V64.3A Gas Turbine Natural Gas Burner Development

From the very first beginning of the V64.3A development the HR3 burner was selected as standard design for this frame. The HR3 burner was originally developed for the Vx4.2 and Vx4.3 fleet featuring silo combustors in order to mitigate the risk of flashback and to improve the NOx-emissions (Prade, Streb, 1996). Due to its favourable performance characteristics in the Vx4.3 family the advanced HR3 burner was adapted to the Vx4.3A series with annular combustor (hybrid burner ring – HBR). This paper reports about the burner development for V64.3A gas turbines to reach NOx emissions below 25 ppmvd and CO emissions below 10 ppmvd. It is described how performance and NOx emissions have been optimised by implementation of fuel system and burner modifications. The development approach, emission results and commercial operation experiences as well are described. The modifications of the combustion system were successfully and reliably demonstrated on commercially running units. NOx emissions considerably below 25ppmvd were achieved at and above design baseload. An outlook to further steps of V64.3A burner development in the near future will be given in this paper.

The Effect of Water Vapor on Oxidation Performance of Alloys Used in Recuperators

The use of a recuperator to recover waste heat from the exhaust gases is one method for improving a microturbine’s energy efficiency. This study looked at the effect of water vapor in the exhaust gas on the oxidation resistance of a current technology stainless steel and several high performance replacement alloys. Alloys of interest are high-Cr, Ni-base superalloys such as alloy 625 and aluminum-containing alloys such as Haynes alloy 214 and Plansee alloy PM2000, which is an oxide-dispersed FeCrAl. The latter two alloys form a protective external alumina scale which is more resistant to water vapor environments than chromia scales. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy characterization of the specimen surface oxides after laboratory exposures showed only minor effects of the addition of water vapor to the environment, which is consistent with the excellent corrosion resistance of these high performance alloys.

Study of Medium-Btu Fueled Gas Turbine Combustion Technology for Reducing Both Fuel-NOx and Thermal-NOx Emissions in Oxygen-Blown IGCC

In order to improve the thermal efficiency of the oxygen-blown IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) for stricter environmental standards and cost-effective option, it is necessary to adopt the hot/dry gas cleaning system. In this system, the flame temperature of medium-btu gasified fuel is higher and so NOx production from nitrogen fixation is expected to increase significantly. Also the gasified fuel contains fuel nitrogen, such as ammonia, in the case of employing the hot/dry gas cleaning system. This ammonia is easily oxidized into fuel-NOx in the combustor. For contribution to the protection of the environment and low cost operations of all kinds of oxygen-blown IGCC, low NOx combustion technology for reducing both the fuel-NOx and thermal-NOx emission has to be developed. In this paper, we clarified effectiveness of applying both the two-stage combustion and the nitrogen injection, and the useful engineering guidelines for the low-NOx combustor design of oxygen-blown gasified, medium-btu fuels. Main results obtained are as follows: (1) Based on the fundamental combustion tests using the small diffusion burner, we clarified that equivalence ratio at the primary combustion zone has to be adjusted due to the fuel conditions, such as methane concentration, CO/H2 molar ratio, and calorific values of gasified fuels in the case of the two-stage combustion method for reducing fuel-NOx emission. (2) From the combustion tests of the medium-btu fueled combustor the two-stage combustion with nitrogen direct injection into the combustor results in reduction of NOx emission to 80ppm (corrected at 16% O2) or less, the conversion rate of ammonia to NOx was 35% under the gas turbine operational conditions for IGCC in the case where fuel contains 3% of methane and 2135ppm of ammonia. By means of nitrogen direct injection, the thermal efficiency of the plant improved by approximately 0.3 percent (absolute), compared with a case where nitrogen is premixed with gasified fuel. The CO emission concentration decreased drastically, as low as 20ppm, or combustion efficiency was kept higher than 99.9%. Furthermore, based on the fundamental combustion tests’ results, the ammonia conversion rate is expected to decrease to 16% and NOx emission to 26ppm in the case of gasified fuel that contains 0.1% methane and 500ppm of ammonia. From the above results, it is clarified that two-stage combustion method with nitrogen injection is very effective for reducing both the fuel-NOx and thermal-NOx emissions at once in IGCC and it shows the bright prospects for low NOx and stable combustion technology of the medium-btu fuel.

Fuel Atomization in Small Jet Engines

Small and inexpensive jet engines are usually equipped with vaporizing fuel supply systems. This is in order to deliver low fuel flow-rates from relatively low-pressure fuel supply systems and the need for simple configuration. The difficulties associated with small engines are mainly during ignition or at high altitude re-lights, when the combustor is cold, air supply is poor, and fuel demand and pressure are low. Such conditions lead to poor atomization within the vaporizer resulting in very large droplets at its exit tip or even to a pool of liquid fuel within the combustor. Thus, there is no fuel vapor for ignition. Ignition is very difficult or even impossible under such conditions. Therefore, small engines are commonly equipped with dual fuel supply systems, either in the form of gaseous fuel for the ignition stage or with an additional higher-pressure supply line to the dedicated fuel nozzles for the purpose of ignition. Additional solutions involve the use of a large glow plug or high-energy pyrotechnic cartridges in the kilo-Joule range, to heat the combustor casing prior to ignition. The present work is concerned with the development of alternative and novel atomization systems, which would improve atomization at low pressures and consequently facilitate the ignition process, thus minimizing the need for supporting systems. The work refers to an alternative design for an existing vaporizer system of a small jet engine with 400 Nt of thrust. It focuses on an alternative design for the fuel injection within the vaporizer housing while maintaining all external dimensions and operating conditions unchanged. Three types of fuel nozzles were investigated: • a special impact atomizer, • a miniature pressure swirl atomizer, • a doublet atomizer involving two swirling nozzles (preliminary study only). Droplet size distribution under various nozzle pressure drops and air velocities were measured with Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA) and global spray characteristics were obtained by photography. All modified atomization systems demonstrated improved performance and better atomization than the existing system. Initially, water was used as a liquid. At a later stage, the modified impact atomizer was tested and successful spark ignition was demonstrated.

Sector Tests of a Low NOx, Lean-Direct-Injection, Multipoint Integrated Module Combustor Concept

Results of a low-NOx combustor test with a 15° sector are presented. A multipoint, lean-direct injection concept is used. The configuration tested has 36 fuel injectors and fuel-air mixers in place of a dual annular arrangement of two conventional fuel injectors. An integrated-module approach is used for the construction where chemically etched laminates that are diffusion bonded, combine the fuel injectors, air swirlers and fuel manifold into a single element. Test conditions include inlet temperatures up to 866K, and inlet pressures up to 4825 kPa. The fuel used was Jet A. A correlation is developed relating the NOx emissions to the inlet temperature, inlet pressure, and fuel-air ratio. Using a hypothetical 55:1 pressure-ratio engine, cycle NOx emissions are estimated to be less than 40% of the 1996 ICAO standard.

Siemens Westinghouse Advanced Turbine Systems Program Final Summary

This paper summarises achievements in the Siemens Westinghouse Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program. The ATS Program, co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, was a very successful multi-year (from 1992 to 2001) collaborative effort between government, industry and participating universities. The program goals were to develop technologies necessary for achieving significant gains in natural gas-fired power generation plant efficiency, a reduction in emissions, and a decrease in cost of electricity, while maintaining current state-of-the-art electricity generation systems’ reliability, availability, and maintainability levels. Siemens Westinghouse technology development concentrated on the following areas: aerodynamic design, combustion, heat transfer/cooling design, engine mechanical design, advanced alloys, advanced coating systems, and single crystal (SC) alloy casting development. Success was achieved in designing and full scale verification testing of a high pressure high efficiency compressor, airfoil clocking concept verification on a two stage turbine rig test, high temperature bond coat/TBC system development, and demonstrating feasibility of large SC turbine airfoil castings. The ATS program included successful completion of W501G engine development testing. This engine is the first step in the W501ATS engine introduction and incorporates many ATS technologies, such as closed-loop steam cooling, advanced compressor design, advanced sealing and high temperature materials and coatings.

An Annular Combustor Natural Gas Ignition Model Derived From Atmospheric Sector Experiments

Results from ignition and cross-ignition tests performed on an atmospheric 60°-sector test rig equipped with three EV-type burners are presented. Based on these results a model was developed for an annular combustor, which calculates the primary ignition and burner-burner cross-ignition limits for the combustor in terms of burner operation variables (equivalence ratio and pilot fuel ratio) using a generally applicable methodology described in the paper. Key ingredients of the model are the description of mixture flammability and a mixing model representing the ignition relevant mixing behaviour of the burners in the annular combustor. Ignition and cross-ignition are observed to occur, if the mixture equivalence ratio determined from the mixing model is above the flammability limits calculated for the particular operating conditions. Even in the case of cross iginition across an externally piloted or switched-off burner, the model reproduces the experimental cross-ignition limits, confirming that the basic physics have been captured.

Multi-Swirler Aerodynamics: Comparison of Different Configurations

The non-reacting fluid flow fields generated by multi-swirler arrays with two different port configurations were investigated experimentally. These two cases include a co-swirling array, where all swirlers act in the same direction, and a counter-swirling array, where all swirlers alternate between clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations. Each configuration consists of a three by three arrangement of swirlers, which use analogous geometries to generate the swirling flows, i.e. eight discrete jets. For each array, the mean and turbulence velocities were measured at approximately 25,000 discrete spatial locations by a two-component LDV system. Furthermore, the third velocity component was derived based on the symmetric geometry of the arrays. In both cases, the coalescence distance, distance for eight discrete jet streams to form uniform swirling flows, is very short; and each swirler within the arrangement possesses a central recirculation zone. These nine zones have varying strengths depending on the individual swirler location, and some rotate with the swirler direction. In comparison, the co-swirler configuration provides a large unified rotational flow in the same direction as the individual swirlers, while a counter-rotating flow pattern is formed by the other case. Lastly, interactions between the unified flow with that of each swirler in the array are discussed and further comparisons are made between the two cases.

A Preliminary Study of an Inter-Cooled and Recuperative Microgasturbine Below 300 kW

During the last few years, a number of small microturbines (<100kW) have been tested in commercial markets. These microturbines have demonstrated low emissions, increased fuel flexibility, and reasonable durability. However, if these microturbines are to compete economically with larger gas turbines and reciprocating engines, manufacturing costs will need to be significantly reduced and thermal efficiencies will need to be increased. A preliminary study has been completed that evaluated larger and more efficient microturbines (∼300 kW) that operate at higher pressure ratios based on an intercooled and recuperated cycle. The thermal efficiency of the proposed concept increases to 34–37% and is competitive with larger gas turbines and similarly rated diesel engines. Two-stage turbocharger compressors and intercoolers that were developed by the automotive industry for high volume manufacturing will further improve the specific fuel consumption and specific power of this proposed microturbine concept. An additional benefit of the higher pressure, intercooled cycle is that the temperature of the exhaust gases exiting the turbine and entering the recuperator is significantly lower facilitating the use of lower cost materials in the recuperator.

Modelling Trace Element Emissions in Co-Gasification of Sewage Sludge With Coal

Gasification has attracted considerable interest from water utilities as a sewage sludge disposal option, with the advantages of waste volume reduction, pathogen destruction and energy recovery. Co-gasification with coal in a larger plant (>10 MWt) employing a gas turbine for energy recovery may reduce the risk and cost of this option. However, controlling the release of trace elements such as Pb and Zn in the gas produced may be necessary to avoid corrosion, and to meet environmental requirements. A thermodynamic equilibrium model has been used to make predictions of the speciation of trace elements in the fuel gas from co-gasification of sewage sludge with coal. Experimental data from a pilot scale 2 MWt sewage sludge/coal co-gasification plant with a hot gas filter was used to test the validity of these predictions. No significant amount of Be, Co, Cu, V and Zn was predicted to be in the form of gaseous phase species, and this was confirmed by the experimental data. On the other hand, Hg and Se were predicted to be only present in gas phase species, and this was also confirmed experimentally. The elements As, B, Cd, Pb, Sb and Sn were all predicted to form a larger amount of gaseous species than was observed in the experimental measurements. Refinement of the predictions for As and B by inclusion of specific minor/trace element interactions with Ni and Ca respectively gave a better agreement with the experimental data. Whilst the experimentally-observed lowering of Pb emissions by reduction of the gas cleaning temperature from 580 °C to 450 °C was qualitatively predicted, the concentration of Pb in the fine dust removed by the hot gas filter indicates condensation at higher temperatures than predicted. The absence of thermodynamic data for the more complex minerals and adsorbed species that may be formed is thought to account for some of these differences.