United Technologies Corporation

Thomas J Rosfjord

Timothy S Snyder

John B McVey

Louis J Spadaccini

Steven A Lozyniak

Barry C Schlein

Aaron S Hu

Michael P Ross

Edward J McCoomb

A method of minimizing nitrous oxide emissions in a gas turbine engine includes a step of monitoring pressure fluctuations within a gas turbine engine combustor and a step of adjusting fuel flow to the combustor if the pressure fluctuations therein exceed a preestablished threshold. The combustor can be operated at the lowest levels of nitrous oxide emissions since the onset of a combustor instability and/or blowout is identified early to allow for corrective action so that such undesirable events are prevented.

Active gas turbine combustion control to minimize nitrous oxide emissions

The two scrolls 22 forming air inlet slot 20 are each formed of a fixed vane 36 and a floating vane 38. The thin and hot floating vane 38 is secured to the massive and cooler fixed vane 36 with a longitudinal slidable joint 42. The floating vane may expand without restraint of the fixed vane, so that buckling is avoided and inlet slot 20 is uniform.

Tangential air entry fuel nozzle

A premix liquid fuel nozzle has longitudinal air entrance slots (24) into a cylindrical chamber (20). A centerbody (42) produces an axially increasing flow area toward the chamber outlet (32). Liquid fuel is atomized in a specified location (58) adjacent the conical centerbody (42). This area has a high axial shear velocity producing thorough vaporization and uniform mixing before combustion.

Tangential entry fuel nozzle

A burner for a gas turbine combustor has a perforated plate facing the combustor and a plurality of gaseous fuel premixing tubes conveying a lean premixed fuel through the plate. A gas pilot extending through the plate projects jets of fuel parallel to the plate between the tube locations nearest the pilot. Ignition stability at turndown is maintained.

Low NOx combustion

A method of combusting an endothermic fuel with staged rich/lean combustion includes transferring thermal energy from a heat source, such as the wall of a rich combustor, to an endothermic fuel decomposition catalyst to cool the heat source and heat the fuel and catalyst to a temperature sufficient to endothermically decompose an endothermic fuel. The catalyst is contacted with the fuel to cause the fuel to decompose into a reaction product stream. The reaction product stream is mixed with a first air stream to form a first fuel/air mixture having an equivalence ratio greater than 1 and the first fuel/air mixture is combusted in a rich combustion stage to produce a combustion product stream. The combustion product stream is mixed with a second air stream to form a second fuel/air mixture having an equivalence ratio less than 1 and the second fuel/air mixture is combusted in a lean combustion stage to produce an exhaust gas stream containing decreased amounts of NO.sub.x. The invention also includes a system for practicing the method.

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South Windsor, CT, United States of America

Thomas J Rosfjord