Session: 04-02: Flashback and Blowoff

Paper Number: 79816

79816 - Validation of Hydrogen Boundary Layer Flashback Model on Gas Turbine Geometries and Conditions 

Hydrogen is considered as a promising zero carbon battery fuel to deliver balancing power for the future electricity system with an increasing share of variable renewable energy. Flame flashback is one of the main challenges for the application of hydrogen in gas turbines. Lean premixed hydrogen combustion is much more prone to flashback than natural gas combustion due to higher flame speed and the Lewis number effect.

The TU Delft developed a boundary layer flashback model [1] based on a previous work by TU Munich [2]. The model uses the Stratford boundary layer stability criterium in an adverse pressure gradient flow. In boundary layer flash back the adverse pressure gradient is generated by combustion due to the temperature expansion over the flame front.  The TU Delft model includes amongst others the effect of the laminar flame speed, boundary layer profile, Lewis number and adverse pressure gradient of the mean flow. The model was successfully validated on a number of academic experiments from TU Munich [1].

In the present paper the flash back model is compared to the models and validated with the experiments from both the University of California, Irvine (UCI) [3] and the Paul Scheerer Institute (PSI) [4]. The experiments at both UCI and PSI were executed under gas turbine like operating conditions. The turbulent flame speed closure of the TU Delft model was modified from the original Damköhler correlation to a turbulent flame speed closure from literature. The improved flashback model compares very well with the experimental results from UCI, PSI and the academic results from TU Munich.

The improved TU Delft boundary layer flashback model has been applied to the Flamesheet^TM combustor [5]. The Flamesheet burner is an innovative combustor with a trapped vortex flame stabilization, capable to run at very high hydrogen to methane ratio’s. The TU Delft flashback model was modified to be able to predict the flash propensity at different locations in the combustor. The outcome of the flashback model correlates well with test results.

Bibliography

[1] Ó. H. Björnsson, S. A. Klein and J. Tober, Boundary Layer Flashback Model for Hydrogen Flames in Confined Geometries Including the Effect of Adverse Pressure Gradient, J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power 143, GTP-20-1415, 2021.

[2] V. Hoferichter, C. Hirsch, and T. Sattelmayer, “Prediction of Confined Flame Flashback Limits Using Boundary Layer Separation Theory,” J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 2017.

[3] A. Kalantari, E. Sullivan-Lewis, and V. McDonell, “Flashback Propensity of Turbulent Hydrogen-Air Jet Flames at Gas Turbine Premixer Conditions,” J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, vol. 138, no. 6, Jun. 2016.

[4] Y. C. Lin, S. Daniele, P. Jansohn, and K. Boulouchos, “Combustion characteristics and nox emission of hydrogen-rich fuel gases at gas turbine relevant conditions,” Proc. ASME Turbo Expo 2012, vol. 2, no. PARTS A AND B, pp. 829–835., 2012.

[5] P. Stuttaford et al., “FlameSheetTM combustor engine and rig validation for operational and fuel flexibility with low emissions,” Proc. ASME Turbo Expo 2016, vol. 4A-2016, 2016.

Presenting Author: Sikke Klein Delft University of Technology

Presenting Author Biography: Sikke Klein is full professor at Delft University of Technnology in the field of “gas turbines for power generation.”. His research focuses on flexibility of gas turbines, hydrogen application, future cycles like hydrogen-oxygen cycles and energy storage. <br/>Sikke Klein got his PhD degree from the University of Twente in the field of Thermoacoustics.<br/>Next to his position at TU Delft, he is also technology manager Energy at Nobian, an leading European chemical company in the manufacturing of base chemicals.

Authors:

Sikke Klein Delft University of Technology
Christos Sarakatsanis Delft University of Technology