Near-Zero NOx

Gas Turbine Combustion

Vivek Khanna
Solar Turbines Incorporated
San Diego, California

2nd Distributed Energy Peer Review

December 2-4, 2003
Washington D.C.
10 November 2003
 Outline

• Program structure
• Project goals
• Program milestones and schedule
• Technical results and current activities
• Key technical hurdles and plans to overcome
• Project risk
• Other low NOx technology efforts
• Impact on DER

10 November 2003
 Program Structure

DOE

PRECISION
COMBUSTION
SOLAR

SBIR Near-Zero NOx

10 November 2003
 The Development Team

• Program Sponsor
– U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Distributed Energy, Washington, DC
• Debbie Haught, Merrill Smith

• DOE Project Management

– DOE Chicago Operations Office, Argonne, IL
• Dale Dietzel, Steve Waslo
– DOE Golden Field Office, Golden, CO
• Paul Bakke

10 November 2003
 Program Goals

• Assess and advance an ultra-low NOx R/L

combustion system for GTs
– Seeking a cost-effective alternative to SCR
• Lower electricity cost
• No ammonia storage/slip issues
• Easier citing of GTs

10 November 2003
 Technical Goals

• < 2.5 ppm NOx, < 10 ppm CO, UHC

- Natural gas

• > 8000-hour durability

• Minimum change to current engine
• Field replaceable

10 November 2003
 Technical Milestones

• “Proof-of-concept” rig tests

– Single PCI R/L module
• Demonstrate operability in an “engine environment”
– Saturn engine test (1 MW)
• Develop a Gen II module design
– Focus on Taurus 70 (7.5 MW) application
– Rig test a single T70 module

10 November 2003
 Long Term Milestones –
Beyond Contract Effort

• Full system rig test (12 modules)

• In-house engine test
• Long-term field test
– Document module durability

10 November 2003
 Program Schedule

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Proof-of-Concept
Rig Test

Saturn
Demo

Injector
Optimization

Gen II
Design/Test

10 November 2003
 Single Burner Module
Configuration

Reverse-Flow Premixer

Combustor Liner
Catalyst
Flameholding Cone

Post-Mix Duct

10 November 2003
Rich/Lean Catalytic
Combustion

10 November 2003
 Single Injector Tests – T70
Operating Conditions

NOx & CO Emissions vs. Operating Condition • Well-mixed, lean stable combustion achieved.
12/10/01 RCL test @ Solar; Tin = 810 F, Pin = 16 atm
20.00 5.00 • NOx <3ppm @ 16 atmp for flame temp
CO NOx
18.00 4.50 <2875° F.
16.00 4.00 • CO < 10 ppm for flame temp > 2660° F.

NOx (ppm, 15% O2 dry)

CO (ppm, 15% O2 dry)

14.00 3.50 • Pressure drop < 5%

12.00 3.00 • Capable of high firing temperature operation.
10.00 2.50 • Dynamic pressure oscillations << 1/4 %
8.00 2.00 • Extremely quiet operation achieved, over
6.00 1.50 wide operating range.
4.00 1.00

2.00 0.50

0.00 0.00
2600 2650 2700 2750 2800 2850 2900 2950
Adiabatic Flame Temperature (F) at Catalyst Module Exit

10 November 2003
 Saturn Engine Test

• Short term demonstration in an “engine

environment” (1 MW)
– “External can” combustion system
– Four module “cluster”
– Assess transient operability

10 November 2003
 Saturn Test Facility
Dilution Air
Exhaust
(Muffler)

PZ Air

Combustor Turbine

10 November 2003
Saturn Module Construction

10 November 2003
 Saturn Combustor Assembly

4 R/L Modules

10 November 2003
 Saturn Engine Operation
500 100
Preburner Fuel (Wf_pbn) Ngp
450 RCL Stage A Fuel (Wf_A) 90
RCL Stage B Fuel (Wf_B)
400 Adjust combustor air 80
Shaft Speed (Ngp)

Gas producer shaft speed (Ngp, %)

valves for best emissions
Fuel mass flow (Wf, pph)

350 idle 70
Wf_A
300 fuel RCL modules, 60
ignite combustion,
250 accel to 65% Ngp Wf_B 50

200 40
cold crank increase preburner fuel
150 30
(RCL inlet temp) to
light-off catalysts
100 preburner fuel 20
on @ 29% Ngp
50 turn preburner fuel off @ 80% Ngp -- 10
catalysts remain active (lit off)
0 0
12:36:00 12:43:12 12:50:24 12:57:36 Wf_pbn
13:04:48
Time

10 November 2003
 Saturn Engine Test Results
14
CO
HC
Emissions corrected to 15% O2 (ppm)
12 NOx

10

0
81 83 85 87 89 91 93
% NGP

• NOx <3ppm and CO < 10 ppm achieved between 82% NGP and 89.7%
NGP
• Maximum speed limited by limits on scroll temperature
• System response to load changes and engine control very similar to
SoLoNOx systems
10 November 2003
 Current Technical Activity

• Gen II module in design

– Incorporates a pilot burner
– Improved flame stabilizer
– More robust tube bundle design

• Combustor casing and liner mods being

defined

10 November 2003
 Technical Hurdles

• Catalyst durability
• Catalytic element retention
• Catalytic reactor resonance
• Pilot performance
• CO emissions vs liner volume

10 November 2003
 Plans to Overcome
Technical Hurdles

• Complete Gen II design

• Rig tests of a single Gen II module
– Demonstrate pilot burner performance
• Integrate activities with PCI SBIR
– Demonstrate catalyst durability
– Multi-burner rig and engine tests

10 November 2003
 Project Risk

• All milestones except the last completed successfully

• Minimal technical risk involved in the successful
completion of the program
• Shortfall or elimination of future funding can
curtail the technical effort

10 November 2003
Other Low NOx Technology Efforts

10 November 2003
 Technologies

• Surface Combustion (ALZETA)

• Lean Catalytic Combustion (CESI)
• Low Swirl Injector (LBNL/DOE)
• Catalytic Pilot for DLN (PCI)

10 November 2003
Alzeta Surface Burners

10 November 2003
CESI Lean Catalytic
Combustion

10 November 2003
Taurus 70 Lean Catalytic
Combustor Concept

87 in

10 November 2003
 PCI R/L Catalytic Pilot
Uses PCI’s Catalytic Technology in DLN Pilot

10 November 2003
LBNL Low Swirl Injector
Development

SoLoNOx injector
converted to an LSI

10 November 2003
 Impact on DER

• Program goals directly support DER’s vision

– Cleaner, smaller and more efficient units of power
generation
– Opportunities for greater local control of electricity
delivery and consumption
– Enable more efficient utilization of waste heat in
combined heat and power (CHP) applications
• Boosting efficiency and lowering emissions

10 November 2003