Design and Development of a Research Combustor for Lean Blow-Out Studies

1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Sturgess ◽  
D. G. Sloan ◽  
A. L. Lesmerises ◽  
S. P. Heneghan ◽  
D. R. Ballal
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Flame Instability ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Design Choice ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Lift Off

In a modern aircraft gas turbine combustor, the phenomenon of lean blow-out (LBO) is of major concern. To understand the physical processes involved in LBO, a research combustor was designed and developed specifically to reproduce recirculation patterns and LBO processes that occur in a real gas turbine combustor. A total of eight leading design criteria were established for the research combustor. This paper discusses the combustor design constraints, aerothermochemical design, choice of combustor configurations, combustor sizing, mechanical design, combustor light-off, and combustor acoustic considerations that went into the final design and fabrication. Tests on this combustor reveal a complex sequence of events such as flame lift-off, intermittency, and onset of axial flame instability leading to lean blowout. The combustor operates satisfactorily and is yielding benchmark quality data for validating and refining computer models for predicting LBO in real engine combustors.

Design and Development of a Research Combustor for Lean Blowout Studies

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Sturgess ◽  
D. G. Sloan ◽  
A. L. Lesmerises ◽  
S. P. Heneghan ◽  
D. R. Ballal
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Flame Instability ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Design Choice ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Lift Off

In a modern annular aircraft gas turbine combustor, the phenomenon of lean blow out (LBO) is of major concern. To understand the physical processes involved in LBO, a research combustor was designed and developed to specifically reproduce recirculation patterns and LBO processes that occur in a real gas turbine combustor. A total of eight leading design criteria were established for the research combustor. This paper discusses the combustor design constraints, aerothermochemical design, choice of combustor configurations, combustor sizing, mechanical design, combustor light-off, and combustor acoustic considerations that went into the final design and fabrication. Tests on this combustor reveal a complex sequence of events such as flame lift-off, intermittency, and onset of axial flame instability leading to lean blowout. The combustor operates satisfactorily and is yielding benchmark quality data for validating and refining computer models for predicting LBO in real engine combustors.

scholarly journals The Effect of Discrete Pilot Hydrogen Dopant Injection on the Lean Blowout Performance of a Model Gas Turbine Combustor

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oanh Nguyen ◽  
Scott Samuelsen
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Atmospheric Pressure ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Lean Combustion ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Model Gas Turbine Combustor

In view of increasingly stringent NOx emissions regulations on stationary gas turbines, lean combustion offers an attractive option to reduce reaction temperatures and thereby decrease NOx production. Under lean operation, however, the reaction is vulnerable to blowout. It is herein postulated that pilot hydrogen dopant injection, discretely located, can enhance the lean blowout performance without sacrificing overall performance. The present study addresses this hypothesis in a research combustor assembly, operated at atmospheric pressure, and fired on natural gas using rapid mixing injection, typical of commercial units. Five hydrogen injector scenarios are investigated. The results show that (1) pilot hydrogen dopant injection, discretely located, leads to improved lean blowout performance and (2) the location of discrete injection has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the doping strategy.

Anchored CCD for Gas Turbine Combustor Design and Data Correlation

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Danis ◽  
D. L. Burrus ◽  
H. C. Mongia
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Combustion ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Hybrid Modeling ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Combustion Dynamics ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Design Database ◽  
Exit Temperature ◽  
Temperature Levels

Correlations based on design database, combined with multidimensional computational combustion dynamics (CCD) models are used in the combustion design process. However, because of limitations in the current turbulent combustion models, numerics, and boundary conditions, CCD has provided mainly qualitative trends for aerothermal performance, emissions, and liner wall temperature levels and gradients. To overcome these deficiencies, hybrid modeling approaches have been proposed to analyze existing combustors. A typical hybrid modeling approach combines empirical and semianalytical correlations with CCD to give quantitatively accurate predictions of NOx, CO, HC, smoke, lean blowout, ignition, pattern factor, and liner wall temperatures. An alternate approach, anchored CCD, is described in this paper. First, the models were anchored with one of the five modern turbopropulsion engine combustors. The anchored models were then run for the other four combustors. The predicted results correlated well with measured NOx, CO, HC, LEO, and exit temperature quality data, demonstrating a broader applicability of the anchored method. The models were also used for designing a new combustion concept. The pretest prediction agreed well with sector rig data from development hardware, showing the feasibility of using the anchored methodology as a design tool.

Solar Turbines Incorporated “Taurus 60” Gas Turbine Development

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vern Van Leuven
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Thermodynamic Cycle ◽  
Turbine Rotor ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Design Selection

The Taurus gas turbine was first introduced in 1989 with ratings of 6200 HP for single shaft and 6500 HP for twin shaft configurations. A new design of the single shaft third stage turbine rotor and exhaust diffuser brought its power to 6500 HP in 1991. A program was initiated early in 1992 to identify opportunities to further optimize performance of the Taurus. Thorough investigation of performance sensitivity to thermodynamic cycle parameters has resulted in significant improvement over the original design with no change in firing temperature. Aerodynamic and mechanical design changes were implemented in 1993 which raised Taurus performance to 7000 HP and 32% thermal efficiency. Selection of the final design configuration was the outcome of performance maximization versus cost increase, durability risk and loss of commonality with previous engines. This paper details these changes and the design selection process.

scholarly journals Experimental Prediction of Lean Blowout Limits for 3kW Micro Gas Turbine Combustor fuelled with LPG

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
V. KIRUBAKARAN ◽  
David BHATT
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Inlet Velocity ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Experimental Prediction

The Lean Blowout Limit of the combustor is one of the important performance parameters for a gas turbine combustor design. This study aims to predict the total pressure loss and Lean Blowout (LBO) limits of an in-house designed swirl stabilized 3kW can-type micro gas turbine combustor. The experimental prediction of total pressure loss and LBO limits was performed on a designed combustor fuelled with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for the combustor inlet velocity ranging from 1.70 m/s to 11 m/s. The results show that the predicted total pressure drop increases with increasing combustor inlet velocity, whereas the LBO equivalence ratio decreases gradually with an increase in combustor inlet velocity. The combustor total pressure drop was found to be negligible; being in the range of 0.002 % to 0.065 % for the measured inlet velocity conditions. These LBO limits predictions will be used to fix the operating boundary conditions of the gas turbine combustor.

scholarly journals Feature-Parameter-Criterion for Predicting Lean Blowout Limit of Gas Turbine Combustor and Bluff Body Burner

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongtao Zheng ◽  
Zhibo Zhang ◽  
Yajun Li ◽  
Zhiming Li
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Experiment Data ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Feature Parameter ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Mixture Velocity ◽  
Good Agreement

Lean blowout (LBO) limit is one of the most important combustor parameters. A new method named Feature-Parameter-Criterion (FPC) for predicting LBO limit has been put forward in the present work. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software FLUENT has been used to simulate the process of LBO of gas turbine combustor and bluff body burner. And “M” flame has been proposed as the portent for predicting lean blowout of gas turbine combustor. Effects of flow velocity, air temperature, droplet averaged-diameter, and flow distribution between swirlers and primary holes on the LBO limit of gas turbine combustor have been researched by use of Feature-Parameter-Criterion in this paper. The effects of fuel air mixture velocity and different structures on bluff body LBO limit have also been analyzed in the present work by use of FPC. The results show that the simulation of LBO limit based on FPC is in good agreement with the experiment data (the errors are about 5%) and this method is reliable for engineering applications.

Prediction of lean blowout performance on variation of combustor inlet area ratio for micro gas turbine combustor

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirubakaran V. ◽  
Naren Shankar R.
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Equivalence Ratio ◽  
Area Ratio ◽  
Gas Temperature ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Primary Zone

Purpose This paper aims to predict the effect of combustor inlet area ratio (CIAR) on the lean blowout limit (LBO) of a swirl stabilized can-type micro gas turbine combustor having a thermal capacity of 3 kW. Design/methodology/approach The blowout limits of the combustor were predicted predominantly from numerical simulations by using the average exit gas temperature (AEGT) method. In this method, the blowout limit is determined from characteristics of the average exit gas temperature of the combustion products for varying equivalence. The CIAR value considered in this study ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 and combustor inlet velocities range from 1.70 to 6.80 m/s. Findings The LBO equivalence ratio decreases gradually with an increase in inlet velocity. On the other hand, the LBO equivalence ratio decreases significantly especially at low inlet velocities with a decrease in CIAR. These results were backed by experimental results for a case of CIAR equal to 0.2. Practical implications Gas turbine combustors are vulnerable to operate on lean equivalence ratios at cruise flight to avoid high thermal stresses. A flame blowout is the main issue faced in lean operations. Based on literature and studies, the combustor lean blowout performance significantly depends on the primary zone mass flow rate. By incorporating variable area snout in the combustor will alter the primary zone mass flow rates by which the combustor will experience extended lean blowout limit characteristics. Originality/value This is a first effort to predict the lean blowout performance on the variation of combustor inlet area ratio on gas turbine combustor. This would help to extend the flame stability region for the gas turbine combustor.

Investigation of effect of atomization performance on lean blowout limit for gas turbine combustors by comparison of utilizing aviation kerosene and methane as fuel

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Sun ◽  
Yong Huang ◽  
Zhilin Liu ◽  
Shaolin Wang ◽  
Xiaobo Guo
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Liquid Fuel ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Gas Turbine Combustor ◽  
Lean Blowout ◽  
Aviation Kerosene ◽  
Aero Engine ◽  
Gas Fuel ◽  
Atomization Performance

Abstract The lean blowout (LBO) limit is crucial for gas turbine combustor in the aero engine. The effect of atomization of liquid fuels on the LBO limit is needed to be further studied. On the other hand, the effects of atomization on the LBO limit can be neglected if gas fuels are utilized in a combustor. Thus, the comparative experiment between liquid fuel and gas fuel can be utilized to study the effects of atomization performance of liquid fuels on the LBO limit. In this paper, the LBO limit for a gas turbine combustor utilizing methane is studied experimentally. Seven kinds of combustor configurations are chosen for the experimental test. The LBO limits are obtained for all the chosen combustors. The variation of the LBO limit with the combustor configuration for both methane and aviation kerosene exhibits the similar tendency, i.e., the LBO limits utilizing methane are slightly larger than those utilizing aviation kerosene for the same combustor. Further, the atomization performance has little effects on the LBO limits for the present combustor configurations at the present operating conditions where the SMD for the fuel atomizer utilizing aviation kerosene is about 10 μm.

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