TY - JOUR
T1 - Lean burn limit and time to light characteristics of laser ignition in gas turbines
AU - Griffiths, Jonathan
AU - Riley, Mike
AU - Kirk, Antony
AU - Borman, Alexander
AU - Lawrence, Jonathan
AU - Dowding, Colin
PY - 2014/4/1
Y1 - 2014/4/1
N2 - This work details a study of laser ignition in a low pressure combustion test rig, representative of an industrial gas turbine (SGT-400, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd.) and for the first time investigates the effect of air mass flow rate on combustion characteristics at air/fuel ratios at the lean burn limit. Both the lean burn limit and time taken to light are essential in determining the suitability of a specified air/fuel ratio, especially in multi-chamber ignition applications. Through extension of the lean burn limit and reduction of the time taken to light, the operating window for ignition with regards to the air/fuel ratio can be increased, leading to greater reliability and repeatability of ignition. Ignition of a natural gas and air mixture at atmospheric pressure was conducted using both a standard high energy igniter and a laser ignition system utilizing a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser source operating at 1064 nm wavelength. A detailed comparison of the lean burn limit and time taken to light for standard ignition and laser ignition is presented.
AB - This work details a study of laser ignition in a low pressure combustion test rig, representative of an industrial gas turbine (SGT-400, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd.) and for the first time investigates the effect of air mass flow rate on combustion characteristics at air/fuel ratios at the lean burn limit. Both the lean burn limit and time taken to light are essential in determining the suitability of a specified air/fuel ratio, especially in multi-chamber ignition applications. Through extension of the lean burn limit and reduction of the time taken to light, the operating window for ignition with regards to the air/fuel ratio can be increased, leading to greater reliability and repeatability of ignition. Ignition of a natural gas and air mixture at atmospheric pressure was conducted using both a standard high energy igniter and a laser ignition system utilizing a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser source operating at 1064 nm wavelength. A detailed comparison of the lean burn limit and time taken to light for standard ignition and laser ignition is presented.
U2 - 10.1016/j.optlaseng.2013.11.016
DO - 10.1016/j.optlaseng.2013.11.016
M3 - Article
VL - 55
SP - 262
EP - 266
JO - Optics and Lasers in Engineering
JF - Optics and Lasers in Engineering
SN - 0143-8166
ER -