therefore bound to breathe contaminated airflow, thus degrading the engines internal gas path. In particular, accumulated debris on the compressor blades reduces engine efficiency. To recover this performance loss, online compressor washes may be performed. Cleaning fluid is injected through the nozzles upstream of the compressor to wash off the debris from the blades. This paper presents a numerical study of a generic compressor washing system based on an application case for a heavy duty gas turbine power plant. The inlet duct of the engine was modeled and droplet trajectories were calculated. Different spray patterns including single jet and full cone have been investigated for different ranges of injection velocity and droplet size. The spray angle was evaluated experimentally and was used to model the full cone spray pattern. The boundary conditions for the airflow were iterated with a performance simulation tool to match pressure loss and mass flow. To investigate the effect of different operating conditions on the airflow and spray distribution, an installation scenario of the engine at altitude on a hot summer day was modeled. The scenario was based on a review of plant installations and local meteorological conditions. Fluid concentration plots at the compressor inlet plane were evaluated for the different computational cases. Generally with lower injection momentum, the water droplets were significantly deflected by the main airflow. Higher injection velocity and droplet size reduced the effect of the main airflow. Different operating conditions and the significant change of air mass flow affected the spray distribution of the washing system at the compressor inlet. This can be compensated by adjusting the injection angles.

Numerical Study on the Reduction of NOx Emissions From Pulse Detonation Combustion

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neda Djordjevic ◽  
Niclas Hanraths ◽  
Joshua Gray ◽  
Phillip Berndt ◽  
Jonas Moeck
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Primary Methods ◽  
Detonation Cell ◽  
Pulse Detonation ◽  
Detonation Combustion

A change in the combustion concept of gas turbines from conventional isobaric to constant volume combustion, such as in pulse detonation combustion (PDC), promises a significant increase in gas turbine efficiency. Current research focuses on the realization of reliable PDC operation and its challenging integration into a gas turbine. The topic of pollutant emissions from such systems has so far received very little attention. Few rare studies indicate that the extreme combustion conditions in PDC systems can lead to high emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Therefore, it is essential already at this stage of development to begin working on primary measures for NOx emissions reduction if commercialization is to be feasible. The present study evaluates the potential of different primary methods for reducing NOx emissions produced during PDC of hydrogen. The considered primary methods involve utilization of lean combustion mixtures or its dilution by steam injection or exhaust gas recirculation. The influence of such measures on the detonability of the combustion mixture has been evaluated based on detonation cell sizes modeled with detailed chemistry. For the mixtures and operating conditions featuring promising detonability, NOx formation in the detonation wave has been simulated by solving the one-dimensional (1D) reacting Euler equations. The study enables an insight into the potential and limitations of considered measures for NOx emissions reduction and lays the groundwork for optimized operation of PDC systems.

Design of a Non-Reactive Warm Rig With Real Lean-Premix Combustor Swirlers and Film-Cooled First Stage Nozzles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Cubeda ◽  
Tommaso Bacci ◽  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Simone Salvadori ◽  
Bruno Facchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Standard Design ◽  
Real Hardware ◽  
Heavy Duty Gas Turbine

Abstract Modern industrial gas turbines typically employ lean-premix combustors, which can limit pollutant emissions thanks to premixed flames, while sustaining high turbine inlet temperatures that increase the single-cycle thermal efficiency. As such, gas-turbine first stage nozzles can be characterized by a highly-swirled and temperature-distorted inlet flow field. However, due to several sources of uncertainty during the design phase, wide safety margins are commonly adopted, having a direct impact on engine performance and efficiency. Therefore, aiming at increasing the knowledge on combustor-turbine interaction and improving standard design practices, a non-reactive test rig composed of real hardware was assembled at the University of Florence, Italy. The rig, accommodating three lean-premix swirlers within a combustion chamber and two first stage film-cooled nozzles of a Baker Hughes heavy-duty gas turbine, is operated in similitude conditions. The rig has been designed to reproduce the real engine periodic flow field on the central vane channel, also allowing for measurements far enough from the lateral walls. The periodicity condition on the central sector was achieved by the proper design of both the angular profile and pitch value of the tailboards with respect to the vanes, which was carried out in a preliminary phase via a Design of Experiments procedure. In addition, circular ducts needed to be installed at the injectors outlet section to preserve the non-reactive swirling flow down to the nozzles’ inlet plane. The combustor-turbine interface section has been experimentally characterized in nominal operating conditions as per the temperature, velocity and pressure fields by means of a five-hole pressure probe provided with a thermocouple, installed on an automatic traverse system. To study the evolution of the combustor outlet flow through the vanes and its interaction with the film-cooling flow, such measurements have been replicated also downstream of the vanes’ trailing edge. This work allowed for designing and providing preliminary data on a combustor simulator capable of equipping and testing real hardware film-cooled nozzles of a heavy-duty gas turbine. Ultimately, the activity sets the basis for an extensive test campaign aimed at characterizing the metal temperature, film effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient at realistic aerothermal conditions. In addition, and by leveraging experimental data, this activity paves the way for a detailed validation of current design practices as well as more advanced numerical methodologies such as Scale-Adaptive Simulations of the integrated combustor-turbine domain.

scholarly journals CFD Modeling of Syngas Combustion and Emissions for Marine Gas Turbine Applications

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader R. Ammar ◽  
Ahmed I. Farag
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Flame Temperature ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Cfd Modeling ◽  
Ansys Fluent ◽  
Gas Fuel

Abstract Strong restrictions on emissions from marine power plants will probably be adopted in the near future. One of the measures which can be considered to reduce exhaust gases emissions is the use of alternative fuels. Synthesis gases are considered competitive renewable gaseous fuels which can be used in marine gas turbines for both propulsion and electric power generation on ships. The paper analyses combustion and emission characteristics of syngas fuel in marine gas turbines. Syngas fuel is burned in a gas turbine can combustor. The gas turbine can combustor with swirl is designed to burn the fuel efficiently and reduce the emissions. The analysis is performed numerically using the computational fluid dynamics code ANSYS FLUENT. Different operating conditions are considered within the numerical runs. The obtained numerical results are compared with experimental data and satisfactory agreement is obtained. The effect of syngas fuel composition and the swirl number values on temperature contours, and exhaust gas species concentrations are presented in this paper. The results show an increase of peak flame temperature for the syngas compared to natural gas fuel combustion at the same operating conditions while the NO emission becomes lower. In addition, lower CO2 emissions and increased CO emissions at the combustor exit are obtained for the syngas, compared to the natural gas fuel.

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