Combustor Anomaly Monitoring Using Emissions Feedback

A gas turbine system, comprising:

• a compressor section;
• a combustion section operatively coupled to the compressor section and including a plurality of combustor elements;
• a turbine section operatively coupled to the combustion section;
• an exhaust section downstream of the turbine section;
• a monitoring system for monitoring for a combustor anomaly, the monitoring system including:
• an emissions probe for each of the plurality of combustor elements, the emissions probes positioned in a circumferentially spaced manner in the exhaust section, each emissions probe configured to sample an exhaust flow flowing thereto;
• at least one emissions analyzer operatively coupled to the emissions probes and configured to periodically measure an emissions level of the exhaust flow from each emissions probe;
• and
• a combustor anomaly detection system operatively connected to the at least one emissions analyzer, the combustor anomaly detection system configured to perform the following:
• determine whether the emissions level at a select emissions probe of the emissions probes deviates from an expected emissions level by more than a predetermined threshold;
• in response to the emissions level of the select emissions probe deviating from the expected emissions level by more than the predetermined threshold, identify a combustor element anomaly exists for the combustor element from which the exhaust flow measured by the select emissions probe originates;
• and
• adjust operation of the combustor element having the combustor element anomaly.

A method for monitoring for a combustor anomaly in a gas turbine system including an exhaust section downstream of a turbine section and a combustion section including a plurality of combustor elements operatively coupled to the turbine section, the method comprising:

• measuring an emissions level of an exhaust flow from each of a plurality of emissions probes positioned in a circumferentially spaced manner in the exhaust section using at least one emissions analyzer operatively coupled to the plurality of emissions probes, wherein the plurality emissions probes include an emissions probe for each of the plurality of combustor elements;
• and
• determining whether the emissions level at a select emissions probe of the plurality of emissions probes deviates from an expected emissions level by more than a predetermined threshold;
• in response to the emissions level of the select emissions probe deviating from the expected emissions level by more than the predetermined threshold, identifying a combustor element anomaly exists for the combustor element from which the exhaust flow measured by the select emissions probe originates;
• and
• adjusting operation of the combustor element having the combustor element anomaly.