Two-Stage Gas Turbine Combustor for Multi-Fuel Low-Emission Combustion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engines are not flexible enough to efficiently operate on a wide range of fuels, including hydrogen, ammonia, methane, and natural gas, while meeting stringent performance and emissions requirements.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine engine design featuring a two-stage combustor with a common annular combustion chamber and separate first and second combustor stages, utilizing microburners and central lance injectors to facilitate sequential combustion, allowing operation on various fuels with improved mixing and reduced pollutant emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single-stage combustor is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different fuels and emission control capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The combustor is divided into two independent stages: a first stage combustor with multiple burners for primary combustion, and a second stage combustor for secondary combustion and emission control. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized for different fuel types and combustion requirements, enabling the system to handle diverse fuels (natural gas, hydrogen, ammonia, syngas) while maintaining relatively simple individual stage structures.
2Productivity
If multiple combustors discharge into a common annular combustion chamber, then the productivity is improved, but the harmful factors increase due to flow mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion process is segmented into two stages with spatial separation. The first stage combustors perform primary combustion separately, and the second stage combustor performs secondary combustion in a dedicated zone before discharge to the annular combustion chamber. This segmentation prevents premature mixing of flows from multiple combustors, reducing pollutant formation while maintaining high power output through combined combustion energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The second stage combustor acts as an intermediary between the first stage combustors and the annular combustion chamber. It receives combustion products from the first stage, performs additional combustion and mixing in a controlled environment, and then discharges the processed flow to the annular chamber. This intermediary function reduces harmful emissions by ensuring more complete combustion and better mixing before the flows enter the main annular combustion zone.
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 design achieves flexible operation on diverse fuels, enhancing performance and reducing emissions, applicable to both high-class and lower-class turbines, and provides compact, efficient combustion systems.
Implementation Method 1
each combustor is configured to supply a fuel flowrate to be burned in the annular combustion chamber
Implementation Method 2
each combustor comprises a dilution air mixer configured to introduce air into the gas flow path at a location between the first combustor stage and the second combustor stage
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~7
AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes an annular combustion chamber (7) and a plurality of combustors (6) communicating with the annular combustion chamber (7). Each combustor (6) defines a respective gas flow path (20) along a respective combustor axis (C) and has a first combustor stage (6a) and a second combustor stage (6b), sequentially arranged along the respective gas flow path (20). The second combustor stages (6b) of the combustors (6) are configured to discharge into the annular combustion chamber (7).