Experimental Investigation of the Combustion Behavior of Single-Nozzle Liquid-FLOX®-Based Burners on an Atmospheric Test Rig

Abstract

As an alternative to the commonly used swirl burners in micro gas turbines (MGT), the FLOX®-based combustion concept promises great potential for the nitric oxide emission reduction and increased fuel flexibility. Previous research on FLOX®-based MGT combustors mainly addressed gaseous fuels and there is less experience available on liquid fuel FLOX®-based MGT combustors. A FLOX®-based liquid fuel burner is developed to fit into a newly designed combustor for the Capstone C30 MGT. The studied FLOX®-based burners consist of an air nozzle with a coaxially arranged fuel pressure atomizer. The combustion chamber walls are made of quartz glass to enable optical accessibility for analyzing the structural properties of the flame. Furthermore, a diagonal hot cross-flow is arranged to emulate the annular hot gas flow of the other two burners in the MGT. The cross-flow is realized by utilizing a 20-nozzle FLOX®-based natural gas combustor. Measurements include visualization of the reaction zone and analysis of the exhaust gas emissions. By detecting the hydroxyl radical chemiluminescence (OH*-CL) emissions, the position of the heat release zone within the combustion chamber is attained. Correspondingly, the flame lift-off height and flame length are calculated. The investigated design parameters include air preheat temperature up to 733 K, equivalence ratio, burner geometry, and thermal power. The work presented in this paper aims to deepen the understanding of the design parameter interactions involved within the single-nozzle liquid-FLOX®-based burners.

Numerical and Experimental Study of a Jet-and-Recirculation Stabilized Low Calorific Combustor for a Hybrid Power Plant

“…Combustion dynamics and thermoacoustic phenomena were analyzed by means of experiments [34] and numerics [35], only to name a few. A later adaption in view of possible aero-engine applications was the transition to liquid fuel operation [36][37][38]. Explicit developments for aero-engine applications are subject to on-going studies [39].…”