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Development of a Topping Combustor for Advanced Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion Gas Turbines--CFD Research Corporation, 215 Wynn Drive, Huntsville, AL  35805-1958; 265-726-4800

Dr. David L. Black, Principal Investigator

Dr. Andrzej J. Pzrekwas, Business Official

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER82973

Amount:  $99,973

 

The combustion system requirements for gas turbines used in APFBC systems are significantly different from those in conventional gas turbines due to the presence of fuel bound nitrogen, high fuel and air inlet temperatures, and the need to operate on both low BTU syngas and natural gas.  Innovative, low-emission combustor designs are needed that have suitable wall temperatures and exhibit stable operation on the required fuels over the operating range of the gas turbine.  The objective of the Phase I project is to design, fabricate, and test a topping combustor prototype at atmospheric pressure and elevated temperatures to demonstrate the overall feasibility of the design.  The Phase II effort will involve further optimization of the prototype design with a more detailed experimental evaluation of the combustor at high pressure.  A combined numerical and experimental approach will be utilized to develop a topping combustor design that meets the requirements of the APFBC cycle.  Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) will be used as an engineering tool throughout the design process to rapidly evaluate potential designs.  Based on the numerical modeling, a prototype combustor will be designed, fabricated, and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept.

 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  The successful completion of the topping combustor will allow large aero-derivative gas turbine engines to be used in the APFBC power generation cycle with minimal combustor modifications.  The rights to the topping combustor design will be marketed to gas turbine manufacturers such as Rolls Royce, GE Power Systems and Pratt & Whitney.