Studies on Soot Formation in a Model Gas-Turbine Combustor

Author(s):  
Viswanath Katta ◽  
Terrence Meyer ◽  
Christopher Montgomery ◽  
William Roquemore
2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anandkumar Makwana ◽  
Suresh Iyer ◽  
Milton Linevsky ◽  
Robert Santoro ◽  
Thomas Litzinger ◽  
...  

The objective of this study is to understand the effects of fuel volatility on soot emissions. This effect is investigated in two experimental configurations: a jet flame and a model gas turbine combustor. The jet flame provides information about the effects of fuel on the spatial development of aromatics and soot in an axisymmetric, co-flow, laminar flame. The data from the model gas turbine combustor illustrate the effect of fuel volatility on net soot production under conditions similar to an actual engine at cruise. Two fuels with different boiling points are investigated: n-heptane/n-dodecane mixture and n-hexadecane/n-dodecane mixture. The jet flames are nonpremixed and rich premixed flames in order to have fuel conditions similar to those in the primary zone of an aircraft engine combustor. The results from the jet flames indicate that the peak soot volume fraction produced in the n-hexadecane fuel is slightly higher as compared to the n-heptane fuel for both nonpremixed and premixed flames. Comparison of aromatics and soot volume fraction in nonpremixed and premixed flames shows significant differences in the spatial development of aromatics and soot along the downstream direction. The results from the model combustor indicate that, within experiment uncertainty, the net soot production is similar in both n-heptane and n-hexadecane fuel mixtures. Finally, we draw conclusions about important processes for soot formation in gas turbine combustor and what can be learned from laboratory-scale flames.


1984 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Bowden ◽  
J. H. Pearson ◽  
R. J. Wetton

The sooting tendencies of various fuel blends containing either single-ring or polycyclic aromatics have been studied in a model gas turbine combustor at a pressure of 1.0 MPa and varying values of air/fuel ratio. Sooting tendencies were determined by flame radiation, exhaust soot, and infra-red absorption measurements. The results of this study have indicated that, even for fuels containing high concentrations of naphthalenes or tetralins (> 10 percent v), fuel total hydrogen content correlates well with fuel sooting tendency. The present results are explained by a hypothesis that assumes that the majority of soot is formed in regions of high temperature, low oxygen content, and low fuel concentration, e.g., the recirculation zone.


Author(s):  
Terrence R. Meyer ◽  
Sukesh Roy ◽  
Sivaram P. Gogineni ◽  
Vincent M. Belovich ◽  
Edwin Corporan ◽  
...  

Simultaneous measurements of OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and laser-induced incandescence (LII) are used to characterize the flame structure and soot formation process in the reaction zone of a swirl-stabilized, JP-8-fueled model gas-turbine combustor. Studies are performed at atmospheric pressure with heated inlet air and primary-zone equivalence ratios from 0.55 to 1.3. At low equivalence ratios (φ < 0.9), large-scale structures entrain rich pockets of fuel and air deep into the flame layer; at higher equivalence ratios, these pockets grow in size and prominence, escape the OH-oxidation zone, and serve as sites for soot inception. Data are used to visualize soot development as well as to qualitatively track changes in overall soot volume fraction as a function of fuel-air ratio and fuel composition. The utility of the OH-PLIF and LII measurement system for test rig diagnostics is further demonstrated for the study of soot-mitigating additives.


Author(s):  
J. Brouwer ◽  
B. A. Ault ◽  
J. E. Bobrow ◽  
G. S. Samuelsen

Closed-loop feedback control, developed in a axisymmetric can combustor, is demonstrated in a model can combustor with discrete wall jets. The study represents the initial steps toward the application of feedback control technology to practical gas turbine combustion systems. For the present application, the radiative flux from soot particulate is used as an indication of combustor performance, and nozzle atomizing air is selected as the input parameter. A measurement of radiative flux at the exit plane of the combustor is conveyed to a control computer which invokes an optimization algorithm to determine changes in the dome region necessary to minimize the radiative flux from soot. The results demonstrate the utility and potential of active control for maintaining optimal performance in real-time.


Author(s):  
Oanh Nguyen ◽  
Scott Samuelsen

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.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document