Flame holding boundary control
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorGilbert Otto Kraemer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power plant control system monitors a flame holding boundary indicator, such as Damköhler number, to determine a lowest amount of a quenching agent that can prevent flame holding in a predefined region of a gas turbine. In embodiments, the amount of quenching agent used may be minimized to reduce operating costs while ensuring safe operation of the gas turbine.
Claims20
A flame holding boundary control system configured to control delivery of a quenching agent to a gas turbine, the gas turbine including a combustor, at least one fuel delivery system, and at least one quenching agent delivery system, the flame holding boundary control system comprising:
- a quench module configured to determine an amount of quenching agent to be added to a fuel-air mixture to inhibit flame holding based on at least a flame holding boundary indicator that is responsive to at least an ambient condition such that a lowest amount of quenching agent that can inhibit flame holding in a predefined region of the gas turbine is delivered.
A gas turbine comprising:
- a compressor;
- a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor and arranged to receive a discharge of the compressor;
- at least one fuel delivery system arranged to introduce fuel into air entering the combustor;
- a quenching agent delivery system arranged to introduce a quenching agent into at least one of air or a fuel-air mixture upstream of the combustor;
- and
- a flame holding boundary control system arranged to control an amount of quenching agent delivered by the quenching agent delivery system responsive to a flame holding boundary indicator such that a lowest amount of quenching agent that can inhibit flame holding in a predefined region of the gas turbine is delivered.
A computer program product for enabling quenching agent delivery to a gas turbine by a gas turbine control system, the gas turbine including a compressor, a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor, a fuel delivery system, and a quenching agent delivery system, the gas turbine control system including a computing device and a storage device arranged to store the computer program product, the computing device being configured to execute the computer program product, and the computer program product comprising instructions in the form of computer executable program code that when executed configures the gas turbine control system to:
- determine a value of a flame holding boundary indicator of a flow field in the combustor;
- and
- determine, responsive to the flame holding boundary indicator, a lowest amount of quenching agent to be delivered that can inhibit flame holding boundary formation in a predefined region of the combustor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.