Hydrogen combustion test in a small gas turbine

Details of the gaseous hydrogen combustion test in a can-type conventional gas-turbine combustor and the operating performance of a 275 PS (202 kW) small gas turbine are provided.Initially, experiments were conducted to determine the configuration of the hydrogen fuel nozzles on a combustor test facility. The kerosene fueled gas turbine combustor was used without modification of the original configuration and dimensions.Secondly, the operation performance of the gas turbine was investigated when the gaseous hydrogen was used as a substitute fuel for kerosene fuel. The kerosene fuel supply system was removed or rendered inoperative and a hydrogen flow metering system was newly installed. The high pressure storage cylinders were used to supply hydrogen to the fuel metering system.Data was obtained on pressure losses of the fuel nozzles, ignition performance, temperature distributions at the combustor outlet, combustion efficiency, liner wall temperature distributions, NO_x emission levels, noise levels, operating performance, etc.     

氢混天然气燃气轮机加湿低氮燃烧性能研究

为了解贫预混燃烧室天然气掺氢加湿燃烧时的性能变化和容许加湿范围,解决氢混燃气轮机NO_x排放超标问题,以某燃气轮机燃烧室为研究对象,数值研究了掺氢比和加湿比对燃烧性能及污染物排放特性的影响。结果表明：燃料无加湿条件下,燃烧室出口CO和CO₂排放值随着掺氢比的增加而减小,较高燃烧温度将导致热力型NO_x排放值增加,掺氢比达到0.2以上时,NO_x排放已超出环保限值;燃料加湿条件下,随着加湿程度增加,燃气出口平均流速及水蒸气组分含量均增加,燃烧筒内全局温度、CO₂和NO_x排放值均降低,CO排放值先降低后增加;掺氢天然气加湿可实现低氮燃烧,考虑到低掺氢工况燃气轮机功率输出效能和高掺氢工况燃烧性能恶化问题,水蒸气加湿量不宜过多,当掺氢比为0.3时,推荐燃料加湿比为0.463。     

Flame structures and combustion efficiency computed for a Mach 6 scramjet engine

Our hydrogen-fueled scramjet engines with a length of 2.1 m delivered net thrusts exceeding the engine drags and exhibited fuel specific impulses of about 10 km/s under Mach 4 to 8 flight conditions. A three-dimensional, reactive CFD code using unstructured hybrid grids was developed to accelerate the engine studies. Combustion in the scramjet engine under the Mach 6 condition was simulated by using this code. In this paper, the engine testing and the CFD code were outlined first. Timewise progress of hydroxyl radicals was investigated to understand autoignition and upstream-wise developments of combustion in the engine. Autoignition occurred from the cowl section at 0.1 ms after fuel mixing was completed. The reaction zones propagated upstream at speeds of about 500 m/s and reached the backward-facing steps in the combustor at 1 ms after the autoignition. Steady-state solutions showed small flames around individual fuel jets in the combustor and a large-scale diffusion flame downstream in the engine. Sonic combustion was autonomously realized in the combustor, resulting in delivery of a maximum thrust of 2250 N in the stoichiometric condition. Variations of combustion efficiency indicated that combustion performance was determined in a narrow region with a length of 0.15 m in the combustor and that the combustion downstream of the engine was rate-controlled by a large diffusion flame. The results found by the CFD computations enable us to not only improve engine performances but also to optimize computations for scramjet engines.     

Performance study using natural gas,hydrogen-supplemented natural gas and hydrogen in AVL research engine

In the future, hydrogen will be required to supplement and eventually replace a rapidly diminishing natural gas resource for stationary type combustion engines. Combustion properties, knock rating, engine performance and emissions of methane (the chief constituent of natural gas) and hydrogen are different as engine fuels. In the present work, investigations were carried out to obtain data on engine performance, fuel economy and emissions, using natural gas, hydrogen-supplemented natural gas (methane) and hydrogen in AVL² research engine. Investigations were also carried out to suppress flashback and to reduce nitric oxide emissions at different operating conditions, by water induction into the hydrogen-air mixture in the intake manifold for a hydrogen fueled engine.     

Combustion of hydrogen in an experimental trapped vortex combustor

Combustion performances of pure hydrogen in an experimental trapped vortex combustor have been tested under different operating conditions. Pressure fluctuations, NOx emissions, OH distributions, and LBO (Lean Blow Out) were measured in the tests. Results indicate that the TVC test rig has successfully realized a double vortex construction in the cavity zone in a wide range of flow conditions. Hydrogen combustion in the test rig has achieved an excellent LBO performance and relatively low NOx emissions. Through comparison of dynamic pressure data, OH fluctuation images, and NOx emissions, the optimal operating condition has been found out to be Φp =0.4, fuel split =0.4, and primary air/fuel premixed.     

Effect of different turbulence models on combustion and emission characteristics of hydrogen/air flames

This paper aims to present modeling results of hydrogen/air combustion in a micro-cylindrical combustor. Modeling studies were carried out with different turbulence models to evaluate performance of these models in micro combustion simulations by using a commercially available computational fluid dynamics code. Turbulence models implemented in this study are Standard k-ε, Renormalization Group k-ε, Realizable k-ε, and Reynolds Stress Transport. A three-dimensional micro combustor model was built to investigate impact of various turbulence models on combustion and emission behavior of studied hydrogen/air flames. Performance evaluation of these models was executed by examining combustor outer wall temperature distribution; combustor centerline temperature, velocity, pressure, species and NO_x profiles. Combustion reaction scheme with 9 species and 19 steps was modeled using Eddy Dissipation Concept model. Results obtained from this study were validated with published experimental data. Numerical results showed that two equation turbulence models give consistent simulation results with published experimental data by means of trend and value. Renormalization Group k-ε model was found to give consistent simulation results with experimental data, whereas Reynolds Stress Model was failed to predict detailed features of combustion process.     

Catalytic combustion of hydrogen—II. An experimental investigation of fundamental conditions for burner design

The performance of catalysts in different forms was investigated for the design of a catalytic combustor with hydrogen fuel. The catalysts tested had dimensions of 150 × 150 mm, and consisted of a ceramic honeycomb impregnated with Pt, two Ni metal foams coated with Pd powder which differed from each other in pore size, and a ceramic foam coated with Co-Mn-Ag oxide powder. In the diffusive mode of operation, the Pd-coated Ni foam with larger pores exhibited the highest combustion efficiency. The ceramic foam with the oxide coating also provided smooth hydrogen combustion in the range 0.2–1.0 kcal cm^?2 h^?1. Combustion efficiency was improved by increasing the amount of premixed air and totally supplied air. Spot measurements of surface temperature and gas composition were carried out over the catalyst surface and the characteristic features of each catalyst were compared and discussed.     

Numerical investigation of combustion characteristics for hydrogen mixed fuel in a can-type model of the gas turbine combustor

Numerical simulations are performed to analyze the combustion characteristics of propane fuel mixed with different amounts of hydrogen in a can-type combustor. The volume fraction of the hydrogen fuel varies from 0% to 100% in the fuel mixture. The results indicate that the hydrogen enrichment of the fuel significantly affects the flow structure, mixture fraction, and combustion characteristics. An increase in the volume fraction of hydrogen significantly affects the mean mixture fraction distribution, promotes combustion, and increases the flame temperature and the width of the flammable range within the combustor. Therefore, the degree of temperature uniformity at the outlet of the combustor increases with hydrogen enrichment, corresponding to an increase of 49.64% in the uniformity factor. The hydrogen enriched fuel can also reduce the emissions of CO and CO₂, owing to the reduced amount of carbonaceous fuel.     

Three-dimensional simulation of a rotating detonation engine in ammonia/hydrogen mixtures and oxygen-enriched air

Rotating detonation using ammonia as fuel may be a potential carbon free combustion technology for gas turbine. The detonation wave structure and flow field of a rotating detonation annular combustor are investigated by three-dimensional simulation with detailed chemistry of ammonia/hydrogen-air. The detonation properties, propagation mode, combustor performance and emission characteristics are studied by varying the equivalence ratios and hydrogen concentrations. Both the increases of the combustor pressure and the hydrogen concentration promote the chemical reaction rate of the ammonia burn and the detonation wave velocity gradually increases with increasing hydrogen proportion based on one-dimensional simulation. A stable single-rotating waves resulting in ammonia/hydrogen combustor are observed for a wide range of equivalent ratios only when the hydrogen concentration is at least 0.2. The steady run of the single rotating detonation had an optimal cycle efficiency when the hydrogen concentration is increased to a critical value of 0.3. NOx emissions are more dependent on equivalent ratios than hydrogen concentration in equivalence ratios ranging from 0.70 to 1.40.     

Combustion efficiency improvement for scramjet combustor with strut based flame stabilizer using passive techniques

In a Supersonic combustion ramjet (Scramjet) engine, combustion occurs at supersonic velocity as incoming air remains supersonic. Scramjet engines have complex flow phenomena taking place inside the combustor. In a scramjet combustor, mixing and combustion should take place within few milliseconds. In the present study, two additional trailing struts with no fuel injection are placed a short distance downstream of the fuel injection strut. Effect on combustion performance using these strut-based flame stabilizer configurations are assessed. Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved with turbulence model and species transport equations. Validated results of the single strut are compared with the different strut configurations. It is found that the placement of trailing struts have a vital role. High-pressure zones, shock reflections, recirculation region, and expansion fan in between combustion region and the trailing struts enhance the combustion efficiency. Strut configuration introducing high-pressure regions outperformed other strut configurations due to the formation of a strong recirculation region in the core combustion region. Combustion efficiency is found to have a maximum improvement of 67.14% compared with single strut-based flame stabilizer. Total pressure loss also increased due to the introduction of additional struts.     

Thermal performance of a meso-scale liquid-fuel combustor

Combustion in small scale devices poses significant challenges due to the quenching of reactions from wall heat losses as well as the significantly reduced time available for mixing and combustion. In the case of liquid fuels there are additional challenges related to atomization, vaporization and mixing with the oxidant in the very short time-scale liquid-fuel combustor. The liquid fuel employed here is methanol with air as the oxidizer. The combustor was designed based on the heat recirculating concept wherein the incoming reactants are preheated by the combustion products through heat exchange occurring via combustor walls. The combustor was fabricated from Zirconium phosphate, a ceramic with very low thermal conductivity (0.8 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹). The combustor had rectangular shaped double spiral geometry with combustion chamber in the center of the spiral formed by inlet and exhaust channels. Methanol and air were introduced immediately upstream at inlet of the combustor. The preheated walls of the inlet channel also act as a pre-vaporizer for liquid fuel which vaporizes the liquid fuel and then mixes with air prior to the fuel–air mixture reaching the combustion chamber. Rapid pre-vaporization of the liquid fuel by the hot narrow channel walls eliminated the necessity for a fuel atomizer. Self-sustained combustion of methanol–air was achieved in a chamber volume as small as 32.6 mm³. The results showed stable combustion under fuel-rich conditions. High reactant preheat temperatures (675 K–825 K) were obtained; however, the product temperatures measured at the exhaust were on the lower side (475 K–615 K). The estimated combustor heat load was in the range 50 W–280 W and maximum power density of about 8.5 GW/m³. This is very high when compared to macro-scale combustors. Overall energy efficiency of the combustor was estimated to be in the range of 12–20%. This suggests further scope of improvements in fuel–air mixing and mixture preparation.     

A computational study on the combustion of hydrogen/methane blended fuels for a micro gas turbines

To understand the combustion performance of using hydrogen/methane blended fuels for a micro gas turbine that was originally designed as a natural gas fueled engine, the combustion characteristics of a can combustor has been modeled and the effects of hydrogen addition were investigated. The simulations were performed with three-dimensional compressible k-ε turbulent flow model and presumed probability density function for chemical reaction. The combustion and emission characteristics with a variable volumetric fraction of hydrogen from 0% to 90% were studied. As hydrogen is substituted for methane at a fixed fuel injection velocity, the flame temperatures become higher, but lower fuel flow rate and heat input at higher hydrogen substitution percentages cause a power shortage. To apply the blended fuels at a constant fuel flow rate, the flame temperatures are increased with increasing hydrogen percentages. This will benefit the performance of gas turbine, but the cooling and the NO_x emissions are the primary concerns. While fixing a certain heat input to the engine with blended fuels, wider but shorter flames at higher hydrogen percentages are found, but the substantial increase of CO emission indicates a decrease in combustion efficiency. Further modifications including fuel injection and cooling strategies are needed for the micro gas turbine engine with hydrogen/methane blended fuel as an alternative.     

Micro-combustor performance enhancement by hydrogen addition in a combined baffle-bluff configuration

The size limitation of micro-combustors leads to insufficient residence times, flame instabilities, and intensified heat losses which are main challenges that scientists have always faced with. To come up with solutions to these challenges, the effects of hydrogen addition to the premixed methane-air mixture in a recently designed Micro-Thermo-Photo-Voltaic (MTPV) combustor with parallel baffles and cylindrical bluffs are investigated numerically. It is concluded that the fuel blend with 70% hydrogen and 30% methane could improve the average wall temperature, temperature uniformity, and combustion efficiency by 60 K, 73%, and 4.5%, respectively. In addition, the best hydrogen fraction in the fuel blend is independent of the baffle thickness, as the most important geometrical parameter, but increases with the increase in the energy input (mass flow rate) to the combustor. The physical analyses revealed that the proximity of the flame front to the combustor inlet and the high curvature of the flame surface are the reasons underlying the superior performance of the optimal fuel blend. Furthermore, the hydrogen enrichment could reduce the pressure drop inside the combustor by reducing the size of the separation region behind the bluff-bodies.     

The combustion tuning methodology of an industrial gas turbine using a sensitivity analysis

This paper presents the results of combustion performance testing of a 5.25 MWe industrial gas turbine which features a conical counter-flow double-swirl stabilized, premixed combustor and the Combustion Tuning methodology using a Sensitivity Analysis (abbreviated to CTSA). The combustion performance test was conducted in an atmospheric pressure, optically accessible, real engine scale combustor. The atmospheric rig and real engine correlation was verified by comparing real engine data which were gathered from high pressure tests. NOx and CO emissions, combustor temperature at the fuel nozzle, dump plane and exhaust, dynamic pressure and flame structure, using planer laser induced fluorescence, were investigated with respect to power load and ambient temperature. To enhance the NOx and CO emission performances with stable combustion, the relative sensitivities of five control parameters were analyzed, and on the basis of sensitivity analysis data, combustion tuning testing was conducted. By using the CTSA, NOx emission in exhaust gas was reduced from 18 to 2.2 ppm at base load, with high combustion efficiency (>99.9%), and very little pressure fluctuation (P_rms < 0.1 kPa).     

Study of non-premixed turbulent flame of hydrogen/air downstream Co-Current injector

For three decades, hydrogen has been identified as a versatile potential fuel concurrent to the conventional fuel such as gasoline. In order to fully implement it and to develop the combustion based power devices that may supply much higher energy density, it is very essential to understand the mechanism of Hydrogen/Air combustion. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations have been performed to study the combustion of non-premixed turbulent hydrogen-air mixture with different equivalence ratios and different mass flow rates and its effect on different species formation, peak temperature and NO_x formation. The performance of the combustor is evaluated by using FLUENT software under adiabatic wall condition. Generalized finite rate chemistry model was used to analyze the hydrogen-air combustion system. The combustion is modeled using multi-step reaction mechanism with 14 species, until complete conversion of fuel to H₂O. Through such a systematic analysis, a proper controlled operation condition for the combustor is suggested which may be used as a guideline for combustor design. Results reported in this work illustrate that the CFD simulation can be one of the most powerful, beneficial and economical tool for combustor design and for optimization and performance analysis. They are more sensitive to the model of the transport properties while the reasonable results can be achieved even with the use of global reaction mechanism and a simple turbulence model as k- ε, which are not excessively time and memory consuming. From an environmental point view, this study shows that the radical production (OH and NO) is very small although maximum temperature reached exceeded 2000 (K). The mass fraction of NO is much lower if we increase the air inlet velocity, which makes the cold reaction mixture do not promote the NO formation by dissociation.     

Combustion in swirling flows: A review

Swirling flows have been commonly used for a number of years for the stabilization of high-intensity combustion processes. In general these swirling flows are poorly understood because of their compelexity. This paper describes the recent progress in understanding and using these swirling flows. The main effects of swirl are to improve flame stability as a result of the formation of toroidal recirculation zones and to reduce combustion lengths by producing high rates of entrainment of the ambient fluid and fast mixing, particularly near to the boundaries of recirculation zones. Two main types of swirl combustor can be identified as follows:The Swirl Burner. Here swirling flow exhausts into a furnace or cavity combustion occurs in and just outside the burner exit.The Cyclone Combustion Chamber. Here air is injected tangentially into a large, usually, cylindrical chamber and exhausts through a centrally located exit hole in one end. Combustion mostly occurs inside the cyclone chamber.Initially the isothermal performance of swirl combustors is considered, and it is demonstrated that, contrary to many previous assumptions, the flow is often not axisymmetric but three-dimensional time-dependent. Under most normal nonpremixed combustion conditions, the swirling flow returns to axisymmetry, although there is still a residual presence of the three-dimensionality, particularly on the boundary of the reverse flow zone. Swirl increases considerably the stability limits of most flames; in fact with certain swirl burners, the blow-off limits are virtually infinite. Cyclone combustion chambers have large internal reverse flow zones which provide very long residence times for the fuel/air mixture. They are typically used for the combustion of difficult materials such as poor quality coal or vegetable refuse. In contrast to the swirl burner which usually has one central toroidal, recirculation zone, the cyclone combustor often has up to three concentric toroidal recirculation zones. Sufficient information is also available to indicate that stratified or staged fuel or air entry may be used to minimize noise, hydrocarbon, and NO_x emissions from swirl combustors.     

微热光电系统中的微燃烧研究

描述了一种新颖的MEMS动力源概念，即微热光电(TPV)系统。该系统将使用氢气作为燃料，每立方厘米体积能够发出1～10W的电力。微燃烧室是该系统中最重要的元件之一，为了获得较高的电能输出，燃烧室壁面的温度分布要求高而且均匀。由于微燃烧室面容比大，热损失显增加；着火困难并使火焰窒熄。为了测试微燃烧室内燃烧的可行性和确定影响燃烧的有关因素，进行了实验和数值模拟。结果表明燃烧室壁面能够得到要求的高温，且温度分布均匀。     

Investigation of flow characteristics in supersonic combustion ramjet combustor toward improvement of combustion efficiency

Supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) is a variant of ramjet in which the combustion takes place at supersonic velocity. The flow physics inside the scramjet combustor is quite complex due to the fact that the mixing and completion of the combustion take place in a short time, which is of the order of milliseconds. This study focuses on flow characteristics within the combustion chamber of the scramjet engine that is designed to improve energy efficiency by enhancing combustion efficiency. The effect on combustion performance and thereby the energy efficiency on using strut‐based flame stabilizer is evaluated at different positions. Reynolds averaged Navier‐Stokes equations are solved with the Shear Stress Transport k‐ω turbulence model. Single strut configuration is used to validate with the experimental data. Single strut is then compared with three‐strut configuration. In the three‐strut configuration, the location of the primary strut is kept constant, and the secondary struts are relocated in x and y directions. Combustion performance was evaluated for the cases of flow from primary strut only and through three struts. It was found that the placement of secondary strut in a three‐strut configuration plays a vital role in improving energy efficiency. A maximum of 33.86% improvement in combustion efficiency was observed in comparison to the single strut combustor. A reduction in unburned fuel was observed, making the system more energy efficient. If the struts are not placed optimally, the combustion performance of the combustor was observed to be lower than that of a single‐strut configuration. The shock reflection and expansion fans within the primary combustion zone and the secondary strut region enhance the combustion efficiency. The wall static pressure was observed to increase with the addition of secondary struts. For certain strut configurations, flow separation was seen on the combustor walls. If the secondary strut was placed close to the primary strut, combustion efficiency was found to enhance. It was seen that combustion efficiency was also enhanced for the cases of reacting flow from primary strut only. It could also help to increase fuel efficiency, as additional fuel is not supplied to the secondary strut, making the overall system energy efficient. As the secondary strut is introduced, total pressure loss also increases. It could also be noted that if the combustor length was increased, there could be further increased in combustion efficiency.     

Flame–vortex interaction driven combustion dynamics in a backward-facing step combustor

The combustion dynamics of propane–hydrogen mixtures are investigated in an atmospheric pressure, lean, premixed backward-facing step combustor. We systematically vary the equivalence ratio, inlet temperature and fuel composition to determine the stability map of the combustor. Simultaneous pressure, velocity, heat release rate and equivalence ratio measurements and high-speed video from the experiments are used to identify and characterize several distinct operating modes. When fuel is injected far upstream from the step, the equivalence ratio entering the flame is temporally and spatially uniform, and the combustion dynamics are governed only by flame–vortex interactions. Four distinct dynamic regimes are observed depending on the operating parameters. At high but lean equivalence ratios, the flame is unstable and oscillates strongly as it is wrapped around the large unsteady wake vortex. At intermediate equivalence ratios, weakly oscillating quasi-stable flames are observed. Near the lean blowout limit, long stable flames extending from the corner of the step are formed. At atmospheric inlet temperature, the unstable mode resonates at the 1/4 wavemode of the combustor. As the inlet temperature is increased, the 5/4 wavemode of the combustor is excited at high but lean equivalence ratios, forming the high-frequency unstable flames. Higher hydrogen concentration in the fuel and higher inlet temperatures reduce the equivalence ratios at which the transitions between regimes are observed. We plot combustion dynamics maps or the response curves, that is the overall sound pressure level as a function of the equivalence ratio, for different operating conditions. We demonstrate that numerical results of strained premixed flames can be used to collapse the response curves describing the transitions among the dynamic modes onto a function of the heat release rate parameter alone, rather than a function dependent on the equivalence ratio, inlet temperature and fuel composition separately. We formulate a theory for predicting the critical values of the heat release parameter at which quasi-stable to unstable and unstable to high-frequency unstable modes take place.     

Frontiers in combustion techniques and burner designs for emissions control and CO2 capture: A review

The use of fossil fuel is expected to increase significantly by midcentury because of the large rise in the world energy demand despite the effective integration of renewable energies in the energy production sector. This increase, alongside with the development of stricter emission regulations, forced the manufacturers of combustion systems, especially gas turbines, to develop novel combustion techniques for the control of NO_x and CO₂ emissions, the latter being a greenhouse gas responsible for more than 60% to the global warming problem. The present review addresses different burner designs and combustion techniques for clean power production in gas turbines. Combustion and emission characteristics, flame instabilities, and solution techniques are presented, such as lean premixed air‐fuel (LPM) and premixed oxy‐fuel combustion techniques, and the combustor performance is compared for both cases. The fuel flexibility approach is also reviewed, as one of the combustion techniques for controlling emissions and reducing flame instabilities, focusing on the hydrogen‐enrichment and the integrated fuel‐flexible premixed oxy‐combustion approaches. State‐of‐the‐art burner designs for gas turbine combustion applications are reviewed in this study, including stagnation point reverse flow (SPRF) burner, dry low NO_x (DLN) and dry low‐emission (DLE) burners, EnVironmental burners (including EV, AEV, and SEV burners), perforated plate (PP) burner, and micromixer (MM) burner. Special emphasis is made on the MM combustor technology, as one of the most recent advances in gas turbines for stable premixed flame operation with wide turndown and effective control of NO_x emissions. Since the generation of pure oxygen is prerequisite to oxy‐combustion, oxygen‐separation membranes became of immense importance either for air separation for clean oxy‐combustion applications or for conversion/splitting of the effluent CO₂ into useful chemical and energy products. The different carbon‐capture technologies, along with the most recent carbon‐utilization approaches towards CO₂ emissions control, are also reviewed.