NOx Behavior for Lean-Premixed Combustion of Alternative Gaseous Fuels

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Boyd Fackler ◽  
Megan Karalus ◽  
Igor Novosselov ◽  
John Kramlich ◽  
Philip Malte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Combustion Temperature ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Nox Emission ◽  
Fuel Composition ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Gaseous Fuels ◽  
Lean Premixed

Gaseous fuels other than pipeline natural gas are of interest in high-intensity premixed combustors (e.g., lean-premixed gas turbine combustors) as a means of broadening the range of potential fuel resources and increasing the utilization of alternative fuel gases. An area of key interest is the change in emissions that accompanies the replacement of a fuel. The work reported here is an experimental and modeling effort aimed at determining the changes in NOx emission that accompany the use of alternative fuels. Controlling oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from combustion sources is essential in nonattainment areas. Lean-premixed combustion eliminates most of the thermal NOx emission but is still subject to small, although significant amounts of NOx formed by the complexities of free radical chemistry in the turbulent flames of most combustion systems. Understanding these small amounts of NOx, and how their formation is altered by fuel composition, is the objective of this paper. We explore how NOx is formed in high-intensity, lean-premixed flames of alternative gaseous fuels. This is based on laboratory experiments and interpretation by chemical reactor modeling. Methane is used as the reference fuel. Combustion temperature is maintained the same for all fuels so that the effect of fuel composition on NOx can be studied without the complicating influence of changing temperature. Also the combustion reactor residence time is maintained nearly constant. When methane containing nitrogen and carbon dioxide (e.g., landfill gas) is burned, NOx increases because the fuel/air ratio is enriched to maintain combustion temperature. When fuels of increasing C/H ratio are burned leading to higher levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the flame, or when the fuel contains CO, the free radicals made as the CO oxidizes cause the NOx to increase. In these cases, the change from high-methane natural gas to alternative gaseous fuel causes the NOx to increase. However, when hydrogen is added to the methane, the NOx may increase or decrease, depending on the combustor wall heat loss. In our work, in which combustor wall heat loss is present, hydrogen addition deceases the NOx. This observation is compared to the literature. Additionally, minimum NOx emission is examined by comparing the present results to the findings of Leonard and Stegmaier.

NOx Behavior for Lean-Premixed Combustion of Alternative Gaseous Fuels

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Boyd Fackler ◽  
Megan Karalus ◽  
Igor Novosselov ◽  
John Kramlich ◽  
Philip Malte
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Combustion Temperature ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Nox Emission ◽  
Fuel Composition ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Gaseous Fuels ◽  
Lean Premixed

Gaseous fuels other than pipeline natural gas are of interest in high-intensity premixed combustors (e.g., lean-premixed gas turbine combustors) as a means of broadening the range of potential fuel resources and increasing the utilization of alternative fuel gases. An area of key interest is the change in emissions that accompanies the replacement of a fuel. The work reported here is an experimental and modeling effort aimed at determining the changes in NOx emission that accompany the use of alternative fuels. Controlling oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from combustion sources is essential in non-attainment areas. Lean-premixed combustion eliminates most of the thermal NOx emission, but is still subject to small, though significant amounts of NOx formed by the complexities of free radical chemistry in the turbulent flames of most combustion systems. Understanding these small amounts of NOx, and how their formation is altered by fuel composition, is the objective of this paper. We explore how NOx is formed in high-intensity, lean-premixed flames of alternative gaseous fuels. This is based on laboratory experiments and interpretation by chemical reactor modeling. Methane is used as the reference fuel. Combustion temperature is maintained the same for all fuels so that the effect of fuel composition on NOx can be studied without the complicating influence of changing temperature. Also, the combustion reactor residence time is maintained nearly constant. When methane containing nitrogen and carbon dioxide (e.g., landfill gas) is burned, NOx increases since the fuel/air ratio is enriched in order to maintain combustion temperature. When fuels of increasing C/H ratio are burned leading to higher levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the flame, or when the fuel contains CO, the free radicals made as the CO oxidizes cause the NOx to increase. In these cases, the change from high-methane natural gas to alternative gaseous fuel causes the NOx to increase. However, when hydrogen is added to the methane, the NOx may increase or decrease, depending on the combustor wall heat loss. In our work, in which combustor wall heat loss is present, hydrogen addition deceases the NOx. This observation is compared to the literature. Additionally, minimum NOx emission is examined by comparing the present results to the findings of Leonard and Stegmaier.

Development of a Natural Gas-Fired, Ultra-Low NOx Can Combustor for an 800 KW Gas Turbine

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. O. Smith ◽  
A. C. Holsapple ◽  
H. K. Mak ◽  
L. Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Variable Geometry ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Full Load ◽  
Primary Zone ◽  
Lean Premixed

The experimental results from the rig testing of an ultra-low NOx, natural gas-fired combustor for an 800 to 1000 kw gas turbine are presented. The combustor employed lean-premixed combustion to reduce NOx emissions and variable geometry to extend the range over which low emissions were obtained. Testing was conducted using natural gas and methanol. Testing at combustor pressures up to 6 atmospheres showed that ultra-low NOx emissions could be achieved from full load down to approximately 70% load through the combination of lean-premixed combustion and variable primary zone airflow.

Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Lean Hydrogen Combustion in a Premix Burner Prototype

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iarno Brunetti ◽  
Giovanni Riccio ◽  
Nicola Rossi ◽  
Alessandro Cappelletti ◽  
Lucia Bonelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Hydrogen Content ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Air Velocity ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

The use of hydrogen as derived fuel for low emission gas turbine is a crucial issue of clean coal technology power plant based on IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) technology. Control of NOx emissions in gas turbines supplied by natural gas is effectively achieved by lean premixed combustion technology; conversely, its application to NOx emission reduction in high hydrogen content fuels is not a reliable practice yet. Since the hydrogen premixed flame is featured by considerably higher flame speed than natural gas, very high air velocity values are required to prevent flash-back phenomena, with obvious negative repercussions on combustor pressure drop. In this context, the characterization of hydrogen lean premixed combustion via experimental and modeling analysis has a special interest for the development of hydrogen low NOx combustors. This paper describes the experimental and numerical investigations carried-out on a lean premixed burner prototype supplied by methane-hydrogen mixture with an hydrogen content up to 100%. The experimental activities were performed with the aim to collect practical data about the effect of the hydrogen content in the fuel on combustion parameters as: air velocity flash-back limit, heat release distribution, NOx emissions. This preliminary data set represents the starting point for a more ambitious project which foresees the upgrading of the hydrogen gas turbine combustor installed by ENEL in Fusina (Italy). The same data will be used also for building a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model usable for assisting the design of the upgraded combustor. Starting from an existing heavy-duty gas turbine burner, a burner prototype was designed by means of CFD modeling and hot-wire measurements. The geometry of the new premixer was defined in order to control turbulent phenomena that could promote the flame moving-back into the duct, to increase the premixer outlet velocity and to produce a stable central recirculation zone in front of the burner. The burner prototype was then investigated during a test campaign performed at the ENEL’s TAO test facility in Livorno (Italy) which allows combustion test at atmospheric pressure with application of optical diagnostic techniques. In-flame temperature profiles, pollutant emissions and OH* chemiluminescence were measured over a wide range of the main operating parameters for three fuels with different hydrogen content (0, 75% and 100% by vol.). Flame control on burner prototype fired by pure hydrogen was achieved by managing both the premixing degree and the air discharge velocity, affecting the NOx emissions and combustor pressure losses respectively. A CFD model of the above-mentioned combustion test rig was developed with the aim to validate the model prediction capabilities and to help the experimental data analysis. Detailed simulations, performed by a CFD 3-D RANS commercial code, were focused on air/fuel mixing process, temperature field, flame position and NOx emission estimation.

Development of a Dual-Fuel Injection System for Lean Premixed Industrial Gas Turbines

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke H. Cowell ◽  
Amjad Rajput ◽  
Douglas C. Rawlins
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Liquid Fuel ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Fuel Injection System ◽  
Load Range ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

A fuel injection system for industrial gas turbine engines capable of using natural gas and liquid fuel in dry, lean premixed combustion is under development to significantly reduce NOx and CO emissions. The program has resulted in a design capable of operating on DF#2 over the 80 to 100% engine load range meeting the current TA LUFT regulations of 96 ppm (dry, @ 15% O2) NOx and 78 ppm CO. When operating on natural gas the design meets the guaranteed levels of 25 ppm NOx and 50 ppm CO. The design approach is to apply lean premixed combustion technology to liquid fuel. Both injector designs introduce the majority of the diesel fuel via airblast alomization into a premixing passage where fuel vaporization and air-fuel premixing occur. Secondary fuel injection occurs through a pilot fuel passage which operates in a partially premixed mode. Development is completed through injector modeling, flow visualization, combustion rig testing, and engine testing. The prototype design tested in development engine environments has operated with NOx emissions below 65 ppm and 20 ppm CO at full load. This paper includes a detailed discussion of the injector design and qualification testing completed on this development hardware.

Evaluation of NOx Mechanisms for Lean, Premixed Combustion

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Corr ◽  
Philip C. Malte ◽  
Nick M. Marinov
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Porous Plate ◽  
Chemical Kinetic ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
The Other ◽  
Oxides Of Nitrogen ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

The formation of the oxides of nitrogen, NOx, is examined through experiments and chemical kinetic modeling for lean, premixed combustion in a laboratory, atmospheric pressure, jet-stirred reactor. The experimental conditions are as follows: fuel-air equivalence ratio (ϕ) of 0.6, temperatures of 1460 to 1730 K, and reactor loadings of 20 to 150 kg/sec-m3-atm2, which correspond to reactor mean residence times of 11.4 to 1.8 milliseconds. Two fuels are examined: ethylene, because of its importance as a combustion intermediate, and methane, because of its importance as a component of natural gas. Besides the premixed operation, the reactor is also operated non-premixed. For both modes, the NOx increases with decreasing loading, from about 3–4 ppmv at the highest loading to about 11–21 ppmv at the lowest loading for the ethylene fuel. This increase in NOx occurs because a hot spot develops on centerline when the reactor is lightly loaded. Also for the lowest loading, the non-premixed mode produces about twice as much NOx as the premixed mode, i.e., about 21 versus 11 ppmv. At the other reactor loadings, however, because of the intense mixing, the NOx levels are only slightly elevated for the non-premixed mode compared to the premixed mode. Upon switching to methane fuel, the NOx decreases by about 25%. The major finding of this study is that prompt NO is the predominant mechanism for the NOx formed. The other mechanisms considered are the Zeldovich and nitrous oxide mechanisms. Furthermore, the amount of NOx measured and modeled agrees almost exactly with the extrapolation of Fenimore’s (1971) original prompt NO data to the present conditions of ϕ = 0.6. Although Fenimore conducted his experiments with porous plate and Meker-type burners for 0.8 ≤ ϕ ≤ 1.7, our findings show that his results apply well to high-intensity, lean combustion. In the gas turbine literature, e.g. see Shaw (1974) and Toof (1985), Fenimore’s results are expressed as:(1)NO/(NO)equil=P1/2func(ϕ)It is func (ϕ) that extrapolates well to our conditions. This finding indicates that func (ϕ) applies to laboratory burners of widely different mixing intensity, i.e., from Fenimore’s burners with structured flame fronts to our high-intensity burner with dispersed reaction. In our opinion this finding strengthens the justification of using func (ϕ) for the prediction of NOx formation in practical combustors, including lean, premixed combustors.

scholarly journals Conversion of Liquid to Gaseous Fuels for Lean Premixed Combustion

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Stoffel ◽  
L. Reh
Keyword(s):  
Diesel Oil ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Fuel Vapor ◽  
Main Process ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Gaseous Fuels ◽  
Lean Combustion ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lean Premixed

The lean premixed combustion of gaseous fuels is an attractive technology to attain very low NOx emission levels in gas turbine engines. If liquid fuels are converted to gaseous fuels by vaporization, they also can be used in premix gas burners and similar low NOx emissions are achievable. Experiments were carried out in a test rig in which the three main process steps of liquid fuel combustion (vaporization of fuel, mixing of air and fuel vapor and combustion reaction) can be performed successively in three separate devices and examined independently. A wide range of liquid fuels (methanol, ethanol, heptane, gasoline, rape oil methyl ester and two diesel oil qualities) was vaporized in an externally heated tube in the presence of superheated steam. These fuel vapors were led to a Pyrocore® radiant burner operating in fully premixed mode at atmosperic pressure. For all fuels without bound nitrogen, NOx levels below 15 mg/m3 at 3% O2 in the dry exhaust gas (2.5 ppm at 15% O2) were measured at lean combustion conditions. However, the nitrogen particularly bound in higher boiling fuels like diesel oil was converted completely to NOx under these conditions. The fuel bound nitrogen (FBN) proved to be the major source of NOx when burning vaporized diesel oil.

Influence of Exhaust Gas Recirculation on Combustion Instabilities in CH4 and H2/CH4 Fuel Mixtures

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Ferguson ◽  
Joseph A. Ranalli ◽  
Peter Strakey
Keyword(s):  
Exhaust Gas Recirculation ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
Fuel Composition ◽  
Exhaust Gas ◽  
Combustion Instabilities ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed ◽  
Fuel Mixtures ◽  
Gas Recirculation ◽  
The Impact

This paper evaluates the impact of two strategies for reducing CO2 emissions on combustion instabilities in lean-premixed combustion. Exhaust gas recirculation can be utilized to increase the concentration of CO2 in the exhaust stream improving the efficiency in the post-combustion separation plant. This coupled with the use of coal derived syngas or hydrogen augmented natural gas can further decrease CO2 levels released into the environment. However, changes in fuel composition have been shown to alter the dynamic response in lean-premixed combustion systems. In this study, a fully premixed, swirl stabilized, atmospheric burner is operated on various blends of H2/CH4 fuels with N2 and CO2 dilution to simulate EGR. Acoustic pressure and velocity, and global heat release measurements were performed at fixed adiabatic flame temperatures to evaluate the impact of fuel composition and dilution on various mechanisms that drive the instabilities.

Evaluation of NOx Mechanisms for Lean, Premixed Combustion

1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Corr ◽  
P. C. Malte ◽  
N. M. Marinov
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Porous Plate ◽  
Chemical Kinetic ◽  
Premixed Combustion ◽  
The Other ◽  
Oxides Of Nitrogen ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Lean Premixed Combustion ◽  
Lean Premixed

The formation of the oxides of nitrogen, NOx, is examined through experiments and chemical kinetic modeling for lean, premixed combustion in a laboratory, atmospheric pressure, jet-stirred reactor. The experimental conditions are as follows: fuel-air equivalence ratio (φ) of 0.6, temperatures of 1460 to 1730 K, and reactor loadings of 20 to 150 kg/sec-m3 -atm2, which correspond to reactor mean residence times of 11.4 to 1.8 milliseconds. Two fuels are examined: ethylene, because of its importance as a combustion intermediate, and methane, because of its importance as a component of natural gas. Besides the premixed operation, the reactor also is operated nonpremixed. For both modes, the NOx increases with decreasing loading, from about 3–4 ppmv at the highest loading to about 11–21 ppmv at the lowest loading for the ethylene fuel. This increase in NOx occurs because a hot spot develops on centerline when the reactor is lightly loaded. Also for the lowest loading, the nonpremixed mode produces about twice as much NOx as the premixed mode, i.e., about 21 versus 11 ppmv. At the other reactor loadings, however, because of the intense mixing, the NOx levels are only slightly elevated for the nonpremixed mode compared to the premixed mode. Upon switching to methane fuel, the NOx decreases by about 25 percent. The major finding of this study is that prompt NO is the predominant mechanism for the NOx formed. The other mechanisms considered are the Zeldovich and nitrous oxide mechanisms. Furthermore, the amount of NOx measured and modeled agrees almost exactly with the extrapolation of Fenimore’s (1971) original prompt NO data to the present conditions of φ = 0.6. Although Fenimore conducted his experiments with porous plate and Meker-type burners for 0.8 ≤ φ ≤ 1.7, our findings show that his results apply well to high-intensity, lean combustion. In the gas turbine literature, e.g., see Shaw (1974) and Toof (1985), Fenimore’s results are expressed as: NO/(NO)equil=P1/2func(φ)(1) It is func (φ) that extrapolates well to our conditions. This finding indicates that func (φ) applies to laboratory burners of widely different mixing intensity, i.e., from Fenimore’s burners with structured flame fronts to our high-intensity burner with dispersed reaction. In our opinion, this finding strengthens the justification of using func (φ) for the prediction of NOx formation in practical combustors, including lean, premixed combustors.

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