On the Challenges of Integrating a Rotating Detonation Combustor With an Industrial Gas Turbine and Important Design Considerations for Row-1 Blades

Abstract

In an effort to increase the efficiency and performance of gas turbine power cycles, pressure gain combustion (PGC) has gained significant interest. Since rotating detonation combustors (RDC) can provide a quasi-steady mode of operation, research has been triggered to integrate RDC with power-generating gas turbines. However, the presence of subsonic and supersonic flow fields which are generated due to the shock waves that stem from the detonation wave front and the highly nonuniform temperature and velocity profiles may cause a depreciation in the turbine performance. The current study seeks to investigate the challenges of integrating the RDC with nozzle guide vanes (NGV) of an industrial, can-annular gas turbine and attempts to understand the major contributors that impact efficiency and identify the key areas of optimization that need to be considered for maximizing performance. The RDC was integrated with the NGVs through a nonoptimized straight duct-type geometry with a diffuser cone. 3-Dimensional Numerical analyses were performed to investigate sources of total pressure loss and to understand the unsteady effects of RDC which contribute toward the deterioration of performance. The entropy generation at different regions of interest was calculated to identify the major irreversibility's in the system. Also, total pressure and temperature distribution along the radial direction at the exit of the transitional duct is presented.