High-Temperature Low-Emission Combustion Chambers of Gas Turbines with Variable Fuel Composition

This paper presents an analysis of trends in the development of combustion chambers for high- and medium-power gas turbine units from leading manufacturers pursuing a significant increase in turbine efficiency and fuel flexibility while maintaining environmental requirements. The experience in developing low-emission combustors (LECs) at the All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute is described. The results of testing a GT-16P LEC in a single-burner chamber at full parameters are presented. Its modification to a dual-zone configuration is shown, which significantly expanded the range of stable low-emission combustion over a wide temperature range of outside air. For admissible values of NO , it was possible to achieve a combustor exhaust gas temperature of 1700°C. An analysis is made of the designs of gas turbine LEC burners that do not have problems with combustion of high hydrogen fuel: flame flashback into the premixing zone, high pressure losses on burners, and combustion instability. It is shown that these burners do not contain a blade swirler and a pronounced premixing zone.