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GT2012
June 11-15, 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark
GT2012-68761
Levy, Y.*1, Christo, F.C.**, Gaissinski, I.*, Erenburg, V.*, Sherbaum V*.
1
corresponding author, e-mail: levyy@aerodyne.technion.ac.il
*
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering
Technion Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa Israel
**
Barbara Hardy Institute
University of South Australia
Adelaide - Australia
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the performance and the conditions modelled using a skeletal (46 reactions) and a detailed (309
under which flameless oxidation can be achieved for a given reactions) chemical kinetics mechanism. The k turbulence
annular adiabatic combustor. Numerical modelling of velocity, model was used in the most calculations. Overall, similar
temperature and species fields are performed for different flow qualitative flow, temperature, and species patterns were
configurations of air and methane streams injected into a predicted by both kinetics models; however the detailed
proposed design of a gas-turbine combustor. Parametric mechanism provides quantitatively more realistic predictions.
analysis was performed by systematically varying several An optimal flow configuration was achieved with exhaust NOx
parameters: radius of a recirculation zone, radius of the emissions of < 7.5 ppm, CO < 35ppm, and a pressure-drop <
combustor, location of air and fuel ports, air and fuel velocities 5%, hence meeting the design criteria for gas turbine engines.
magnitudes and injection angles. The analysis was performed This study demonstrates the feasibility of achieving ultra-low
initially using a three-step global chemistry model to identify a NOx and CO emissions utilising a flameless oxidation regime.
design (geometry and operating conditions) that yield
flameless combustion regime. The selected design was then
NOMENCLATURE
INTRODUCTION
Flue gas recirculation is an efficient method for off [1]. Nevertheless, it was also found experimentally
reducing NOx emissions. This technique however is by Wnning [2, 3] that for a specific range of
limited by the quantity of gas that can be recirculated recirculation rates of hot exhaust gases, a stable form of
because air vitiation may rapidly lead to a flame blow- combustion is possible. In this arrangement exhaust gas
1 Copyright 2012 by ASME
is recirculated into the air and fuel streams upstream the in commercial engines, can used also in flameless
mixing zone, to yield a stable combustion regime that is oxidation GT technology; hence their safety and
now commonly referred to as flameless oxidation. In reliability can be directly integrated into flameless
this combustion regime the fuel is mixed with a highly oxidation combustors.
diluted hot air and/or combustion products. This creates
a distributed reaction zone, which in turn reduces Furthermore, when compared to the Rich-Quench-Lean
localized peak temperature creating a semi-uniform methods, the flameless oxidation GT design does not
temperature field. This uniformity in temperature leads require dividing the combustor into two physically
to higher radiation flux, and lowers the emission of separated zones (rich and lean). It also does not require
pollutants in comparison to conventional diffusion a special form of cooling since it does not have a fuel-
flames. In contrast, the mixing of fuel and oxidant in rich combustion zone. With respect to geometrical
diffusion burners creates a thin reaction zone (a flame modifications in a FOGT design, only a slight increase
sheet of a few millimetres thick), of a stoichiometric in combustor volume is required to accommodate the
flame temperature, which results in the formation of recirculated burnt gases in the combustor. Fundamentals
higher NOx emission. of the thermodynamic cycle, combustion process, and
geometrical parameters for a FOGT design are
In comparison to classical and more recent combustor presented elsewhere [4-10] and are not repeated here.
designs, the proposed flameless oxidation gas turbine The proposed combustor design presented here involves
(FOGT) is expected to deliver several advantages only minor modifications to the original design [4-10].
without major modifications to the combustors It is a compact and robust design, and does not require
geometry or adding auxiliary equipment, such as supplementary equipment or expensive manufacturing
catalytic materials, or steam injection that may have techniques. This design is expected to offer a safe and
significant adverse effects on the combustor reliability reliable operation without negative effects on
and lifetime. This technology can also use combustion performance. Therefore flameless oxidation
advantageously the trend towards higher-pressure ratios GT is expected to represent an ideal candidate for an
regimes. Indeed, higher combustor air inlet temperatures ultra-low NOx combustion system that can meet the
should improve combustion stability in the flameless stringent emission regulations for industrial gas turbines
oxidation GT combustor, and consequently also and aero-engines.
contribute to further reduction in CO emission.
The ultimate goal of this project is to identify an
Compared to fuel-staging technology, which is optimal design and operating parameters for a flameless
implemented in recent years in commercial systems, combustor for a gas turbine engine using CFD
and the variable geometry (air-staging) technology, modelling as a design tool. In this study Reynolds
flameless oxidation GT design does not introduce Navier Stokes (RANS) models, the work-horse of
additional mechanical complexity or control problems. industrial CFD, are used. In RANS formulation only the
In addition, its pollutant reduction potential is expected averaged governing equations is calculated. The
to exceed any existing technology. Large amounts of averaged flow variables can be represented on a much
NOx is produced in the pilot diffusion flame of a staged coarser grid, thereby drastically reducing the
combustor whereas the flameless oxidation GT design computational requirements, but turbulence equations
has only a single combustion zone with a uniform and contain unclosed terms that must be modelled. For
moderate temperature field, thus minimizing NOx flows where instabilities or transient effects are
emissions. Also, current radial staged combustors important, time-dependent calculations (Unsteady
produce a temperature Pattern Factor at the turbine inlet RANS) can resolve the large-scale eddies in the flow
that is far from being uniform. but not the fine-scale eddies. These fine scales can be
resolved only by Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS)
The proposed FOGT combustor design also avoids or Large Eddy Simulations (LES) methods, both are too
most of the safety problems that associated with partial computationally expensive to utilise at this stage of this
pre-mixing used in the Lean Premixed Prevaporized study.
(LPP) technology. The LPP designs require a premixer
that may be damaged by flashback or auto-ignition of The main objectives of the present parametric study are:
the air-fuel mixture leading to dangerous situations. exploring the effect of various geometries and numerical
Leakage of fuel or gases from the premixer into the hot models (e.g. chemistry and combustion) on the predicted
section may cause severe failures and could even lead velocity, temperature, and species fields; and identifying
to explosions of the engine casing. These safety and quantifying the performance optimal flameless
problems may become worse when using liquid fuels oxidation combustor design.
because of the longer time required for complete pre-
evaporation. In contrast, the fuel systems of
conventional diffusion burners, which have been proven
COMBUSTOR GEOMETRY
from the authors earlier studies [4-9], however its shape
A schematic of the proposed FOGT combustor is shown was significantly modified. The air inlet is positioned at
in Fig.1. A total of 30 holes for air and 30 holes for fuel a fixed location, but the direction of air injection was
injection are positioned uniformly along the modified (blue-green arrow). The flow recirculation is
circumference of the combustor (Fig. 1-b). The achieved by modifying the position and orientation of
dimensions of the combustor are based on calculations the primary and secondary air inlets and the fuel
2 Copyright 2012 by ASME
(methane) injector. The position of these inlets and the burners. The burning of the fuel in a hot vitiated air
unique shape of the combustor create a large stable environment plays a significant role reducing NOx
recirculation zone, which enhances the mixing of the air production while maintaining flame stability.
with the combustion products, rather than mixing the
fresh air and the fuel as in conventional diffusion
RM
R
dCH 4
= 1.2mm
M
dCH 4
= 1.5mm
L
dCH 4
= 1.2mm
(a)
l0
(b) (c)
Figure 1: A schematic of the combustor; (a) Frontal view, I, II, III optional CH4 inlet locations fuel holes shown here are not the
optimal dimensions; (b) 3-D view of the proposed combustor. Red arrows fuel inlet, blue arrows air inlet; (c) chosen
optimal scheme with equal number of fuel and air holes
Air inlet
Fuel inlet
Figure 2: Surface polyhedral mesh of the combustor showing the fine clustering of cells at the fuel and air inlets, gradually growing to
ensure adequate spatial aspect ratio and angular skewness of the cells.
(a) (b)
Figure 3: Static temperature (K) as predicted by (a) global 3-step chemistry, and (b) skeletal 46-step kinetics.
(a) (b)
Figure 4: Temperature (K) contours at a centreline cross-section as predicted by (a) global chemistry, and (b) skeletal mechanism.
(a) (b)
Figure 5: Velocity (m/s) field in general view: (a) global chemistry, and (b) skeletal kinetics mechanism.
(a) (b)
Figure 6: CO mass fraction contours as predicted by: (a) global mechanism, (b) skeletal mechanism.
(a) (b)
Radial position from engine axis [m] Radial position from engine axis [m]
Figure 7: Radial distribution of CO mass fraction along the central cross section of the recirculation zone (see cross section A-A in
figure #1c); (a) global mechanism, and (b) skeletal mechanism
(b)
(a)
Figure 8: NOx concentration distribution, central cross-section; (a) global mechanism, and (b) skeletal mechanism.
The flame sheet in conventional diffusion burners is combustor. The skeletal mechanism suggests that the
characterised by a thin (a few millimetres thick) reaction reactions continue also in the outlet duct, but the
zone. In a flameless oxidation regime however, the predictions of the detailed kinetics show weaker
reaction zone is distributed across the combustor, rather reactions in the duct, which is a more plausible scenario.
than being confined to a narrow zone. Radical species The flow pattern (Fig. 10) shows that fuel oxidation
(e.g. OH, HO2, O, H, etc) are commonly used as markers occurs within the primary recirculation region. The
to identify regions with significant chemical reactions temperature is distributed almost uniformly within the
(flame sheet). These radicals exist (and reach their cavity. Overall, a low NOx (< 7ppm) emission, and
peak values), only within the reaction zone. Contours of semi-uniform distributions of temperature and OH,
OH radicals as predicted by skeletal and detailed suggests that a flameless oxidation regime has been
kinetics are shown in Fig. 9. An OH mass fraction achieved.
values in the range 110-3 310-3 indicates significant
chemical reactions. Accordingly, Fig. 9 implies that the
reactions are distributed across the cavity of the
(a) (b)
Figure 9: OH mass fraction as predicted by: (a) skeletal mechanism, (b) detailed kinetics
Primary recirculation
zone
Secondary recirculation
zone
(a) (b)
Figure 10: Streamlines coloured by (a) OH mass fraction, and (b) temperature (K).
Table 1: Summary of predictions for various flow configurations. Exit CO concentration is negligible (less than 10-3ppm for all
simulations with global mechanism configurations 1-10). Air and fuel injection angles (off the radial direction of the combustor
pointing towards the cavity) are 52.5 and 58.6, respectively.
RM = 130mm , m
& air = 182g/s 1.2, 6.0 9.3 2395 1746 41.9 6.2
RM = 100mm , m
& air = 182g/s 1.2, 6.0 9.3 2398 1746 104.0 11.6
(7) Middle Hole
RM = 100mm , m & air = 182g/s 1.2, 9.0 2.0 2416 1760 438 87.7
(8) Middle Hole
RM = 100mm , m & air = 182g/s 2.0, 9.0 2.1 2405 1752 22.3 5.2
(9) Middle Hole
RM = 100mm , m & air = 218g/s 2.0, 9.0 2.8 2405 1752 18.2 4.4
(10) Middle Hole
RM = 100mm , m & air = 273g/s 2.0, 9.0 4.4 2365 1770 14.5 4.6
(R) RM = 200mm m
& air = 182g/s
Premixed combustion 6.0 9.3 1782 1777 0.98 0.95
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