Gas Turbine Combustor Flame Front Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbines with annular combustors often experience temporary increases in undesirable emissions like carbon monoxide due to burner flame outs, which can lead to contractual emission violations, and existing solutions require shutdowns or manual adjustments that are impractical.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that uses temperature measurements to detect asymmetries in combustion gas temperatures, adjusting the bypass valve to increase oxygen flow and flame temperature, automatically resetting the flame front position without shutting down the turbine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gas turbine is shut down to change orifice diameters to solve flame out problems, then the burner can be properly adjusted, but the gas turbine availability decreases and operational time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment of orifice diameters with an automated control system that uses temperature measurements and electronic control to adjust the extraction valve position, eliminating the need for shutdowns and manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically detects flame out conditions through temperature measurements and self-adjusts the extraction valve without requiring external manual intervention, enabling the system to service itself during operation
2Reliability
If manual valves are installed in fuel supply lines to adjust burner operation, then the gas turbine can operate continuously, but expert personnel must be present for operation increasing operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The control system automatically detects flame out conditions through temperature measurements and self-adjusts the extraction valve without requiring external manual intervention, enabling the system to service itself during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temperature measurements from thermocouples as feedback to detect flame out conditions and automatically adjusts the extraction valve position to restore proper burner operation, creating a closed-loop control system
3Reliability
If orifice diameter is increased to deliver more gas fuel to a burner experiencing flame out, then the burner performance improves, but the problem transfers to another burner increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The control system applies localized adjustments to the extraction valve based on temperature measurements from specific thermocouples, allowing individual burner problems to be addressed without affecting other burners through uniform changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the extraction valve position parameter in response to temperature measurements, dynamically adjusting the oxygen-to-fuel ratio locally at the affected burner rather than making global changes to all burners
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces carbon monoxide emissions, increases gas turbine availability, simplifies operation, and reduces commissioning time while maintaining stable emissions levels.
Implementation Method 1
at least two temperature measurements downstream said combustor to measure a respective combustion gas temperature
Implementation Method 2
said extraction comprises a valve to control the portion of the oxygen containing gas to be tapped off
Implementation Method 3
generate said combustion gas from burning fuel and said oxygen containing gas
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
Method to operate a combustor (CB) of a gas turbine (GT), wherein the gas turbine (GT) comprises a compressor (CO) said combustors (CB) and the turbine (TB) and at least two temper- ature measurements (TN1, …, TNX, …, TNY, …, TNN) downstream said combustor (CB) to measure a respective combustion gas (CG) temperature, wherein said compressor (CO) delivers an oxygen containing gas (OCG) to said combustor (CB), wherein said combustor (CB) comprises at least two burners (B1, …, B2) and at least one main combustion chamber (MCC) downstream said burners (B1, …, B2), wherein at least two of said burners (B1, …, B2) join commonly into said at least one main combustion chamber (MCC) to generate said combustion gas (CG) from burning fuel (F) and said oxygen containing gas (OCG), wherein one extraction (EX) is provided to tap off at least a portion of the oxygen containing gas (OSG) downstream said compressor (CO) and upstream of said combustors (CB), wherein said extraction (EX) comprises a valve (BV) to control the portion of the oxygen containing gas (OSG) to be tapped off. To reduce emissions it is proposed that said method comprises the steps of: - monitoring the combustion gas temperature by said tem- perature measurements (TN1, …, TNX, …, TNY, …, TNN) at different locations at respectively equal flow-distances to the burner of the combustion gas (CG), - comparing said temperature measurements (TN1, …, TNX, …, TNY, …, TNN), opening said valve (BV) or increasing the opening position of said valve (BV) when said comparison reveals that a difference between said temperature measurements exceeds a temperature difference threshold ∆T1.