NUMERICAL RE-DESIGN OF A HEAVY DUTY GAS TURBINE HYDROGEN-FIRED COMBUSTION CHAMBER

The present work describes the numerical methodology followed to characterize and study modifications to a silo-type diffusive combustion chamber installed on a GE10, a 10 MW class heavy-duty gas turbine manufactured by GE Oil & Gas. The goal of the work was to investigate modifications to the combustion chamber to allow operation with 100% hydrogen fuel at reduced NO(x) production in dry conditions. The investigation focused mainly on the burner; the liner was not substantially changed. The swirler and the fuel injection holes were redesigned to achieve better fuel-air mixing and a higher airflow rate in the primary zone of the combustor, maintaining a diffusion flame scheme. The proposed modifications were analyzed using a 3D CFD RANS reactive procedure based on commercial codes. The method was previously validated by comparison with the experimental data from the full scale tests performed at the End l Facility at Sesta, Italy. In-house codes were developed for the post-processing of the results. The numerical analysis has shown that the modified version can provide a NO(x) reduction up to 40%. The results are discussed focusing on the effect of fuel injection scheme on mixing quality and NO(x) emission containment.