Gas Turbine Combustor Analysis

Abstract

The pressure, temperature, and fuel-to-air ratio of a gas turbine combustor vary with ambient conditions, machine speed, and load. Only a few of these parameters are independent. An analysis has been developed which predicts the combustor operating parameters. The analysis includes low heating value fuel combustion, water injection, and three modes of steam injection. The analysis is used to predict the combustor operation for a simple-cycle gas turbine, but it is not restricted to this case. In addition, a simplified analysis is deduced and shown to be surprisingly accurate. Special solutions are presented which permit direct calculation of the firing temperatures, fuel heating value, or air extraction required to achieve a specified compressor pressure ratio. Finally, the analysis is compared with experimental results.