Ignition Studies of C1–C7 Natural Gas Blends at Gas-Turbine Relevant Conditions

Author(s):  
Amrit Bikram Sahu ◽  
A. Abd El-Sabor Mohamed ◽  
Snehasish Panigrahy ◽  
Gilles Bourque ◽  
Henry Curran

Abstract New ignition delay time measurements of natural gas mixtures enriched with small amounts of n-hexane and n-heptane were performed in a rapid compression machine to interpret the sensitization effect of heavier hydrocarbons on auto-ignition at gas-turbine relevant conditions. The experimental data of natural gas mixtures containing alkanes from methane to n-heptane were carried out over a wide range of temperatures (840–1050 K), pressures (20–30 bar), and equivalence ratios (φ = 0.5 and 1.5). The experiments were complimented with numerical simulations using a detailed kinetic model developed to investigate the effect of n-hexane and n-heptane additions. Model predictions show that the addition of even small amounts (1–2%) of n-hexane and n-heptane can lead to increase in reactivity by ∼40–60 ms at compressed temperature (TC) = 700 K. The ignition delay time (IDT) of these mixtures decrease rapidly with an increase in concentration of up to 7.5% but becomes almost independent of the C6/C7 concentration beyond 10%. This sensitization effect of C6 and C7 is also found to be more pronounced in the temperature range 700–900 K compared to that at higher temperatures (> 900 K). The reason is attributed to the dependence of IDT primarily on H2O2(+M) ↔ 2ȮH(+M) at higher temperatures while the fuel dependent reactions such as H-atom abstraction, RȮ2 dissociation or Q.OOH + O2 reactions are less important compared to 700–900 K, where they are very important.

Author(s):  
Amrit Sahu ◽  
A.A.E.S Mohamed ◽  
Snehashish Panigrahy ◽  
Gilles Bourque ◽  
Henry Curran

Abstract New ignition delay time measurements (IDT) of natural gas mixtures enriched with small amounts of n-hexane and n-heptane were performed in a rapid compression machine to interpret the sensitization effect of heavier hydrocarbons on auto-ignition at gas-turbine relevant conditions. The experimental data of natural gas mixtures containing alkanes from methane to n-heptane were carried out over a wide range of temperatures (840-1050 K), pressures (20-30 bar), and equivalence ratios (f = 0.5 and 1.5). The experiments were complemented with numerical simulations using a detailed kinetic model developed to investigate the effect of n-hexane and n-heptane additions. Model predictions show that the addition of even small amounts (1-2%) of n-hexane and n-heptane can lead to an increase in reactivity by ~40-60 ms at a temperature of 700 K. The IDTs of these mixtures decrease rapidly with an increase in the concentration of up to 7.5% but becomes almost independent of the C6/C7 concentration >10%. This sensitization effect of C6 and C7 is also found to be more pronounced in the temperature range 700-900 K compared to that at higher temperatures (>900 K). The reason is attributed to the dependence of IDT primarily on H2O2(+M)??H+?H (+M) at higher temperatures while the fuel-dependent reactions such as H-atom abstraction, RO2 dissociation, or Q OOH+O2 reactions are less important compared to the temperature range 700-900 K, where they are very important.


Author(s):  
Andreas Koch ◽  
Clemens Naumann ◽  
Wolfgang Meier ◽  
Manfred Aigner

The objective of this work was the improvement of methods for predicting autoignition in turbulent flows of different natural gas mixtures and air. Measurements were performed in a mixing duct where fuel was laterally injected into a turbulent flow of preheated and pressurized air. To study the influence of higher order hydrocarbons on autoignition, natural gas was mixed with propane up to 20% by volume at pressures up to 15 bar. During a measurement cycle, the air temperature was increased until autoignition occurred. The ignition process was observed by high-speed imaging of the flame chemiluminescence. In order to attribute a residence time (ignition delay time) to the locations where autoignition was detected the flow field and its turbulent fluctuations were simulated by numerical codes. These residence times were compared to calculated ignition delay times using detailed chemical simulations. The measurement system and data evaluation procedure are described and preliminary results are presented. An increase in pressure and in fraction of propane in the natural gas both reduced the ignition delay time. The measured ignition delay times were systematically longer than the predicted ones for temperatures above 950 K. The results are important for the design process of gas turbine combustors and the studies also demonstrate a procedure for the validation of design tools under relevant conditions.


Author(s):  
Sean P. Cooper ◽  
Zachary K. Browne ◽  
Sulaiman A. Alturaifi ◽  
Olivier E. Mathieu ◽  
Eric Petersen

Abstract In choosing the lubricating oil for a gas turbine system, properties such as viscosity, viscosity index, corrosion prevention, and thermal stability are chosen to optimize turbine longevity and efficiency. Another property that needs to be considered is the lubricant's reactivity, as the lubricant's ability to resist combustion during turbine operation is highly desirable. In evaluating a method to define reactivity, the extremely low vapor pressure of these lubricants makes conventional vaporization by heating impractical. To this end, a new experiment was designed and tested to evaluate the reactivity of lubricating oils using an existing shock-tube facility at Texas A&M University equipped with an automotive fuel injector. This experiment disperses a pre-measured amount of lubricant into a region of high-temperature air to study auto-ignition. To ensure proper dispersal, a laser extinction diagnostic was used to detect the lubricant particles behind the reflected shock as they are dispersed and vaporized. An OH* chemiluminescence diagnostic was used to determine ignition delay time. Using this method, various 32-, 36-, and 46-weight lubricants identified as widely used in the gas turbine industry were tested. Experiments were conducted in post-reflected shock conditions around 1370 K (2006 ºF) and 1.2 atm, where ignition delay time, peak OH* emission, and time-to-peak values were recorded and compared. Ignition was observed for all but one of the lubricants at these conditions, and mild to strong ignition was observed for the other lubricants with varying ignition delay times.


Author(s):  
Sean P. Cooper ◽  
Zachary K. Browne ◽  
Sulaiman A. Alturaifi ◽  
Olivier Mathieu ◽  
Eric L. Petersen

Abstract In choosing the lubricating oil for a gas turbine system, properties such as viscosity, viscosity index, corrosion prevention, and thermal stability are chosen to optimize turbine longevity and efficiency. Another property that needs to be considered is the lubricant’s reactivity, as the lubricant’s ability to resist combustion during turbine operation is highly desirable. In evaluating a method to define reactivity, the extremely low vapor pressure of these lubricants makes conventional vaporization by heating impractical due to the high temperatures and fuel cracking as well as issues with preferential vaporization. To this end, a new experiment was designed and tested to evaluate the reactivity of lubricating oils using an existing shock-tube facility at Texas A&M University equipped with an automotive fuel injector. This experiment disperses a pre-measured amount of lubricant into a region of high-temperature air to study auto-ignition. To ensure proper dispersal, a laser extinction diagnostic was used to measure the lubricant particles behind the reflected shock as they are dispersed and vaporized. An OH* chemiluminescence diagnostic measuring light emitted during combustion at around 306 nm was used to determine ignition delay time. Pressure was also measured at the sidewall and endwall positions for test repeatability and exothermicity of the experiments. The methods were validated by conducting experiments with ethanol and comparing the results to previous heated shock-tube experiments conducted in the same facility. Using this method, various 32-, 36-, and 46-weight lubricants identified as widely used in the gas turbine industry were tested. Experiments were conducted in post-reflected shock conditions around 1370K (2006 °F) and 1.2 atm, where ignition delay time, peak OH* emission and time-to-peak values were recorded and compared. Ignition was observed for all but one of the lubricants at these conditions, and mild to strong ignition was observed for the other lubricants with varying ignition delay times.


Author(s):  
G.-J. M. Sims ◽  
A. R. Clague ◽  
R. W. Copplestone ◽  
K. R. Menzies ◽  
M. A. MacQuisten

Auto-ignition delay time measurements have been attempted for a variety of gaseous fuels on a flow rig at gas turbine relevant operating conditions. The residence time of the flow rig test section was approximately 175 ms. A chemical kinetic model has been used in Senkin, one of the applications within the Chemkin package, to predict the auto-ignition delay time measured in the experiment. The model assumes that chemistry is the limiting factor in the prediction and makes no account of the fluid dynamic properties of the experiment. Auto-ignition delay time events were successfully recorded for ethylene at approximately 16 bar, 850K and at equivalence ratios between 2.6 and 3.3. Methane, natural gas and ethylene (0.5 < φ < 2.5) failed to auto-ignite within the test section. Model predictions were found to agree with the ethylene measurements, although improved qualification of the experimental boundary conditions is required in order to better understand the dependence of auto-ignition delay on the physical characteristics of the flow rig. The chemical kinetic model used in this study was compared with existing ‘low temperature’ measurements and correlations for methane and natural gas and was found to be in good agreement.


Author(s):  
Seung Eon Jang ◽  
Jin Park ◽  
Sang Hyeon Han ◽  
Hong Jip Kim ◽  
Ki Sung Jung ◽  
...  

Abstract In this study, the auto ignition with low limit temperature of syngas has been numerically investigated using a 2-D numerical analysis. Previous study showed that auto ignition was observed at above 860 K in co-flow jet experiments using syngas and dry air. However, the auto ignition at this low temperature range could not be predicted with existing chemical mechanisms. Inconsistency of the auto ignition temperature between the experimental and numerical results is thought to be due to the inaccuracy of the chemical kinetic mechanism. The prediction of ignition delay time and sensitivity analysis for each chemical kinetic mechanism were performed to verify the reasons of the inconsistency between the experimental and numerical results. The results which were calculated using the various mechanisms showed significantly differences in the ignition delay time. In this study, we intend to analyze the reason of discrepancy to predict the auto ignition with low pressure and low temperature region of syngas and to improve the chemical kinetic mechanism. A sensitive analysis has been done to investigate the reaction steps which affected the ignition delay time significantly, and the reaction rate of the selected reaction step was modified. Through the modified chemical kinetic mechanism, we could identify the auto ignition in the low temperature region from the 2-D numerical results. Then CEMA (Chemical Explosive Mode Analysis) was used to validate the 2-D numerical analysis with modified chemical kinetic mechanism. From the validation, the calculated λexp, EI, and PI showed reasonable results, so we expect that the modified chemical kinetic mechanism can be used in various low temperature region.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 3755-3771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Baigmohammadi ◽  
Vaibhav Patel ◽  
Sergio Martinez ◽  
Snehasish Panigrahy ◽  
Ajoy Ramalingam ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
David Beerer ◽  
Vincent McDonell ◽  
Scott Samuelsen ◽  
Leonard Angello

Compositional variation of global gas supplies is becoming a growing concern. Both the range and rate-of-change of this variation is expected to increase as global markets for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) continue to expand. Greater fuel composition variation poses increased operational risk to gas turbine engines employing lean premixed combustion systems. Information on ignition delay at high pressure and intermediate temperatures is valuable for lean premixed gas turbine design. In order to avoid autoignition of the fuel/air mixture within the premixer, the ignition delay time must be greater than the residence time. Evaluating the residence time is not a straight forward task because of the complex aerodynamics due to recirculation zones, separation regions, and boundary layers effects which may create regions where the local residence times may be longer than the bulk or average residence time. Additionally, reliable experiments on ignition delay at gas turbine conditions are difficult to conduct. Devices for testing include shock tubes, rapid compression machine and flow reactors. In a flow reactor ignition delay data are commonly determined by measuring the distance from the fuel injector to the reaction front (L) and dividing it by the bulk or average flow velocity (U) under steady flow conditions to obtain a bulk residence time which is assumed to be equal to the ignition delay time. However this method is susceptible to the same boundary layer effects or recirculation zones found in premixers. An alternative method for obtaining ignition delay data in a flow reactor is presented herein, where ignition delay times are obtained by measuring the time difference between fuel injection and ignition using high speed instrumentation. Ignition delay times for methane, ethane and propane at gas turbine conditions were in the range of 40–500 ms. The results obtained show excellent agreement with recently proposed chemical mechanisms for hydrocarbons at low temperature/high pressure conditions.


Author(s):  
Pierre A. Glaude ◽  
Rene´ Fournet ◽  
Roda Bounaceur ◽  
Michel Molie`re

Many investigations are currently carried out in order to reduce CO2 emissions in power generation. Among alternative fuels to natural gas and gasoil in gas turbine applications, dimethyl ether (DME; formula: CH3-O-CH3) represents a possible candidate in the next years. This chemical compound can be produced from natural gas or coal/biomass gasification. DME is a good substitute for gasoil in diesel engine. Its Lower Heating Value is close to that of ethanol but it offers some advantages compared to alcohols in terms of stability and miscibility with hydrocarbons. While numerous studies have been devoted to the combustion of DME in diesel engines, results are scarce as far as boilers and gas turbines are concerned. Some safety aspects must be addressed before feeding a combustion device with DME because of its low flash point (as low as −83°C), its low auto-ignition temperature and large domain of explosivity in air. As far as emissions are concerned, the existing literature shows that in non premixed flames, DME produces less NOx than ethane taken as parent molecular structure, based on an equivalent heat input to the burner. During a field test performed in a gas turbine, a change-over from methane to DME led to a higher fuel nozzle temperature but to a lower exhaust gas temperature. NOx emissions decreased over the whole range of heat input studied but a dramatic increase of CO emissions was observed. This work aims to study the combustion behavior of DME in gas turbine conditions with the help of a detailed kinetic modeling. Several important combustion parameters, such as the auto-ignition temperature (AIT), ignition delay times, laminar burning velocities of premixed flames, adiabatic flame temperatures, and the formation of pollutants like CO and NOx have been investigated. These data have been compared with those calculated in the case of methane combustion. The model was built starting from a well validated mechanism taken from the literature and already used to predict the behavior of other alternative fuels. In flame conditions, DME forms formaldehyde as the major intermediate, the consumption of which leads in few steps to CO then CO2. The lower amount of CH2 radicals in comparison with methane flames seems to decrease the possibility of prompt-NO formation. This paper covers the low temperature oxidation chemistry of DME which is necessary to properly predict ignition temperatures and auto-ignition delay times that are important parameters for safety.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document