| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/D001579/1 |
| Title: |
Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements for Thermo-Acoustic Instability Research |
| Principal Investigator: |
Lawn, Professor C |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
School of Engineering & Materials Scienc |
| Organisation: |
Queen Mary University of London |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 2005 |
Ends: |
30 September 2007 |
Value (£): |
144,355
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Acoustics |
Energy - Conventional |
| Eng. Dynamics & Tribology |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Utilisation of natural gas for power generation has involved the installation of a large number of so-called 'industrial' (i.e land-based) gas turbines. In an effort to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides, all manufacturers of these machines have designed them to operate under fuel lean conditions, thus reducing the peak combustion temperatures at which nitrogen oxides are formed. This has led to a major problem, the onset of combustion fluctuations, whereby the flame feeds energy into acoustic waves to generate 'self-excited thermo-acoustic instabilities'. The vibrations of critical components induced by this noise can be so strong as to limit operation, and this problem has been the subject of a major research effort over the last decade.While the frequency at which these oscillations are likely to occur is well understood, the mechanisms by which their amplitude is limited is not. At low amplitude, a linear relationship between the incident acoustic velocity and the heat release from the flame is an adequate description, but as the amplitude increases, non-linearities usually limit it so as to produce stable oscillations. This research will investigate the mechanisms for non-linear response by making detailed measurements of flame movement and incident velocity on small-scale burners in the laboratory. An analytical model will then be developed to describe the non-linear behaviour, and this will be used in an existing acoustic model to calculate the amplitudes under different acoustic conditions. Application of these methods to full-scale flames will guide the design of burners so that they are less susceptible to the thermo-acoustic instability problem.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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