Flame Response Analysis of Syngas

Author(s):  
Jan Gorski ◽  
Wajid Ali Chishty ◽  
Matthew Johnson

The motivation for the work comes from the requirement to assess the feasibility of using alternative fuels in lean-premixed land-based stationary gas turbine combustion systems. Lean-premixed systems are prone to combustion instability issues and the need is to determine how the use of alternative fuels would affect such instabilities. The paper presents the results of an acoustically-forced laminar flat flame study that was conducted to measure the influence of flow velocity oscillations on the response of syngas flames under various operating conditions and in comparison to natural gas flames. The results indicate that syngas concentration in a methane-syngas-air mixture significantly affects the flame response. On the other hand, the ratio of hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide in the syngas was found to have a negligible effect on the flame response for a fuel blend made up of 50% methane and 50% syngas. Flame liftoff distance and flame speed were found to be important parameters that govern the flame transfer function magnitude and resonant frequency for a thermally stabilized flat flame. The paper also presents insights into flame transfer function scaling based on a refined Strouhal definition.

Author(s):  
N. Fdida ◽  
J. Hardi ◽  
H. Kawashima ◽  
B. Knapp ◽  
M. Oschwald ◽  
...  

Experiments presented in this paper were conducted with the BKH rocket combustor at the European Research and Technology Test Facility P8, located at DLR Lampoldshausen. This combustor is dedicated to study the effects of high magnitude instabilities on oxygen/hydrogen flames, created by forcing high-frequency (HF) acoustic resonance of the combustion chamber. This work addresses the need for highly temporally and spatially resolved visualization data, in operating conditions representative of real rocket engines, to better understand the flame response to high amplitude acoustic oscillations. By combining ONERA and DLR materials and techniques, the optical setup of this experiment has been improved to enhance the existing database with more highly resolved OH* imaging to allow detailed response analysis of the flame. OH* imaging is complemented with simultaneous visible imaging and compared to each other here for their ability to capture flame dynamics.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 66-67
Author(s):  
J.W. Hangas ◽  
G.W. Graham ◽  
R.W. McCabe ◽  
W. Chun

Automotive exhaust catalysts are typically operated under stoichiometric conditions to minimize nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide pollutants. These catalysts do not form carbon filaments under normal operating conditions. In development of catalysts, however, a stabilization procedure is sometimes utilized on used catalysts (dynamometer or vehicle) to purge the catalyst of sulfur prior to measuring the catalytic activity in sweep and light-off testing. The stabilization procedure consists of running the catalyst under rich (excess fuel) conditions for 0.5hr. This study documents the existence of carbon filaments due to the stabilization procedure and discusses the effect of filaments on subsequent testing.Two separate catalysts were used in this study. The first was a 50,000 mile vehicle aged catalyst that had also been through the stabilization procedure and then sweep and light-off tested. The other was only dynamometer aged for 120hr at 850°C (1560°F).


Author(s):  
Brian Jones ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The response of turbulent premixed flames to inlet velocity fluctuations is studied experimentally in a lean premixed, swirl-stabilized, gas turbine combustor. Overall chemiluminescence intensity is used as a measure of the fluctuations in the flame’s global heat release rate, and hot wire anemometry is used to measure the inlet velocity fluctuations. Tests are conducted over a range of mean inlet velocities, equivalence ratios, and velocity fluctuation frequencies, while the normalized inlet velocity fluctuation (V′/Vmean) is fixed at 5% to ensure linear flame response over the employed modulation frequency range. The measurements are used to calculate a flame transfer function relating the velocity fluctuation to the heat release fluctuation as a function of the velocity fluctuation frequency. At low frequency, the gain of the flame transfer function increases with increasing frequency to a peak value greater than 1. As the frequency is further increased, the gain decreases to a minimum value, followed by a second smaller peak. The frequencies at which the gain is minimum and achieves its second peak are found to depend on the convection time scale and the flame’s characteristic length scale. Phase-synchronized CH∗ chemiluminescence imaging is used to characterize the flame’s response to inlet velocity fluctuations. The observed flame response can be explained in terms of the interaction of two flame perturbation mechanisms, one originating at flame-anchoring point and propagating along the flame front and the other from vorticity field generated in the outer shear layer in the annular mixing section. An analysis of the phase-synchronized flame images show that when both perturbations arrive at the flame at the same time (or phase), they constructively interfere, producing the second peak observed in the gain curves. When the perturbations arrive at the flame 180 degrees out-of-phase, they destructively interfere, producing the observed minimum in the gain curve.


Author(s):  
D. A. Lacoste ◽  
J. P. Moeck ◽  
D. Durox ◽  
C. O. Laux ◽  
T. Schuller

The effects of Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges on the dynamics of a swirl-stabilized lean premixed flame are investigated experimentally. Voltage pulses of 8-kV amplitude and 10-ns duration are applied at a repetition rate of 30 kHz. The average electric power deposited by the plasma is limited to 40 W, corresponding to less than 1 % of the thermal power of 4 kW released by the flame. The investigation is carried out with a dedicated experimental setup that allows for studies of the flame dynamics with applied plasma discharges. A loudspeaker is used to perturb the flame acoustically, and the discharges are generated between a central pin electrode and the rim of the injection tube. Velocity and CH* chemiluminescence signals are used to determine the flame transfer function assuming that plasma discharges do not affect the correlation between CH* emission and heat release rate fluctuations. Phase-locked images of the CH* emission were recorded to assess the effect of the plasma on the oscillation of the flame. The results show a strong influence of the NRP discharges on the flame response to acoustic perturbations, thus opening interesting perspectives for combustion control. An interpretation of the modifications observed in the transfer function of the flame is proposed by taking into account the thermal and chemical effects of the discharges. It is then demonstrated that by applying NRP discharges at unstable conditions, the oscillation amplitudes can be reduced by an order of magnitude, thus effectively stabilizing the system.


Author(s):  
Poravee Orawannukul ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The response of a swirl-stabilized flame to equivalence ratio fluctuations is experimentally investigated in a single-nozzle lean premixed combustor. Equivalence ratio fluctuations are produced using a siren device to modulate the flow rate of fuel to the injector, while the air flow rate is kept constant. The magnitude and phase of the equivalence ratio fluctuations are measured near the exit of the nozzle using an infrared absorption technique. The flame response is characterized by the fluctuation in the flame’s overall rate of heat release, which is determined from the total CH* chemiluminescence emission from the flame. The relationship between total CH* chemiluminescence intensity and the flame’s overall rate of heat release is determined from a separate calibration experiment which accounts for the nonlinear relationship between chemiluminescence intensity and equivalence ratio. Measurements of the normalized equivalence ratio fluctuation and the normalized rate of heat release fluctuation are made over a range of modulation frequencies from 200 Hz to 440 Hz, which corresponds to Strouhal numbers from 0.4 to 2.8. These measurements are used to determine the fuel-forced flame transfer function which expresses the relationship between the equivalence ratio and rate of heat release fluctuations in terms of a gain and phase as a function of frequency. In addition, phase-synchronized CH* chemiluminescence images are captured to study the dynamics of the flame response over the modulation period. These measurements are made over a range of operating conditions and the results are analyzed to identify and better understand the mechanisms whereby equivalence ratio fluctuations result in fluctuations in the flame’s overall rate of heat release. Such information is essential to guide the formulation and validation of analytical fuel-forced flame response models and hence to predict combustion dynamics in gas turbine combustors.


Author(s):  
Siddhartha Gadiraju ◽  
Suhyeon Park ◽  
Prashant Singh ◽  
Jaideep Pandit ◽  
Srinath V. Ekkad ◽  
...  

This work is motivated by an interest in understanding the fuel interchangeability of a fuel nozzle to operate under extreme lean operating conditions. A lean premixed, swirl-stabilized fuel nozzle designed with central pilot hub was used to test various fuel blends for combustion characteristics. Current gas turbine combustion technology primarily focuses on burning natural gas for industrial systems. However, interest in utilizing additional options due to environmental regulations as well as concerns about energy security have motivated interest in using fuel gases that have blends of Methane, Propane, H2, CO, CO2, and N2. For example, fuel blends of 35%/60% to 55%/35% of CH4/CO2 are typically seen in Landfill gases. Syngas fuels are typically composed primarily of H2, CO, and N2. CH4/N2 fuel blend mixtures can be derived from biomass gasification. Stringent emission requirements for gas turbines stipulate operating at extreme lean conditions, which can reduce NOx emissions. However, lean operating conditions pose the problem of potential blowout resulting in loss of performance and downtime. Therefore, it is important to understand the Lean Blowout (LBO) limits and involved mechanisms that lead to a blowout. While a significant amount of research has been performed to understand lean blowout limits and mechanisms for natural gas, research on LBO limits and mechanisms for fuel blends has only been concentrated on fuel blends of CH4 and H2 such as syngas. This paper studies the lean blowout limits with fuel blends CH4-C3H8, CH4-CO2, and CH4-N2 and also their effect on the stability limits as the pilot fuel percentage was varied. Experimental results demonstrate that the addition of propane, nitrogen and carbon dioxide has minimal effect on the adiabatic flame temperature when the flame becomes unstable under lean operating conditions. On the other hand, the addition of diluent gas showed a potential blowout at higher adiabatic temperatures.


Author(s):  
D. A. Lacoste ◽  
J. P. Moeck ◽  
D. Durox ◽  
C. O. Laux ◽  
T. Schuller

The effects of nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges on the dynamics of a swirl-stabilized lean premixed flame are experimentally investigated. Voltage pulses of 8 kV in amplitude and 10 ns in duration are applied at a repetition rate of 30 kHz. The average electric power deposited by the plasma is limited to 40 W, corresponding to less than 1% of the thermal power of 4 kW released by the flame. The investigation is carried out with a dedicated experimental setup that allows for studies of the flame dynamics with applied plasma discharges. A loudspeaker is used to acoustically perturb the flame and the discharges are generated between a central pin electrode and the rim of the injection tube. The velocity and CH* chemiluminescence signals are used to determine the flame transfer function, assuming that plasma discharges do not affect the correlation between the CH* emission and heat release rate fluctuations. Phase-locked images of the CH* emission show a strong influence of the NRP discharges on the flame response to acoustic perturbations, thus opening interesting perspectives for combustion control. An interpretation of the modifications observed in the transfer function of the flame is proposed by taking into account the thermal and chemical effects of the discharges. It is then demonstrated that by applying NRP discharges at unstable conditions, the oscillation amplitudes can be reduced by an order of magnitude, thus effectively stabilizing the system.


Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Bunce ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

Flame response to imposed velocity fluctuations is experimentally measured in a single-nozzle, turbulent, swirling, fully-premixed combustor. The flame transfer function is used to quantify the flame’s response to imposed velocity fluctuations. Both the gain and phase of the flame transfer function are qualitatively similar for all operating conditions tested. Flame transfer function gain exhibits alternating regions of decreasing gain with increasing forcing frequency followed by regions of increasing gain with increasing forcing frequency. This alternating behavior gives rise to gain extrema. Flame transfer function phase magnitude increases quasi-linearly with increasing forcing frequency. Deviations from the linear behavior occur in the form of inflection points. Within the field, the current understanding is that the flame transfer function gain extrema are caused by the constructive/destructive interference of swirl number fluctuations and vortex shedding. Phase-synchronized images of forced flames are acquired to investigate the presence/importance of swirl number fluctuations, which manifest as fluctuations in mean flame position, and vortex shedding in this combustor. Analysis of phase-synchronized flame images reveals that mean flame position fluctuations are present at forcing frequencies corresponding to flame transfer function gain minima but not at forcing frequencies corresponding to flame transfer function gain maxima. This observation contradicts the understanding that flame transfer function gain maxima are caused by the constructive interference of mean flame position fluctuations and vortex shedding since mean flame position fluctuations are shown not to exist at flame transfer function gain maxima. Further analysis of phase-synchronized flame images shows that the variation of mean flame position fluctuation magnitude with forcing frequency follows an inverse trend to the variation of flame transfer function gain with forcing frequency, i.e. when mean flame position fluctuation magnitude increases flame transfer function gain decreases and vice versa. Based on these observations it is concluded that mean flame position fluctuations are a subtractive effect. The physical mechanism through which mean flame position fluctuations decrease flame response is through the interaction of the flame with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of the mixing layer in the combustor. When mean flame position fluctuations are large the flame moves closer to the mixing layer and damps the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability due to the increased kinematic viscosity, fluid dilatation, and baroclinic production of vorticity with opposite sign associated with the high temperature reaction zone.


Author(s):  
Alexander J. De Rosa ◽  
Stephen J. Peluso ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Domenic A. Santavicca

The effect of flame-wall interaction on the forced response of a lean-premixed, swirl-stabilized flame is experimentally investigated by examining flames in a series of three combustors, each with a different diameter and therefore a different degree of lateral confinement. The confinement ratios tested are 0.5, 0.37 and 0.29 when calculated using the diameter of the nozzle relative to the combustor diameter. Using both flame images and measured flame transfer functions, the effect of confinement is investigated and generalized across a broad range of operating conditions. The major effect of confinement is shown to be a change in flame structure in both the forced and unforced cases. This effect is captured using the parameter Lf,CoHR/Dcomb, which describes the changing degree of flame-wall interaction in each combustor size. The measured flame transfer function data, as a function of confinement, is then generalized by Strouhal number. Data from the two larger combustors is collapsed by multiplying the Strouhal number by the confinement ratio to account for the flow expansion ratio and change in convective velocity within the combustor. Trends at the transfer function extrema are also assessed by examining them in the context of confinement and by using flame images. A change in the fluctuating structure of the flame is also seen to result from an increase in confinement.


Author(s):  
Michael T. Szedlmayer ◽  
Bryan D. Quay ◽  
Janith Samarasinghe ◽  
Alex De Rosa ◽  
Jong Guen Lee ◽  
...  

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the air-forced flame response of a five-nozzle, 250 kW, lean premixed gas turbine can combustor. Operating conditions were varied over a range of inlet temperatures, inlet velocities, and equivalence ratios, while the forcing frequency was varied from 100 to 450 Hz with constant normalized velocity fluctuations of approximately 5%. The response of the flame’s rate of heat release to inlet velocity fluctuations is expressed in terms of the phase and gain of a flame transfer function. In addition, chemiluminescence imaging is used to characterize the time-averaged and phase-averaged spatial distribution of the flame’s heat release. The resulting flame transfer functions and chemiluminescence flame images are compared to each other to determine the effects of varying the operating conditions. In addition, they are compared to data obtained from a single-nozzle combustor with the same injector. The forced response of the multi-nozzle flame demonstrates a similar pattern to those obtained in a single-nozzle combustor with the same injector. An exception occurs at high frequency where the multi-nozzle flame responds to a greater degree than the single-nozzle flame. At low frequency the multi-nozzle flame dampens the perturbations while the single-nozzle flame amplifies them. A number of minima and maxima occur at certain frequencies which correspond to the interference of two mechanisms. The frequency of these minima is nearly the same for the single- and multi-nozzle cases. When plotted with respect to Strouhal number instead of frequency there is a degree of collapse that occurs around the first observed minima.


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