This study reports on experimental investigations on isothermal and reacting swirled nonpremixed flows under varying pressure conditions. In this configuration, a central high speed fuel jet was surrounded by a heated swirling air flow. For the reacting case natural gas served as fuel whereas for isothermal conditions fuel was replaced by a mixture of helium and air to achieve Reynoldssimilarity. The optically accessible combustor allowed for application of laser diagnostics. Here we report on Laser Doppler Anemometry and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) experiments used to characterize the flow field and visualize selected scalars, respectively. Acetone served as a fluorescence marker for mixture fraction investigations. The hydroxyl radical was used to provide general features of the reaction zone such as flame shape and mean stabilization. To expose the influence of pressure on the flame structure three different operating points were investigated varying the combustor pressure between 2 and 6 bar while the inflow bulk velocities remained the same. Striking features of the present configuration are a detached flame, multiple recirculation zones, and complex coherent flow structures.

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This study reports on measurements in a generic non-premixed gas turbine combustor segment. Flow and scalar field were characterized using advanced laser diagnostic methods. The optically accessible burning chamber allowed for measurement of inflow conditions close-by the nozzle important for comparisons with numerical simulations. The generic nozzle design is sufficiently simplified to be precisely reproduced by block structured computational grids but shows typical features of gas turbine applications. To expose the influence of heat release on the flow field properties both isothermal and combusting conditions were investigated. Striking features of the present configuration are a detached flame, multiple recirculation zones, and complex coherent flow structures.

While today’s gas turbine (GT) combustion systems are designed for specific fuels there is an urgent demand for fuel-flexible stationary GT combustors capable of burning natural gas as well as hydrogen-rich fuels in future. For the development of a fuel flexible, low-emission, and reliable combustion system a better understanding of the flow field – flame interaction and the flame stabilization mechanism is necessary. For this purpose, a down-scaled staged can combustion system provided with an optical combustion chamber was investigated in a high pressure test rig. Different optical diagnostic methods were used to analyze the combustion behavior with a focus on flame stabilization and to generate a comprehensive set of data for validation of numerical simulation methods (CFD) employed in the industrial design process. For different operating conditions the size and position of the flame zone were visualized by OH* chemiluminescence measurements. Additionally, the exhaust gas emissions (NOx and CO) and the acoustic flame oscillations were monitored. Besides many different operating conditions with natural gas different fuel mixtures of natural gas and hydrogen were investigated in order to characterize the flashback behavior monitored with OH* chemiluminescence. For selected operating conditions detailed laser diagnostic experiments were performed. The main flow field with the inner recirculation zone was measured with two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) in different measuring planes. One-dimensional laser Raman spectroscopy was successfully applied for the measurement of the major species concentration and the temperature. These results show the variation of the local mixture fraction allowing conclusions to be drawn about the good premix quality. Furthermore, mixing effects of unburnt fuel/air and fully reacted combustion products are studied giving insights into the process of the turbulence-chemistry interaction and reaction progress.

The lean premixed combustion system was scaled from Siemens 60Hz engine application and optimized for implementation in the new SGT5-8000H 50Hz engine. The Siemens H-class engine is air cooled, uses a pressure ratio of 19:1 and is designed to achieve an efficiency of >60% efficiency in combined cycle operation. This improved dry low NOx system is of can annular type and consists of 16 cans in the SGT5-8000H. It was developed and tested in a full scale, high pressure rig test program. The single can high pressure rig simulates closely the flow conditions upstream of the combustor in the SGT5-8000H midframe and downstream of the combustor at the turbine inlet. The combustion system uses 5 fuel stages which allow flexible tuning over the whole range of engine operation conditions (ignition, idling, part- and base load). The system is designed to operate over a wide range of fuel quality and preheat temperatures. The test program is carried out over multiple years and encompasses rig / engine tests. This paper describes the combustion system in more details and the testing methodology. The test rig results showed that the performance targets are fully achieved in terms of emissions and operational requirements. Furthermore, the development / validation program will continue to reduce emissions through extended programs for future engines.