Against the background of a growing deployment of renewable electricity production, like wind and solar, the demand for energy storage will only increase. One of the most promising ways to cover the medium to long-term storage, is to use the excess electricity to produce hydrogen via electrolysis. In a modern energy grid, filled with intermittent power sources and ever increasing problems to construct large power plants in densely populated areas, a network of Decentralised Energy Systems (DES) seems more logical. Therefore, the importance of research into the design of a small to medium-sized hydrogen fuelled micro Gas Turbine (mGT) unit for efficient, local heat and electricity production becomes apparent. To be able to compete with reciprocating piston engines (REs), we need to reach 40 % electrical efficiency of such a system. In order to do so, there are two main challenges; the design of an ultra-low NO~X~ hydrogen combustor and a high Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) radial turbine. In this paper, we report on the progress of our work towards that goal. Firstly, a full CFD and FE design and optimisation of the compressor and turbine is performed. Secondly, an improvement of the initial single-nozzle swirler (swozzle) combustor geometry was abandoned in favour of a full CFD (steady RANS) design and optimisation of a micromix type combustion chamber, due to its advantages towards NO~X~-emission reduction. CFD simulations of the compressor and turbine matched the 1D performance calculations and also reached the desired performance goals. The improved micromix combustor geometry resulted in a NO~X~ level reduction of more than 1 order of magnitude compared to our previous swozzle design. Moreover, several design parameters have been optimized to improve the flow patterns.


The CFD Design and Optimisation of a 100 kW Hydrogen Fuelled mGT

Division / Sponsor:
International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI)

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/GT2020/volume/84058

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