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 NOx, it was possible to achieve a combustor exhaust gas temperature of 1700 degrees 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.