Periodic Reporting for period 4 - HyBurn (Enabling Hydrogen-enriched burner technology for gas turbines through advanced measurement and simulation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-12-01 al 2022-05-31
A major impediment to the economic viability of carbon-free renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power is an inability to effectively utilize the power they generate if it is not immediately needed. One option to address this is to use excess generator capacity during off-peak demand periods to produce hydrogen (H2), a carbon-free fuel that can be mixed with natural gas and distributed to energy suppliers, where its energy content is recovered via combustion in conventional gas-turbine power plants. Hydrogen-enrichment, however, dramatically alters the combustion dynamics of natural-gas. Before this innovative energy solution can be implemented, a deep fundamental understanding of how hydrogen-enrichment affects the combustion dynamics of natural gas at the high-pressure, high turbulence intensity conditions found in a gas turbine combustor is essential.
The objective of this study was to facilitate Europe’s transition to a reliable and cost-effective energy system based on carbon-free renewable power generation. It accomplished this by developing advanced laser measurement techniques for use in high-pressure combustion test facilities and using them to acquire the data necessary to develop robust predictive analysis tools for hydrogen-enriched natural gas combustor technology. This data was acquired at the German Aerospace Center in Stuttgart and analyzed in close collaboration with numerical simulation and combustion modelling teams from around the world.
The objective of this study was to facilitate Europe’s transition to a reliable and cost-effective energy system based on carbon-free renewable power generation. It accomplished this by developing advanced laser measurement techniques for use in high-pressure combustion test facilities and using them to acquire the data necessary to develop robust predictive analysis tools for hydrogen-enriched natural gas combustor technology. This data was acquired at the German Aerospace Center in Stuttgart and analyzed in close collaboration with numerical simulation and combustion modelling teams from around the world.
We developed a highspeed, multiparameter laser imaging system for the study of turbulent flames at the high pressure, high thermal load conditions found in a modern gas turbine combustor. This system consists of a dual-plane, laser-induced fluorescence system for the imaging of combustion radicals and fuel tracers, a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system to acquire 3-component velocity measurements of combustor flow-fields, and a chemiluminescence imaging system. All three sub-systems can be operated simultaneously at high (10 kHz) acquisition rates over long (up to several seconds at a time) measurement periods.
We utilized this powerful new measurement system to study the effect of increasing hydrogen admixture and chamber pressure on the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames of natural gas, with a particular focus on questions of applied technical interest. Specifically, we used this measurement system to study the mechanisms responsible for lift-off and flame-holding of a series of jet-flames in crossflow issuing from a generic gas turbine fuel-injector at pressures of up to 15 bars, and with hydrogen fuel fractions of up to 100%. We acquired measurements to study the structure and dynamics of flames of hydrogen-enriched natural gas at conditions of extreme turbulent intensity (Re_t = 10,500) and at pressures of up to 7 bars in a piloted, premixed Bunsen burner. Finally, we acquired an unprecedented series of measurements of the structure and dynamics of partially-premixed swirl flames of hydrogen-enriched natural gas in a gas turbine model combustor at pressures of up to 5 bars, and thermal loads of up to 185kW. These measurements yielded extensive new insight into the effect of hydrogen on flame dynamics, combustion instabilities and flow-flame interaction. Analysis of the unique and extremely rich database of experimental measurements we acquired in this project has delivered new insight into how hydrogen affects the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames at the extreme conditions found in a gas turbine combustor.
To maximize both the scientific and technical impact of this project, we have shared experimental data from each test case extensively with numerical simulation and combustion modelling teams from around the world through collaborative research initiatives. These collaborations have generated new insight into the effect of hydrogen on combustor dynamics, flame-stabilization and thermoacoustic pulsation. The shared data sets have enabled researchers to test and improve the performance of their predictive analysis tools against high quality experimental data acquired in technically challenging test cases. Initial results of these collaborations have already been published in several peer-reviewed journals. Additional papers are currently in preparation or under review.
We utilized this powerful new measurement system to study the effect of increasing hydrogen admixture and chamber pressure on the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames of natural gas, with a particular focus on questions of applied technical interest. Specifically, we used this measurement system to study the mechanisms responsible for lift-off and flame-holding of a series of jet-flames in crossflow issuing from a generic gas turbine fuel-injector at pressures of up to 15 bars, and with hydrogen fuel fractions of up to 100%. We acquired measurements to study the structure and dynamics of flames of hydrogen-enriched natural gas at conditions of extreme turbulent intensity (Re_t = 10,500) and at pressures of up to 7 bars in a piloted, premixed Bunsen burner. Finally, we acquired an unprecedented series of measurements of the structure and dynamics of partially-premixed swirl flames of hydrogen-enriched natural gas in a gas turbine model combustor at pressures of up to 5 bars, and thermal loads of up to 185kW. These measurements yielded extensive new insight into the effect of hydrogen on flame dynamics, combustion instabilities and flow-flame interaction. Analysis of the unique and extremely rich database of experimental measurements we acquired in this project has delivered new insight into how hydrogen affects the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames at the extreme conditions found in a gas turbine combustor.
To maximize both the scientific and technical impact of this project, we have shared experimental data from each test case extensively with numerical simulation and combustion modelling teams from around the world through collaborative research initiatives. These collaborations have generated new insight into the effect of hydrogen on combustor dynamics, flame-stabilization and thermoacoustic pulsation. The shared data sets have enabled researchers to test and improve the performance of their predictive analysis tools against high quality experimental data acquired in technically challenging test cases. Initial results of these collaborations have already been published in several peer-reviewed journals. Additional papers are currently in preparation or under review.
The highspeed (10 kHz acquisition-rate) multiparameter laser imaging system developed in this project represents a major advance in our ability to the study the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames at elevated pressure conditions. The system was tested in a variety of turbulent flames at pressures of up to 20 bars, and yielded viable data in turbulent flames at pressures up to 15 bars. The ability to reliably measure flames at high speeds (10 kHz) and over long durations (> 1s) at the extremely challenging conditions found in a gas turbine combustor enables us to understand the structure and dynamics of turbulent flames in new ways. It has enabled us to rigorously test both low-order combustion models and high-fidelity numerical simulation tools.
An extremely rich set of experimental measurements were acquired in flames stabilized on a generic “jet-in-crossflow” type fuel injector, a piloted premixed Bunsen burner, and in a swirl-stabilized, gas turbine model combustor (GTMC). Each series of flames were operated with hydrogen-enriched natural gas at conditions similar to those found in a modern gas turbine combustor. The quality and the quantity of this data is well beyond what was available to the research community prior to this project. These measurements have helped us identify and characterize parameters governing flame lift-off and stabilization, thermoacoustic pulsation and combustion instability at elevated pressure and high thermal load conditions, and how hydrogen-enrichment and chamber pressure affect each. This database of experimental measurements has been shared widely with research groups in the numerical simulation and combustion modelling communities. The data is now being analyzed to better understand the nature of hydrogen-enriched flames, and to test the performance of combustion models, numerical simulations and predictive analysis tools.
An extremely rich set of experimental measurements were acquired in flames stabilized on a generic “jet-in-crossflow” type fuel injector, a piloted premixed Bunsen burner, and in a swirl-stabilized, gas turbine model combustor (GTMC). Each series of flames were operated with hydrogen-enriched natural gas at conditions similar to those found in a modern gas turbine combustor. The quality and the quantity of this data is well beyond what was available to the research community prior to this project. These measurements have helped us identify and characterize parameters governing flame lift-off and stabilization, thermoacoustic pulsation and combustion instability at elevated pressure and high thermal load conditions, and how hydrogen-enrichment and chamber pressure affect each. This database of experimental measurements has been shared widely with research groups in the numerical simulation and combustion modelling communities. The data is now being analyzed to better understand the nature of hydrogen-enriched flames, and to test the performance of combustion models, numerical simulations and predictive analysis tools.