Characterization of the Effect of the Inlet Operating Conditions on the Performance of Lean Premixed Gas Turbine Combustors

An experimental study of the effect of operating conditions on the behavior of a lean premixed laboratory combustor operating on natural gas has been conducted. Measurements were made characterizing the pressure fluctuations in the combustor and the flame structure over a range of inlet temperatures, inlet velocities and equivalence ratios. In addition the fuel distribution at the inlet to the combustor was varied such that it was an independent parameter in the experiment. Inlet temperature, inlet velocity and equivalence ratio were all found to have an effect on the stability characteristics of the combustor. The nature of this effect, however, depended on the fuel distribution. For example, with one fuel distribution the combustor would become unstable when the temperature was increased, whereas with a different fuel distribution the combustor would become unstable when the temperature was decreased. Similarly, the operating conditions had an effect on the flame structure. For example the intensity-weighted center of mass of the flame was found to move closer to the center body as either the temperature or equivalence ratio increased. It was interesting and somewhat surprising to note, however, that as the location of the center of mass changed with operating conditions it did so by moving along a line of constant flame angle.