Combustion Chambers

Combustion
 The combustion process is of critical importance in a gas
turbine cycle.
 It is because in this process the chemical energy of the fuel is
converted to heat energy which later converted into work by
the turbine.
 Therefore losses incurred in the combustion process will
have direct effect on the thermal efficiency of the cycle.
 Process of establishing self sustained fire using fuel and
oxidizer in a controlled manner.it is basically a chemical
process in which is fuel is burnt in presence of oxidizer.
 The overall chemical process must be exothermic in nature ,
which liberates enough heat to sustain combustion process
itself.
 Commonly encountered combustion devices in our life are
candle flames , lightening of matchsticks ,wood burning ,
reciprocating engines, gas turbine engines ,rocket engine.
 Combustion
 Combustion can be defined as a complex sequence of
chemical reactions b/w fuel and oxidizer accompanied by
liberation of heat and light.
 It is very important that fuel and oxidizer in right proportion
within the flammable range must be mixed properly .
 Besides this sufficient amount of ignition energy is required
to initiate the process of combustion.
 Hence the combustion process can be conceived as a triangle
involving the fuel, oxidizer , ignition energy .
 What is fuel and oxidizer
 Chemically we can define oxidizer as one which accepts the
electrons .
 In contrast the fuel can be defined as one which donate the
electrons .
 This property of elements ability to accept or donate electrons
is known as electronegativity, which dictates whether an
element can be classified as fuel or an oxidizer.
TYPES OF FUELS AND OXIDIZER
i)Gaseous Fuels – LPG, Natural gas , biogas, Acetylene(Oxidizer-
air/O2)
ii)Liquid fuels –Gasoline , HSD, Kerosene , Alcohols(oxidizer –
air/liquid O2)
iii)Solid fuels- wood , coal , coke ,biomass , animal dung ,special
fuels Nitrocellulose(oxidizer –air/O2)
 COMBUSTION THEORY APPLIED TO GAS
TURBINE COMBUSTOR
 In any combustion process obtaining complete reaction between fuel
and air has a chemical aspect and a physical aspect.
 Chemical aspect concerned with rate of reaction. physical aspects
are concerned with particle size , injection mixing and
evaporation.
 The are three recognized postulations as to the combustion
mechanism
1.Carbon preferential burning: which states that carbon in the
hydrocarbon fuels burns before the hydrogen.
2.Hydrogen preferential burning: which states that hydrogen
hydrocarbon fuels burns before the carbon.
3.Hydroxylation : which states that there is an initial uniting of oxygen
with the hydrocarbon to form a hydroxylated compound through chain
reactions of molecules , atoms and radical, hydroxylated compound
burns to CO,CO2 and H2O.
 It is known from kinetic theory of gases that the individual
molecules are in motion at some average velocity but with a wide
difference between the velocities of the slowest and fastest
molecules.
 For the combustion reaction to take place the process requires the
collision of molecules of fuel and oxygen.
 The collision must have a sufficiently high energy level so that
the molecules are broken down into atoms and radicals.
 Since the temperature is a function of the molecular activity
raising the temperature increases the probability and intensity
of collision of high velocity molecules.
 Therefore will be an increase in the intensity of combustion.
 Factors affecting combustion chamber design
 The temperature level of the gases after the combustion must
be comparatively low to suit the highly stressed turbine
blade materials
 At the exit of the combustion chamber the temperature
distribution must be in known form if a high turbine
performance is to be realized and the blades are not to suffer
from local over heating.
 Combustion must be maintained in a stream of air moving
with a high velocity in the region of 30-60m/s , and stable
operation is required over a wide range of air-fuel ratio from
full load to idling conditions .
 The air fuel ratio might be vary from 60:1 to 120:1 for a
simple gas turbine engines.
 Cont.…
The formation of carbon deposits must be
avoided . small particles carried into turbines
along with the high velocity gas stream can
erode the blades.
In aircraft gas turbines combustion must be
stable over a wide range of chamber pressure
because this parameter changes with altitude
and forward speed.
 Requirements of the combustion chamber
 Complete combustion of the fuel must be achieved .
 The total pressure loss must be minimum.
 Carbon deposits must not be formed under any
expected condition of operation.
 Ignition must be reliable and accomplished with easy
over wide range of atmospheric conditions .
 Temperature and velocity distribution at the turbine
inlet must be controlled .
 The volume and weight of the combustor must be
kept within the reasonable limits.
 Process of combustion
The process of combustion in a gas turbine
combustion involves the following
1. Breaking down of heavy hydrocarbons into
lighter fractions.
2. The mixing of a fine spray of fuel droplets with
air.
3.Vaporization of the droplets.
4.The intimate mixing of molecules of these
hydrocarbons with oxygen molecules.
5.Provide Ignition energy
6.The chemical reactions themselves.
Three stages of combustion chamber
1.About 15-20 per cent of the air is introduced around the jet of fuel
in the primary zone to provide the necessary high temperature for
rapid combustion.
2.30 per cent of the total air is then introduced through holes in the
flame tube in the secondary zone to complete the combustion. for
high combustion efficiency this air must be injected carefully at the
right points to avoid chilling the flame locally and drastically
reducing the reaction rate .
3.In the tertiary or dilution zone the remaining air is mixed with
the products of combustion to cool them down to the temperature
required at the inlet to the turbine . sufficient turbulence must be
prompted so that the hot and cold streams are thoroughly mixed to
give the desired outlet temperature distribution , with no heat
streaks which would damage the turbine blades.
Cutout view of a can type combustion chamber
 Combustion intensity
 In aircraft gas turbine engines the air flow through the engine
is at high average speed , which requires high combustion
intensity (heat release rate per unit volume per unit time).
 Aircraft power plant the size of the engine being limited .the
space available for combustion is also limited .
 Thus the combustion is to be performed within a small volume
at a short time giving out high amount of heat .
 The burner inlet conditions is determined the outlet condition
of compressor this keep varying with various flight regimes .
 The burnet outlet conditions governed by turbine design limits
and is generally required to be uniform and stable .
 Hence combustion chamber is expected to be stable source of
hot gas.
 That means even if its inlet conditions are variable it is
expected to deliver comparatively steady and uniform
flow to the turbine.
 Cont. ….
The combustion intensities of some heat engine
combustion processes are compared:
• Boiler furnaces-----4x105to106 kJ/m3.hr (1x102 to
103kWatts/m3)
• Piston engine -----25–125x105 to 106kJ/m3.hr (7 –35 x
102 to 103kWatts/m3)
• Jet engine-----75-150x105 to 106kJ/m3.hr (21–42 x102
to 103kWatts/m3)
• Rocket engine -----260 x105 to106kJ/m3.hr(72 x 102 to
103kWatts/m3)
 Types of combustion chamber
• Can type
• Annular type
• Can annular type
Can type
Cannular Type
Annular type
 The flame moves in the direction of the air flow inside the
combustion chamber at a characteristic speed known as flame
speed. The flame is sustained in a flame zone at the end of
which most of fuel is burned. Outside the flame zone the
combusted gas moves towards the combustor exit.

 The process of evaporation of droplets and mixing of fuel and

air can occur partly aided by local turbulent vortices artificially
created around the spray zone, and partly by diffusion of liquid
vapour into air.

 At the point of ignition all the droplets may not have been
evaporated and mixed -hence some of them may burn as liquid
droplets in a surrounding air.
 Flame Mixing of Secondary air
Front
Injection and Evaporation

Delivery of
Uniform gas flow
Factors affecting Combustion chamber
Performance
1.Pressure loss
a) pressure drop due to friction
b) acceleration due to heat addition
2.Combustion intensity –heat release rate per
unit volume per unit time .
 Practical problems
1.Flame tube cooling
2.Fuel injection-meter the fuel flow , atomize
the fuel.
3.Ignition
4.Use of cheap fuels
5.Pollution-unburnt hydrocarbons,CO,NOx,
oxides of sulphar