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At least 577 records · Page 32

Apparatus and method for gas turbine active combustion control system

An Active Combustion Control System and method provides for monitoring combustor pressure and modulating fuel to a gas turbine combustor to prevent combustion dynamics and/or flame extinguishments. The system includes an actuator, wherein the actuator periodically injects pulsed fuel into the combustor. The apparatus also includes a sensor connected to the combustion chamber down stream from an inlet, where the sensor generates a signal detecting the pressure oscillations in the combustor. The apparatus controls the actuator in response to the sensor. The apparatus prompts the actuator to periodically inject pulsed fuel into the combustor at a predetermined sympathetic frequency and magnitude, thereby controlling the amplitude of the pressure oscillations in the combustor by modulating the natural oscillations.

Umeh, Chukwueloka↗

Understanding the Durability of SiC Based Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) for Gas Turbine Engine Hot Section Components

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites (SiCf/SiC-CMCs) are being used in the fabrication of gas turbine engine hot section components due to their light weight and excellent thermal and chemical stabilities at high-temperature. These superior properties enable significant enhancements in engine efficiency and reduced fuel burn, emissions, and cooling requirements. In support of NASA’s Aeronautics Mission under various programs at Glenn Research Center, different types of composites have been developed and assessed for a high temperature (2700 °F) SiCf/SiC CMC system for turbine engine applications. These composites have creep-resistant SiC fibers, advanced 3D weaves, 2700 °F-capable hybrid SiC matrices, and durable environmental barrier coatings (EBCs). These efforts have resulted in improvements in the overall CMC thermomechanical and environmental durability. In order to study the role of different constituents and processing variables, a single fiber tow CVI (chemical vapor infiltration) SiC/SiC mini-composite can be considered the basic architectural feature of woven and laminate SiC/SiC CMCs. Moreover, the mini-composite mechanical and tensile creep damage behavior represents the creep behavior of 0° fiber tows in the axial loading direction of a macro-composite or component. In addition, a large number of mini-composite samples can be fabricated at relatively low cost within a short time, which makes them attractive for obtaining a robust set of experimental data and studying constituent behavior. In this presentation, the mini-composite approach to study damage mechanisms that limit CMC life in extreme environments including exposure to steam will be presented. The effects of constituent type and volume fraction on the CMC durability, which will help influence CMC design, will be discussed.

Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)↗

Thermal barrier coatings issues in advanced land-based gas turbines

The Department of Energy's Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) program is aimed at fostering the development of a new generation of land-based gas turbine systems with overall efficiencies significantly beyond those of current state-of-the-art machines, as well as greatly increased times between inspection and refurbishment, improved environmental impact, and decreased cost. The proposed duty cycle of ATS machines will emphasize different criteria in the selection of materials for the critical components. In particular, thermal barrier coatings (TBC's) will be an essential feature of the hot gas path components in these machines. In fact, the goals of the ATS will require significant improvements in TBC technology, since these turbines will be totally reliant on TBC's, which will be required to function on critical components such as the first stage vanes and blades for times considerably in excess of those experienced in current applications. Issues that assume increased importance are the mechanical and chemical stability of the ceramic layer and of the metallic bond coat; the thermal expansion characteristics and compliance of the ceramic layer; and the thermal conductivity across the thickness of the ceramic layer. Obviously, the ATS program provides a very challenging opportunity for TBC's, and involves some significant opportunities to extend this technology. A significant TBC development effort is planned in the ATS program which will address these key issues.

Parks, William P.↗

Fatigue Reliability of Gas Turbine Engine Structures

The results of an investigation are described for fatigue reliability in engine structures. The description consists of two parts. Part 1 is for method development. Part 2 is a specific case study. In Part 1, the essential concepts and practical approaches to damage tolerance design in the gas turbine industry are summarized. These have evolved over the years in response to flight safety certification requirements. The effect of Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) methods on these methods is also reviewed. Assessment methods based on probabilistic fracture mechanics, with regard to both crack initiation and crack growth, are outlined. Limit state modeling techniques from structural reliability theory are shown to be appropriate for application to this problem, for both individual failure mode and system-level assessment. In Part 2, the results of a case study for the high pressure turbine of a turboprop engine are described. The response surface approach is used to construct a fatigue performance function. This performance function is used with the First Order Reliability Method (FORM) to determine the probability of failure and the sensitivity of the fatigue life to the engine parameters for the first stage disk rim of the two stage turbine. A hybrid combination of regression and Monte Carlo simulation is to use incorporate time dependent random variables. System reliability is used to determine the system probability of failure, and the sensitivity of the system fatigue life to the engine parameters of the high pressure turbine. 'ne variation in the primary hot gas and secondary cooling air, the uncertainty of the complex mission loading, and the scatter in the material data are considered.

Cruse, Thomas A.↗

Imaging of Combustion Species in a Radially-Staged Gas Turbine Combustor

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used to characterize the complex flowfield of a unique fuel-lean, radially-staged, high pressure gas turbine combustor. PLIF images of OH are presented for two fuel injector configurations. PLIF images of NO, the first acquired at these conditions, are presented and compared with gas sample extraction probe measurements. Flow field imaging of nascent C2 chemiluminescence is also investigated. An examination is made of the interaction between adjoining lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) injectors. Fluorescence interferences at conditions approaching 2000 K and 15 atm are observed and attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions. All images are acquired at a position immediately downstream of the fuel injectors with the combustor burning JP-5 fuel.

Locke, Randy J.↗

Imaging of Combustion Species in a Radially-Staged Gas Turbine Combustor

Plannar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used to characterize the complex flowfield of a unique fuel-lean, radially-staged high pressure gas turbine combustor. PLIF images of OH are presented for two fuel injector configurations. PLIF images of NO, the first acquired at these conditions, are presented and compared with gas sample extraction probe measurements. Flow field imaging of nascent C2 chemiluminescence is also investigated. An examination is made of the interaction between adjoining lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) injectors. Fluorescence interferences at conditions approaching 2000 K and 15 atm are observed and attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions. All images are acquired at a position immediately downstream of the fuel injectors with combustor burning JP-5 fuel.

Locke, Randy J.↗

Cooling of Gas Turbines, IV - Calculated Temperature Distribution in the Trailing Part of a Turbine Blade Using Direct Liquid Cooling

A theoretical analysis of the temperature distribution through the trailing portion of a blade near the coolant passages of liquid cooled gas turbines was made. The analysis was applied to obtain the hot spot temperatures at the trailing edge and influence of design variables. The effective gas temperature was varied from 2000 degrees to 5000 degrees F in each investigation.

Brown, W. Byron↗

Ammonia Combustion for Gas Turbine Engines

Presentation given at the 2024 University Turbines System Research conference describing NETL Research and Innovation Center work associated with ammonia combustion for gas turbine engines.

Bedick, Clinton↗

Hydrogen Enrichment for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine (SOFC/GT) Hybrid Power Generation Systems Using Mechanical Gas Separation

This presentation, given at the 37 th annual Pittsburgh Coal Conference on September 8-11, 2020, includes information on the process, previous work, normal and oblique shocks model, diffuser design model, and calculation results (expansion, recompression with no losses, and recompression with mass depletion). Summary includes the concept of aerodynamic separation of water and carbon dioxide from a SYNGAS stream and that deposition was modeled by mass depletion from a compressible flow.

VanOsdol, John↗

Effect of inlet-air humidity, temperature, pressure, and reference Mach number on the formation of oxides of nitrogen in a gas turbine combustor

Tests were conducted to determine the effect of inlet air humidity on the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from a gas turbine combustor. Combustor inlet air temperature ranged from 506 K (450 F) to 838 K (1050 F). The tests were primarily run at a constant pressure of 6 atmospheres and reference Mach number of 0.065. The NOx emission index was found to decrease with increasing inlet air humidity at a constant exponential rate: NOx = NOx0e-19H (where H is the humidity and the subscript 0 denotes the value at zero humidity). the emission index increased exponentially with increasing normalized inlet air temperature to the 1.14 power. Additional tests made to determine the effect of pressure and reference Mach number on NOx showed that the NOx emission index varies directly with pressure to the 0.5 power and inversely with reference Mach number.

Marchionna, N. R.↗

Prevaporization and premixing to obtain low oxides of nitrogen in gas turbine combustors

Tests were conducted to determine the effectiveness of prevaporization and premixing in reducing the formation of oxides of nitrogen in a gas turbine type combustor using liquid JP-5 fuel at the supersonic cruise condition. The combustor inlet temperature was 833 K (1500 R) at a pressure of 4 atmospheres and a reference velocity of 46 m/sec (150 ft/sec). An order of magnitude reduction in nitric oxide emissions was achieved. Nitric oxide emission indices as low as 0.6 gm NO2/kg fuel were measured at an equivalence ratio of 0.29 with one percent combustion inefficiency without vitiation of the mixer stream.

Roffe, G.↗

Ceramics in gas turbines - Powder and process characterization

The role of powder and process characterization in producing high quality silicon nitride and silicon carbide components, for gas turbine applications, is described. Some of the intrinsic properties of various forms of Si3N4 and SiC are listed and limitations of such materials' availability have been pointed out. The essential features/parameters to characterize a batch of powder have been discussed including the standard techniques for such characterization. In process characterization, parameters in sintering, reaction sintering, and hot pressing processes are discussed including the factors responsible for strength limitations in ceramic bodies. It is inevitable that significant improvements in material properties can be achieved by reducing or eliminating the strength limiting factors with consistent powder and process characterization along with process control.

Dutta, S.↗

The effect of cycle variables on the emissions and performance of lean premixed gas turbine primary zone combustor

Experiments were conducted in which a stream of premixed propane and air was burned under conditions representative of gas-turbine operation. Emissions of NOx, CO, and unburned hydrocarbons were measured over a range of combustor inlet temperature (600-1000 K), pressure (5-30 atm), and residence time (1-3 msec) at equivalence ratios from 0.7 down to the lean stability limit. At inlet temperatures of 800 and 1000 K, NOx emissions displayed little sensitivity to pressure. At an inlet temperature of 600 K, observed NOx levels dropped markedly with decreasing pressure for pressures below 20 atm. NOx levels were proportional to combustor residence time, and formation rate was principally a function of adiabatic flame temperature. For adiabatic flame temperatures of 2050 K and higher, CO reached chemical equilibrium within 2 msec. Unburned hydrocarbon species dropped to a negligible level within 2 msec regardless of inlet temperature, pressure, or equivalence ratio. For a combustor residence time of 2.5 msec, combustion inefficiency became less than 0.01% at an adiabatic flame temperature of 2050 K. The maximum combustion inefficiency observed was of the order of 1% and corresponded to conditions near the lean stability limit.

Roffe, G.↗

Pressure instrumentation for gas turbine engines - A review of measurement technology

Many types and designs of pressure measuring instrumentation are used during the development and testing of gas turbine engines. This paper provides an overview of more commonly available pressure transducers and their characteristics. Probe designs for use in both steady-state and dynamic pressure measurement systems are reviewed. Techniques used to qualify instrument probes and the methods used to calibrate pressure transducers during engine testing are described.

Armentrout, E. C.↗

Computer code for estimating installed performance of aircraft gas turbine engines. Volume 3: Library of maps

A computerized method which utilizes the engine performance data and estimates the installed performance of aircraft gas turbine engines is presented. This installation includes: engine weight and dimensions, inlet and nozzle internal performance and drag, inlet and nacelle weight, and nacelle drag. The use of two data base files to represent the engine and the inlet/nozzle/aftbody performance characteristics is discussed. The existing library of performance characteristics for inlets and nozzle/aftbodies and an example of the 1000 series of engine data tables is presented.

Kowalski, E. J.↗

3500-hour durability testing of ceramic materials for automotive gas turbine engines

A two-year durability program was performed by AiResearch Phoenix to evaluate four commercially available ceramic materials under simulated automotive gas turbine combustor discharge conditions. These conditions included extended cyclic thermal exposures up to 2500 F and 3500 hr. The four materials selected for evaluation were Norton NCX-34 hot pressed silicon nitride, AiResearch RBN 101 reaction bonded silicon nitride, Carborundum pressureless sintered alpha-SiC and Pure Carbon Co. (British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd.) Refel reaction sintered silicon carbide. These materials were initially exposed to 350 hr/1750 cycles at 1200 and 1370 C. Subsequent exposures to 1050, 2100 and 3500 hr were performed on those materials maintaining 50% of baseline strength after the initial exposure. Additional evaluations of exposed bars included dimensional and weight changes, dye penetrant, specific damping capacity changes, SEM fractography, and X-ray diffraction.

Carruthers, W. D.↗

Advanced Gas Turbine (AGT) power-train system development

Technical work on the design and component testing of a 74.5 kW (100 hp) advanced automotive gas turbine is described. Selected component ceramic component design, and procurement were tested. Compressor tests of a modified rotor showed high speed performance improvement over previous rotor designs; efficiency improved by 2.5%, corrected flow by 4.6%, and pressure ratio by 11.6% at 100% speed. The aerodynamic design is completed for both the gasifier and power turbines. Ceramic (silicon carbide) gasifier rotors were spin tested to failure. Improving strengths is indicated by burst speeds and the group of five rotors failed at speeds between 104% and 116% of engine rated speed. The emission results from combustor testing showed NOx levels to be nearly one order of magnitude lower than with previous designs. A one piece ceramic exhaust duct/regenerator seal platform is designed with acceptable low stress levels.

Helms, H. E.↗