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Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Plasma Ignition Characteristics in Gas Turbine Combustors

Author

Listed:
  • Shizheng Liu

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Ningbo Zhao

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Jianguo Zhang

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Jialong Yang

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Zhiming Li

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Hongtao Zheng

    (College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China)

Abstract

Reliable ignition is critical for improving the operating performance of modern combustor and gas turbines. As an alternative to the traditional spark discharge ignition, plasma assisted ignition has attracted more interest and been shown to be more effective in increasing ignition probability, accelerating kernel growth, and decreasing ignition delay time. In this paper, the operating characteristic of a typical self-designed plasma ignition system is investigated. Based on the optical experiment, the plasma jet flow feature during discharge is analyzed. Then, a detailed numerical study is carried out to investigate the effects of different plasma parameters on ignition enhancement of a one can-annular combustor used in gas turbines. The results show that plasma indeed has a good ability to expand the ignition limit and decrease the minimum ignition energy. For the studied plasma ignitor, the initial discharge kernel is not a sphere but a jet flow cone with a length of about 30 mm. Besides, the numerical comparisons indicate that the additions of plasma active species and the increases of initial energy, plasma jet flow length and discharge frequency can benefit the acceleration of kernel growth and flame propagation via thermal, kinetic and transport pathways. The present study may provide a suitable understanding of plasma assisted ignition in gas turbines and a meaningful reference to develop high performance ignition systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Shizheng Liu & Ningbo Zhao & Jianguo Zhang & Jialong Yang & Zhiming Li & Hongtao Zheng, 2019. "Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Plasma Ignition Characteristics in Gas Turbine Combustors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:8:p:1511-:d:224871
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lin, Bingxuan & Wu, Yun & Zhu, Yifei & Song, Feilong & Bian, Dongliang, 2019. "Experimental investigation of gliding arc plasma fuel injector for ignition and extinction performance improvement," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1017-1026.
    2. Mariani, Antonio & Foucher, Fabrice, 2014. "Radio frequency spark plug: An ignition system for modern internal combustion engines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 151-161.
    3. Khidr, Kareem I. & Eldrainy, Yehia A. & EL-Kassaby, Mohamed M., 2017. "Towards lower gas turbine emissions: Flameless distributed combustion," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1237-1266.
    4. Badawy, Tawfik & Bao, XiuChao & Xu, Hongming, 2017. "Impact of spark plug gap on flame kernel propagation and engine performance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 311-327.
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    Cited by:

    1. Masaaki Okubo, 2019. "Special Issue on Plasma Processes for Renewable Energy Technologies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-4, November.

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