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Impact of gas composition variations on flame blowout and spectroscopic characteristics of lean premixed swirl flames

Impact of gas composition variations on flame blowout and spectroscopic characteristics of lean premixed swirl flames
Impact of gas composition variations on flame blowout and spectroscopic characteristics of lean premixed swirl flames

The injection of gases from different oil and gas fields and external sources such as liquefied natural gas increases operational risks for the relevant gas turbine power plant operators. In practice, the absence of interchangeability specifications in the gas supply network code has caused combustion blowout, wear and tear to occur due to combustion dynamics and diluent effects. Understanding the effects of diluents on natural gas combustion is essential to ensure the safe operation of existing facilities. The present work investigates the flame stability and spectroscopic characteristics of diluents-containing natural gas by using a swirl flame burner. Stable and continuous swirl flames were successfully established using different types of gas compositions, including those diluted with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Diluting the modelled natural gas with CO2 and N2 results in higher blowout limit as compared to the baseline pure methane case. Preheating the burner and mixtures can extend the flame blowout limits, although the effect of CO2 on flame blowout is more pronounced than that of N2 due to its higher heat capacity. This work shows the effects of non-reactive diluents on gas turbine flame can be significant, particularly at high-level dilutions. Mitigation measures such as gas composition and flame spectroscopy monitoring can be deployed to ensure safe operation of the system. By using the statistical analysis technique of linear regression, the proportions of all the fuel mixture components of CH4, C2H6, CO2 and N2, alongside temperature were found to be significant factors in determining flame blowout limits. The developed predictor equations for OH intensity and lean blowout equivalence ratios show the predictive capability of >89% at 90–95% confidence level.

Blowout limit, Diluent effects, Emissions spectroscopy, Gas turbine, Natural gas
0957-5820
1-13
Chong, Cheng Tung
65b12c86-8a3e-45e8-873c-7db0c8b2cbd9
Ng, Jo Han
4c9c51bd-1cfc-46c0-b519-23b77566fe50
Aris, Mohd Shiraz
eb723269-8b2e-452e-a601-3435cb657b68
Mong, Guo Ren
4fa5db8e-6b00-4bb8-9dd0-1b7b85e51452
Shahril, Norshakina
ed931de7-ce56-48b9-8a7a-11d58dcf9565
Ting, Sing Tung
f34e9f42-1fa8-4ddf-8a3d-2efbd973bc66
Zulkifli, Meor Faisal
23c73691-894a-42d8-b693-5687f0a107d3
Chong, Cheng Tung
65b12c86-8a3e-45e8-873c-7db0c8b2cbd9
Ng, Jo Han
4c9c51bd-1cfc-46c0-b519-23b77566fe50
Aris, Mohd Shiraz
eb723269-8b2e-452e-a601-3435cb657b68
Mong, Guo Ren
4fa5db8e-6b00-4bb8-9dd0-1b7b85e51452
Shahril, Norshakina
ed931de7-ce56-48b9-8a7a-11d58dcf9565
Ting, Sing Tung
f34e9f42-1fa8-4ddf-8a3d-2efbd973bc66
Zulkifli, Meor Faisal
23c73691-894a-42d8-b693-5687f0a107d3

Chong, Cheng Tung, Ng, Jo Han, Aris, Mohd Shiraz, Mong, Guo Ren, Shahril, Norshakina, Ting, Sing Tung and Zulkifli, Meor Faisal (2019) Impact of gas composition variations on flame blowout and spectroscopic characteristics of lean premixed swirl flames. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 128, 1-13. (doi:10.1016/j.psep.2019.05.015).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The injection of gases from different oil and gas fields and external sources such as liquefied natural gas increases operational risks for the relevant gas turbine power plant operators. In practice, the absence of interchangeability specifications in the gas supply network code has caused combustion blowout, wear and tear to occur due to combustion dynamics and diluent effects. Understanding the effects of diluents on natural gas combustion is essential to ensure the safe operation of existing facilities. The present work investigates the flame stability and spectroscopic characteristics of diluents-containing natural gas by using a swirl flame burner. Stable and continuous swirl flames were successfully established using different types of gas compositions, including those diluted with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Diluting the modelled natural gas with CO2 and N2 results in higher blowout limit as compared to the baseline pure methane case. Preheating the burner and mixtures can extend the flame blowout limits, although the effect of CO2 on flame blowout is more pronounced than that of N2 due to its higher heat capacity. This work shows the effects of non-reactive diluents on gas turbine flame can be significant, particularly at high-level dilutions. Mitigation measures such as gas composition and flame spectroscopy monitoring can be deployed to ensure safe operation of the system. By using the statistical analysis technique of linear regression, the proportions of all the fuel mixture components of CH4, C2H6, CO2 and N2, alongside temperature were found to be significant factors in determining flame blowout limits. The developed predictor equations for OH intensity and lean blowout equivalence ratios show the predictive capability of >89% at 90–95% confidence level.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 10 May 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 14 May 2019
Published date: 1 August 2019
Keywords: Blowout limit, Diluent effects, Emissions spectroscopy, Gas turbine, Natural gas

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 434178
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/434178
ISSN: 0957-5820
PURE UUID: 1f6b93d4-5b31-4018-a685-562ec8095efa

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Date deposited: 13 Sep 2019 16:30
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 18:43

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Contributors

Author: Cheng Tung Chong
Author: Jo Han Ng
Author: Mohd Shiraz Aris
Author: Guo Ren Mong
Author: Norshakina Shahril
Author: Sing Tung Ting
Author: Meor Faisal Zulkifli

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