Gas Turbine Combustion Cycles for Lower NOx and Blade Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas turbines produce high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, are inefficient, and require high-temperature combustion, leading to costly and structurally vulnerable turbine blades.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine system with discrete combustion chambers and a pressure tank that controls combustion cycles and stores combusted gas at high pressure, allowing for sequential combustion, recycling of combustion remnants, and efficient delivery of gas to turbines via eductors, using hydrogen as a fuel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high-temperature combustion is used to generate high-pressure combusted gas, then the motive force to the turbine is improved, but NOx emissions increase and turbine blade structural failure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion process is divided into multiple discrete combustion chambers that operate sequentially rather than simultaneously. Each combustion chamber completes a full combustion cycle before the next one starts, allowing the system to achieve high-pressure combusted gas while maintaining lower temperatures in each individual chamber, thereby reducing NOx emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic combustion cycles where combustion chambers operate in alternating sequences. This periodic operation allows complete combustion in each chamber while the system as a whole maintains controlled temperature levels, generating sufficient motive force while reducing harmful NOx emissions through temporal separation of combustion events.
2Power
If high-temperature combustion is used to generate high-pressure combusted gas, then the motive force to the turbine is improved, but turbine blade structural failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the combustion process into multiple discrete chambers operating sequentially, the system delivers high-pressure combusted gas to the turbine while each individual chamber operates at lower, more manageable temperatures. This segmentation protects turbine blades from excessive thermal stress and structural failure while maintaining adequate motive force.
Solution Approach 2:
The periodic operation of combustion chambers allows the system to generate high-pressure gas pulses that drive the turbine effectively, while the intermittent nature of the combustion cycles prevents continuous exposure of turbine blades to extreme temperatures, thereby improving structural reliability and reducing failure frequency.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conventional combustion is used, then fuel consumption is high, but CO2 emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The discrete combustion chambers operate sequentially with complete combustion cycles in each chamber, maximizing fuel efficiency through thorough combustion. This segmented approach ensures that fuel is completely burned in each chamber, reducing CO2 emissions per unit of energy produced while maintaining high overall fuel efficiency through the coordinated operation of multiple chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple combustion chambers operate in continuous sequence, ensuring that combustion is always occurring in at least one chamber while maintaining optimal combustion conditions. This continuous operation maximizes fuel efficiency by eliminating idle time and ensures complete combustion in each cycle, thereby reducing CO2 emissions while maintaining high energy output.
4Use of energy by moving object
If incomplete combustion is used, then fuel consumption is reduced, but CO emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each discrete combustion chamber is designed to complete the full combustion cycle, ensuring that fuel is completely burned and CO emissions are minimized. The segmentation into multiple chambers allows each one to operate at optimal conditions for complete combustion, reducing CO emissions while maintaining efficient fuel consumption through the coordinated operation of all chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous sequential operation of multiple combustion chambers ensures that combustion is always proceeding to completion in at least one chamber. This continuous useful action maintains optimal combustion conditions that prevent CO formation while efficiently consuming fuel, thereby reducing CO emissions without sacrificing fuel efficiency.
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
Reduces NOx and CO2 emissions, decreases turbine blade costs, and lowers the frequency of structural failure while increasing fuel efficiency and completeness of combustion.
Implementation Method 1
at least one combustion chamber configured to receive compressed gas and a combustion fuel, configured to generate combustion of the compressed gas thereby generating combusted gas
Implementation Method 2
The pressure tank, is configured to receive the combusted gas released from the at least one combustion chamber, store the combusted gas at a desired pressure
Implementation Method 3
controllably deliver the combusted gas to one or more turbines via one or more first outlets, for rotating the one or more turbines
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine system, comprising a combustor apparatus, which includes at least one combustion chamber configured to: receive compressed gas and a combustion fuel, generate combustion of the compressed gas thereby generating combusted gas; and to release the combusted gas toward a turbine for rotating the turbine. The at least one combustion chamber is configured to have a plurality of discrete sequential combustion cycles, each combustion cycle having an initial time interval in which the compressed gas and the combustion fuel are received, and a final time interval in which the combustion is performed and the combusted gas is released toward the turbine, the initial and final time interval being sequential to one another.