Modeling syngas combustion performance of a can combustor with rotating casing for an innovative micro gas turbine

Maaz Ajvad, Hsin Yi Shih*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents the numerical study of the casing rotation effects on the combustion performance of an innovative micro gas turbine for H2/CO syngas fuels. The study was conducted by a computational model consisting of three-dimension compressible k-ε realizable turbulent flow model and presumed probability density function (PPDF) for combustion process invoking a laminar flamelet assumption generated by detailed chemical kinetics from GRI 3.0. The rotating effects on the combustion characteristics of the can combustor were investigated with methane and two different syngas compositions. The two typical compositions of syngas were specified as H2-rich (H2/CO = 4 by molar ratio) and equal molar (H2/CO = 1) syngas. For methane combustion, when the casing was stationary, high-temperature flame stabilized in the core region, but it shrank and moved towards the wall of the combustor due to centrifugal effect as the casing started to rotate. As syngas was substituted for methane at the same fuel flow rate, the high-temperature flame then stabilized along the wall of the combustor. When casing rotated, pattern factor and exit temperature of the combustor increased, but the lower heating value of the syngas fuel caused a power shortage. In order to maintain the same thermal load, the fuel flow rate of the syngas was raised. Consequently, the high-temperature flame was pushed downstream due to increased fuel injection velocity. As a result, pattern factor rises, indicating severe temperature fluctuations at exit of the combustor. The design of the can combustor was then modified to better accommodation for syngas combustion application in the micro gas turbine.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)31188-31201
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Volume45
Issue number55
DOIs
StatePublished - 06 11 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

Keywords

  • Gas turbine combustion
  • Micro gas turbine
  • Rotation effects
  • Syngas combustion

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