Effects of Pilot Fuel and Liner Cooling on the Flame Structure in a Full Scale Swirl-Stabilized Combustion Setup

Author(s):  
Jens Färber ◽  
Rainer Koch ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer ◽  
Matthias Hase ◽  
Werner Krebs

The flame structure and the limits of operation of a lean premixed swirl flame were experimentally investigated under piloted and nonpiloted conditions. Flame stabilization and blow out limits are discussed with respect to pilot fuel injection and combustor liner cooling for lean operating conditions. Two distinctly different flow patterns are found to develop depending on piloting and liner cooling parameters. These flow patterns are characterized with respect to flame stability, blow out limits, combustion noise, and emissions. The combustion system explored consists of a single burner similar to the burners used in Siemens annular combustion systems. The burner feeds a distinctively nonadiabatic combustion chamber operated with natural gas under atmospheric pressure. Liner cooling is mimicked by purely convective cooling and an additional flow of “leakage air” injected into the combustion chamber. Both additional air flow and the pilot fuel ratio were found to have a strong influence on the flow structure and stability of the flame close to the lean blow off (LBO) limit. It is shown by laser Doppler velocimetry that the angle of the swirl cone is strongly affected by pilot fuel injection. Two distinct types of flow patterns are observed close to LBO in this large scale setup: While nonpiloted flames exhibit tight cone angles and small inner recirculation zones (IRZs), sufficient piloting results in a wide cone angle and a large IRZ. Only in the latter case, the main flow becomes attached to the combustor liner. Flame structures deduced from flow fields and CH-chemiluminescence images depend on both the pilot fuel injection and liner cooling.

Author(s):  
Jens Fa¨rber ◽  
Rainer Koch ◽  
Hans-Jo¨rg Bauer ◽  
Matthias Hase ◽  
Werner Krebs

The flame structure and the limits of operation of a lean premixed swirl flame were experimentally investigated under piloted and non-piloted conditions. Flame stabilization and blow out limits are discussed with respect to pilot fuel injection and combustor liner cooling for lean operating conditions. Two distinctly different flow patterns are found to develop depending on piloting and liner cooling parameters. These flow patterns are characterized with respect to flame stability, blow out limits, combustion noise and emissions. The combustion system explored consists of a single burner similar to the burners used in Siemens annular combustion systems. The burner feeds a distinctively non-adiabatic combustion chamber operated with natural gas under atmospheric pressure. Liner cooling is mimicked by purely convective cooling and an additional flow of ‘leakage air’ injected into the combustion chamber. Both, this additional air flow and the pilot fuel ratio were found to have a strong influence on the flow structure and stability of the flame close to the lean blow off limit (LBO). It is shown by Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) that the angle of the swirl cone is strongly affected by pilot fuel injection. Two distinct types of flow patterns are observed close to LBO in this large scale setup: While non-piloted flames exhibit tight cone angles and small inner recirculation zones (IRZ), sufficient piloting results in a wide cone angle and a large IRZ. Only in the latter case, the main flow becomes attached to the combustor liner. Flame structures deduced from flow fields and CH-Chemiluminescence images depend on both the pilot fuel injection and liner cooling.


Author(s):  
Stefan Harth ◽  
Nikolaos Zarzalis ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer ◽  
F. Turrini

A new compact injection system design for piloted lean combustion has been developed to reduce the pollutant emissions in aero engines. The system includes an integrated premixing zone to achieve a homogenous fuel distribution, so that peak temperatures in the combustor are avoided. This leads to low NOx emissions at lean conditions. The risks of flame flashback and auto ignition have been considered in the design and neither of them has been detected by the performed tests. To avoid the formation of a recirculation zone within the mixing zone an axial air jet has been introduced. This axial jet also works as an air assisted pilot fuel atomizer, which is a major innovation as compared to other lean injection systems using pressure-swirl atomizers for the pilot fuel like e.g. the PERM (Partial Evaporation and Rapid Mixing) concept developed in a previous research program [1], [2]. The main fuel injection of the current configuration is performed by four circumferentially arranged pressure swirl atomizers, which is also an alternative approach compared to previous concepts. The emission performance of the injection system using kerosene Jet A-1 has been investigated in a tubular combustor with air inlet temperatures up to 733 K and combustor pressures up to 10 bar. The dependencies of pilot fuel split, air to fuel ratio, combustor pressure and air inlet temperature on emissions have been determined. Over a wide range of operating conditions a low amount of pollutant emissions are achieved and the stability range is broadened by the pilot fuel injection. The flame structure has been analyzed by OH* chemiluminescence measurements. The Abel transformation technique has been applied to the images to generate the radial distribution. The main flame is lifted and its shape remains similar for different combustor pressures. The lift off height with only pilot fuel injection decreases with increasing combustor pressure and the flame shape is changing. This behavior is explained based on the effects of combustor pressure on fuel atomization, droplet traces and the distribution of evaporated fuel. The development and testing have been conducted in cooperation of AVIO and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in the frame of the European Commission co-financed research project TECC-AE (Technology Enhancement for Clean Combustion in Aero Engines).


Author(s):  
Kristen Bishop ◽  
William Allan

The effects of fuel nozzle condition on the temperature distributions experienced by the nozzle guide vanes have been investigated using an optical patternator. Average spray cone angle, symmetry, and fuel streaks were quantified. An ambient pressure and temperature combustion chamber test rig was used to capture exit temperature distributions and to determine the pattern factor. The rig tests matched representative engine operating conditions by matching Mach number, equivalence ratio, and fuel droplet size. It was observed that very small deviations (± 10° in spray cone angle) from a nominal distribution in the fuel nozzle spray pattern correlated to increases in pattern factor, apparently due to a degradation of mixing processes, which created larger regions of very high temperature core flow and smaller regions of cooler temperatures within the combustion chamber exit plane. The spray cone angle had the most measureable influence while the effects of spray roundness and streak intensity had slightly less influence. Comparisons were made with published studies conducted on the combustion chamber geometry, and recommendations were made for fuel nozzle inspections.


Author(s):  
Oliver Lammel ◽  
Tim Rödiger ◽  
Michael Stöhr ◽  
Holger Ax ◽  
Peter Kutne ◽  
...  

In this contribution, comprehensive optical and laser based measurements in a generic multi-jet combustor at gas turbine relevant conditions are presented. The flame position and shape, flow field, temperatures and species concentrations of turbulent premixed natural gas and hydrogen flames were investigated in a high-pressure test rig with optical access. The needs of modern highly efficient gas turbine combustion systems, i.e., fuel flexibility, load flexibility with increased part load capability, and high turbine inlet temperatures, have to be addressed by novel or improved burner concepts. One promising design is the enhanced FLOX® burner, which can achieve low pollutant emissions in a very wide range of operating conditions. In principle, this kind of gas turbine combustor consists of several nozzles without swirl, which discharge axial high momentum jets through orifices arranged on a circle. The geometry provides a pronounced inner recirculation zone in the combustion chamber. Flame stabilization takes place in a shear layer around the jet flow, where fresh gas is mixed with hot exhaust gas. Flashback resistance is obtained through the absence of low velocity zones, which favors this concept for multi-fuel applications, e.g. fuels with medium to high hydrogen content. The understanding of flame stabilization mechanisms of jet flames for different fuels is the key to identify and control the main parameters in the design process of combustors based on an enhanced FLOX® burner concept. Both experimental analysis and numerical simulations can contribute and complement each other in this task. They need a detailed and relevant data base, with well-known boundary conditions. For this purpose, a high-pressure burner assembly was designed with a generic 3-nozzle combustor in a rectangular combustion chamber with optical access. The nozzles are linearly arranged in z direction to allow for jet-jet interaction of the middle jet. This line is off-centered in y direction to develop a distinct recirculation zone. This arrangement approximates a sector of a full FLOX® gas turbine burner. The experiments were conducted at a pressure of 8 bar with preheated and premixed natural gas/air and hydrogen/air flows and jet velocities of 120 m/s. For the visualization of the flame, OH* chemiluminescence imaging was performed. 1D laser Raman scattering was applied and evaluated on an average and single shot basis in order to simultaneously and quantitatively determine the major species concentrations, the mixture fraction and the temperature. Flow velocities were measured using particle image velocimetry at different section planes through the combustion chamber.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Seshadri ◽  
J. A. Caton ◽  
K. D. Kihm

Experiments have been completed to characterize coal-water slurry sprays from a modified positive displacement fuel injection system of a diesel engine. The injection system includes an injection jerk pump driven by an electric motor, a specially designed diaphragm to separate the abrasive coal from the pump, and a single-hole fuel nozzle. The sprays were injected into a pressurized chamber equipped with windows. High speed movies and instantaneous fuel line pressures were obtained. For injection pressures of order 30 MPa or higher, the sprays were similar for coal-water slurry, diesel fuel, and water. The time until the center core of the spray broke up (break-up time) was determined both from the movies and from a model using the fuel line pressures. Results from these two independent procedures were in good agreement. For the base conditions, the break-up time was 0.58 and 0.50 ms for coal-water slurry and diesel fuel, respectively. The break-up times increased with increasing nozzle orifice size and with decreasing chamber density. The break-up time was not a function of coal loading for coal loadings up to 53 percent. Cone angles of the sprays were dependent on the operating conditions and fluid, as well as on the time and location of the measurement. For one set of cases studied, the time-averaged cone angle was 15.9 and 16.3 deg for coal-water slurry and diesel fuel, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghav Sood ◽  
Preetam Sharma ◽  
Vaibhav Kumar Arghode

Abstract This paper deals with an experimental investigation of a novel and simple reverse flow combustor, operated stably with a liquid fuel (ethanol) for heat release intensities ranging from 16 to 25 MW/(m3·atm) with very low NOx and CO emissions. The liquid fuel is injected coaxially with the air jet along the centerline of the combustor. The high velocity air annulus helps in primary breakup of the liquid fuel jet. Air injection along the combustor centerline results in a strong peripheral vortex inside the combustor leading to enhanced product gas recirculation, internal preheating of the reactants, and stabilization of reaction zones. Single-digit NOx emissions were obtained for both coaxial fuel injection (non-premixed) and a premixed–prevaporized (PP) cases for all operating conditions. CO emissions for both the modes were less than 100 ppm (ϕ < 0.75). CH* chemiluminescence images revealed two distinct flame structures for coaxial fuel injection case. A single flame structure for PP case was observed extending from the injector exit to the bottom of the combustor. The instantaneous (spatially averaged) CH* intensity fluctuations were significantly lower for the PP case as compared to the coaxial fuel injection case.


Author(s):  
Arman Ahamed Subash ◽  
Haisol Kim ◽  
Sven-Inge Möller ◽  
Mattias Richter ◽  
Christian Brackmann ◽  
...  

Abstract Experimental investigations were performed using a standard 3rd generation dry low emission (DLE) burner under atmospheric pressure to study the effect of central and pilot fuel addition, load variations and H2 enrichment in a NG flame. High-speed OH-PLIF and OH-chemiluminescence imaging were employed to investigate the flame stabilization, flame turbulence interactions, and flame dynamics. Along with the optical measurements, combustion emissions were recorded to observe the effect of changing operating conditions on NOX level. The burner is used in Siemens industrial gas turbines SGT-600, SGT-700 and SGT-800 with minor hardware differences. This study thus is a step to characterize fuel and load flexibility for these turbines. Without pilot and central fuel injections in the current burner configuration, the main flame is stabilized creating a central recirculation zone. Addition of the pilot fuel strengthens the outer recirculation zone (ORZ) and moves the flame slightly downstream, whereas the flame moves upstream without affecting the ORZ when central fuel injection is added. The flame was investigated utilizing H2/NG fuel mixtures where the H2 amount was changed from 0 to 100%. The flame becomes more compact, the anchoring position moves closer to the burner exit and the OH signal distribution becomes more distinct for H2 addition due to increased reaction rate, diffusivity, and laminar burning velocity. Changing the load from part to base, similar trends were observed in the flame behavior but in this case due to the higher heat release because of increased turbulence intensity.


Author(s):  
Masamichi Koyama ◽  
Hiroshi Fujiwara ◽  
Laurent Zimmer ◽  
Shigeru Tachibana

In this paper, flow fields inside a premixed combustor have been investigated by CFD analysis and PIV measurement in a preheating, non-reacting condition. Four types of premixer are examined. The design of the premixer is determined by the combination of swirlers and mixing tubes. There are two variations of triple-concentric swirlers and three variations of mixing tubes. Comparisons are made among mean velocity distributions derived from CFD and PIV. PDF analysis is performed on the data from PIV to discuss the possibility of the occurrence of flashback. Combustion rig tests have been carried out also on similar condition to see combustion instabilities depending on the choice of premixers and operating conditions. Flame is directly observed from crystal windows placed on the side and downstream of the combustion chamber. A glass rod is installed on the wall of the mixing tube so as to see light emissions inside the tube, i.e. evidence of flashback. Pressure fluctuations at the combustor liner are measured in one position. The spectra of pressure fluctuations are computed to look at the possibility of combustion oscillations. Discussions are made on the relation between the global flame structure and pressure modes. Finally, proper premixer configurations to prevent combustion instabilities are proposed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Zamboni

Indicated pressure diagrams were measured during experimental campaigns on the control of fuel injection, turbocharging and hybrid exhaust gas recirculation systems in an automotive downsized diesel engine. Three-part load operating conditions were selected for four test sets, where strategies aimed at the reduction of NOX emissions and fuel consumption, limiting penalties in soot emissions and combustion noise were applied to the selected systems. Processing of in-cylinder pressure signal, its first derivative and curves of the rate of heat release allowed us to evaluate seven parameters related to the combustion centre and duration, maximum values of pressure, heat release and its first derivative, heat released in the premixed phase and a combustion noise indicator. Relationships between these quantities and engine operating, energy and environmental parameters were then obtained by referring to the four test sets. In the paper, the most significant links are presented and discussed, aiming at a better understanding of the influence of control variables on the combustion process and the effects on engine behaviour. The proposed methodology proved to be a consistent tool for this analysis, useful for supporting the application of alternative fuels or advanced combustion modes.


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