Hydrogen-Fueled Gas Turbine Combustor Sizing for NOx Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrogen fuel in gas turbine engines poses challenges due to its high reactivity, leading to increased NOx emissions and the need for reduced combustor residence time, which existing combustors designed for hydrocarbon fuels cannot effectively address.
Innovation Solution
Development of various combustor designs with different shapes and sizes to meet NOx emission targets, optimized for hydrogen fuel, including specific combustor configurations and dilution passage arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If existing combustors designed for hydrocarbon fuels are used with hydrogen fuel, then the combustor structure can be maintained, but NOx emissions increase due to high reactivity and extended residence time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the combustor geometry parameters (length, cross-sectional area, volume) to optimize residence time for hydrogen combustion. The combustor is designed with specific dimensional parameters that differ from conventional hydrocarbon combustors, allowing control of residence time to reduce NOx emissions while maintaining efficient hydrogen combustion.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If combustor size is reduced to decrease residence time and NOx emissions, then emission targets are met, but combustion efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes combustor dimensional parameters (length, area, volume) to achieve the right balance between residence time and combustion efficiency. The specific parameter ranges disclosed ensure that the combustor is sized appropriately for hydrogen's high reactivity, providing sufficient residence time for complete combustion while limiting exposure time to prevent excessive NOx formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific zones within the combustor with different dimensional characteristics. The combustor design incorporates varying cross-sectional areas and lengths in different sections to optimize local combustion conditions, ensuring efficient fuel burnout in certain zones while controlling temperature and residence time in others to minimize NOx emissions.
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
The optimized combustor designs significantly reduce NOx emissions and achieve efficient combustion of hydrogen fuel, aligning with environmental emission reduction goals.
Implementation Method 1
Hydrogen fuel combustor size rating for a gas turbine engine
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes a hydrogen fuel delivery assembly configured to deliver a hydrogen fuel flow, a compressor section configured to compress air flowing therethrough to provide a compressed air flow, and a combustor including a combustion chamber having a burner length and a burner dome height. The combustion chamber is configured to combust a mixture of the hydrogen fuel flow and the compressed air flow. The combustion chamber can be characterized by a combustor size rating between one inch and seven inches. In more detail, the combustion chamber can be characterized by the combustor size rating between one inch and seven inches at a core air flow parameter between two and one half kN and sixty kN, in which the combustor size rating is a function of the core air flow parameter.