*In this paper, the authors analyze the feasibility of fuelling a small-scale 3.8 kWe MGT, manufactured by the Dutch company MTT, with a low LHV fuel produced via a gasification process. In particular, a CFD analysis on the combustor of the MGT is carried out in order to assess the behaviour of the component when it is fuelled with a traditional fuel (natural gas) and with the alternative fuel. The operating conditions of the combustor, used as boundary conditions for the simulations, are obtained by analyzing the characteristic performance curves of the turbo-machines used in the MGT. The simulation of the combustion process with methane has been validated using the temperature output from experimental tests. A RANS simulation using the Non-Adiabatic Non-Premixed Combustion Model Approach has been adopted. NOx formation has been also simulated by the adoption of the extended Zel’dovich mechanism. This simplified modelling strategy allows to assess the main issues and figures of the combustion process with a reasonable computational effort, which is the aim of this work. The design of the combustor has been then modified to run with producer gas in order to take into account the variation of the fuel flow rate and the different combustion requirements in terms of air-to-fuel ratio and secondary air. The CFD simulations showed that the combustion with a low LHV fuel is feasible if proper design solutions are introduced in the primary and secondary air flows; moreover, the combustor design shows quite good fuel flexibility properties with the variation of the fuel characteristics.*


Design and CFD Simulation of a Micro Gas Turbine Combustor Fuelled With Low LHV Producer Gas

Division / Sponsor:
International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI)

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

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