CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION

21211 NORDHOFF STREET

CHATSWORTH, CA 91311

These observations can potentially be exploited to minimize the negative impacts of flashback in
practical applications or improve flashback resistance by changing to materials with higher
thermal conductivity.

3.4 Full Annular Combustor Test Apparatus

A combustor from a Capstone C65 Microturbine (natural gas, recuperated Brayton cycle engine)
was used for this study. As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7, the full annular combustor
apparatus at UCI includes the primary and dilution zone sections of a Capstone C65 combustor
by removing power generator, turbine rotor and recuperator. A C65 engine is typically operated
at about four atmospheres at full power, while the full annular apparatus can be only operated at
atmospheric condition. However, of primary importance is that the apparatus has the same
combustion chamber geometry. As a result, the flow field inside the injector and actual primary
zone flow structure can be simulated in the test apparatus, because it is the actual C65
combustion liner, assuming a flow field similarity between C65 engine condition
(4 atmospheres) and atmospheric condition. The air was preheated up to 800 °F using an in-line
electrical resistance heater. The air ducting delivers combustion air to the primary zone of the
C65 system via four supply ports. Efforts were made to control the combustion air distribution to
injectors to be uniform within 10%. The fuel supply to each injector was individually controlled in
terms of flow and the fuel composition to injector 1 which directly faces the igniter could be
controlled.

Figure 6: UCI Annular Combustion Test Apparatus

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