The authority of an active combustion instability control system was improved by increasing the degree of mixing between a modulated gaseous fuel source and the remainder of the premixed reactants in a low-emissions combustor. Nonreacting acetone PLIF measurements were used to assess the mixedness of various fuel injection configurations, in both time-averaged and phase-locked modes. These configurations were also evaluated in combustion tests in which the authority of the actuator and the ability of the control system to attenuate the instability were measured. The results indicated that both control authority and emissions performance are tied directly to the ability to achieve temporal control over the spatially averaged fuel/air ratio leaving the premixer at any point in time while simultaneously maintaining the high spatial uniformity of this mixture. The cold-flow diagnostic techniques were proven to be an effective and low-cost method for screening fuel injection concepts.

Issue Section:
Gas Turbines: Combustion and Fuels
Keywords:
combustion, fuel optimal control, control of specific variables, mixing, flow instability
Topics:
Combustion, Fuels, Flow (Dynamics), Control systems, Combustion chambers, Nozzles
1.
Hibshman, J. R., Cohen, J. M., Banaszuk, A., Anderson, T. J., and Alholm, H. A., 1999, “Active Control of Combustion Instability in a Liquid-Fueled Sector Combustor,” ASME Paper 99-GT-215, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, June.
2.
Cohen
,
J. M.
,
Rey
,
N. M.
,
Jacobson
,
C. A.
, and
Anderson
,
T. J.
,
1999
, “
Active Control of Combustion Instability in a Liquid-Fueled Low-NOx Combustor
,”
ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power
,
121
, No.
2
, pp.
281
–
284
.
3.
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4.
Hoffmann, S., Weber, G., Judith, H., Hermann, J., and Orthmann, A., 1998, “Application of Active Combustion Instability Control to Siemens Heavy Duty Gas Turbines,” Symposium of the AVT Panel on Gas Turbine Engine Combustion, Emission, and Alternative Fuels, Lisbon, Portugal, Oct.
5.
Paschereit, C. O., Gutmark, E., and Weisenstein, W., 1999, “Control of Combustion Driven Oscillations by Equivalence Ratio Modulations,” ASME Paper 99-GT-118, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, June.
6.
Richards, G. A., Yip, M. J., Robey, E., Cowell, L., and Rawlins, D., 1995, “Combustion Oscillation Control by Cyclic Fuel Injection,” ASME Paper 95-GT-224, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Houston, TX , June.
7.
Sattinger, S. S., Neumeier, Y., Nabi, A., Zinn, B. T., Amos, D. J., and Darling, D. D., 1998, “Sub-scale Demonstration of the Active Feedback Control of Gas-Turbine Combustion Instabilities,” ASME Paper 98-GT-258, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Stockholm, Sweden, June.
8.
Peracchio
,
A. A.
, and
Proscia
,
W.
,
1999
, “
Nonlinear Heat-Release/Acoustic Model for Thermoacoustic Instability in Lean Premixed Combustors
,”
ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power
,
121
, No.
3
, pp.
415
–
421
.
9.
Lieuwen, T., Torres, H., Johnson, C., and Zinn, B., 1999, “A Mechanism of Combustion Instability in Lean Premixed Gas Turbine Combustors,” ASME Paper 99-GT-3, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, June.
10.
Lee, D. S., and Anderson, T. J., 1999, “Measurements of Fuel/Air—Acoustic Coupling in Lean Premixed Combustion Systems,” AIAA Paper AIAA-99-0450, AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, NV, Jan.
11.
Stufflebeam, J. H., Kendrick, D. W., Sowa, W. A., and Snyder, T. S., 1999, “Quantifying Fuel/Air Unmixedness in Premixing Nozzles Using an Acetone Fluorescence Technique,” ASME Paper 99-GT-399, International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, June.
Copyright © 2001
 by ASME
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