Flame stabilization and emission characteristics ofammonia flames in a micro gas turbine combustor

In order to efficiently utilize ammonia as a gas turbine fuel, it is relevant to understand the combustion characteristics of ammonia in a gas turbine combustor. In this study stabilization and emission characteristics of non-premixed ammonia flames were investigated experimentally using a micro gas turbine swirl burner. The effects of ammonia injection angle, global equivalence ratio of the non-premixed flame, and ambient pressure on flame stabilization and emissions of unburned NH3 and NO were investigated at gas inlet temperature of 298 K. One dimensional numerical calculations using ANSYS Chemkin PRO were performed to extend understanding of the experimental results. Ammonia flames were stabilized over a range of equivalence ratios. An increase in the ammonia injection angle to the burner axis resulted in increased flame stability and more efficient combustion. Ammonia emission increased with an increase in global equivalence ratio. On the other hand, NO emission decreased with global equivalence ratio owing to the increased reduction of NO by amine radicals. With an increase in pressure, NO emissions decreased due to a decrease in H and OH radicals concentration.