Session: 04-15 Combustor Design III

Paper Number: 153749

Impact of Fuel Injection System on the Performance of An Industrial Burner With Hydrogen Piloting Operated With Simulated Exhaust Gas Recirculation 

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) can be exploited to increase the CO₂ content at the exhaust of gas turbines, in order to improve the efficiency of Carbon Capture Systems. The lower oxygen level leads to challenging conditions for the combustion process, resulting in high CO and UHC emissions. To mitigate these effects and expand the combustor's operational range, pilot flames can be employed to stabilize the flame, with localized hydrogen injections offering additional support for stabilization.
In this demanding and complex environment created by EGR, fuel injection strategy is crucial in the flame stabilization process, and many design parameters come into play. The present work illustrates the results of an extensive screening performed at ambient pressure in a single-cup test rig at the THT Lab of the University of Florence, with EGR conditions simulated with CO₂ addition in the combustion air. In particular, 6 different configurations of a DLN burner from BH have been tested, varying the arrangement and geometry of the pilot jets, and the premix fuel injection mode. Burners performance has been compared in terms of CO emissions, lean blow out limits and dynamic behavior, and OH* chemiluminescence imaging has also been employed to investigate the flame structure. The results point out that, for the investigated configuration, the occurrence of thermoacoustic instabilities is, together with CO emissions, the main limiting factor, but benefits have been observed with hydrogen addition, and promising configurations will be further tested in engine like conditions.

Presenting Author: Sofia Galeotti DIEF Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence

Presenting Author Biography: Sofia Galeotti is a PhD student of the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Florence, where she got her master’s degree in 2021. Her studies currently focus on combustion diagnostics and heat transfer in gas turbines.

Authors:

Sofia Galeotti DIEF Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence
Alessio Picchi DIEF Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence
Riccardo Becchi DIEF Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence
Roberto Meloni Baker Hughes
Giulia Babazzi Baker Hughes
Antonio Andreini DIEF Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence