Method and combustor apparatus for sensing the level of a contaminant within a combustion flame
AssigneeSiemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
InventorBruce Rising
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine combustor burns fuel from a fuel supply. The combustor includes a combustion chamber and a fuel delivery system for delivering the fuel to the combustion chamber. A pilot or fuel nozzle establishes a combustion flame in the combustion chamber by burning the fuel. One or more fuel lines operatively connect the fuel delivery system to the fuel supply. A flame spectrometer senses the level, such as the concentration level, of a fuel contaminant, such as sodium, within the combustion flame. A control system disables the fuel delivery system as a function of the contaminant's concentration level or accumulated concentration level.
Claims21
A combustor for burning fuel from a fuel supply, the fuel including a contaminant having a level, said combustor comprising:
- a combustion chamber;
- means for delivering the fuel to said combustion chamber;
- means for establishing a combustion flame in said combustion chamber by burning the fuel;
- at least one fuel line operatively connecting said means for delivering to the fuel supply;
- means for sensing the level of said contaminant within the combustion flame;
- and
- means for disabling said means for delivering as a function of the level of said contaminant.
A gas turbine combustor for burning fuel from a fuel supply, the fuel including a contaminant having a level, said gas turbine combustor comprising:
- a combustion chamber;
- means for delivering the fuel to said combustion chamber;
- means for establishing a combustion flame having a combustion spectrum in said combustion chamber by burning the fuel with compressed air;
- at least one fuel line operatively connecting said means for delivering to the fuel supply;
- means employing the combustion spectrum of the combustion flame for sensing the level of said contaminant;
- and
- means for disabling said means for delivering as a function of the level of said contaminant.
A method for burning fuel including a contaminant in a combustor, said method comprising:
- employing a combustion chamber;
- delivering the fuel to said combustion chamber;
- establishing a combustion flame in said combustion chamber by burning the fuel;
- sensing a level of said contaminant within the combustion flame;
- and
- stopping delivery of the fuel to said combustion chamber as a function of the level of said contaminant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.