Patent Application
20220074347
This disclosure relates to a burner, a combustor including the same, and a gas turbine.
In a combustor of a gas turbine, etc., a premix burner using a swirler to impart swirl to the fuel and air flow is sometimes used in order to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) produced during combustion. However, in the burner using such a swirler, backfires can easily occur due to the vortex core formed by the swirler when the combustion temperature is high or when a fast burning fuel (e.g., hydrogen) is used. Therefore, a burner that can achieve low NOx without using a swirler has been proposed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel/air mixing device (burner) for use in a combustor of a gas turbine. This fuel/air mixing device is provided with a premixed disk including a pair of wall surfaces disposed with a distance in the axial direction and a fuel plenum formed between the wall surfaces, and a plurality of mixing tubes extending through the premixed disk. Each mixing tube has a plurality of through holes. Fuel in the fuel plenum is injected into each mixing tube through the plurality of through holes. Further, air is supplied to the mixing tube from the inlet of the mixing tube, and the fuel and air are mixed in the mixing tube to produce premixed air, which is injected from the outlet of the mixing tube.
In the mixing tube of the fuel/air mixing device described in Patent Document 1, if the plurality of through holes (fuel injection holes) for injecting fuel is provided so as to extend along the radial direction of the mixing tube, the fuel is injected along the radial direction. In this case, the fuel injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes collide with each other in a central portion of an axis perpendicular cross-section of the mixing tube (i.e., in the vicinity of the central axis of the mixing tube), and the fuel concentration in this region tends to be extremely high compared to the surrounding regions. If the fuel concentration distribution is non-uniform in the axis perpendicular cross-section, a region with a high combustion temperature is created, and thus NOx reduction may not be appropriately achieved.
In view of the above, an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a burner, a combustor including the same, and a gas turbine whereby it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during fuel combustion.
(1) A burner according to at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises: at least one mixing tube extending inside a fuel plenum and having an interior configured to be supplied with an air; and a plurality of fuel injection holes for injecting a fuel supplied to the fuel plenum into the interior of the at least one mixing tube. When the at least one mixing tube is viewed in an axial direction of the mixing tube, a central axis of each of the plurality of fuel injection holes is oblique in a same direction with respect to a radial direction of the mixing tube, to a circumferential direction of the mixing tube.
According to the above configuration (1), the fuel injection holes for injecting fuel into the mixing tube are oblique to the radial direction in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction. As a result, when fuel is injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes, the injected fuel has swirl components in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed in the axial direction). This increases the distance until the fuel injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes collide with each other when viewed in the axial direction of the mixing tube, and increases the proportion of the area used for mixing fuel and air in the cross-section in the axis perpendicular direction, thus promoting the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube and suppressing the fuel concentration from becoming locally high in the cross-section to make the fuel concentration distribution uniform. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
In addition, with the above configuration (1), since the mixing of fuel and air is promoted as described above, the axial distance required for mixing fuel and air can be reduced compared to conventional ones, so that the burner can be downsized.
(2) In some embodiments, in the above configuration (1), the plurality of fuel injection holes is disposed in the at least one mixing tube.
With the above configuration (2), since the fuel injection holes are disposed in the mixing tube itself for supplying fuel into the mixing tube, the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube can be promoted as described in the above (1) with a simple configuration, so that it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
(3) In some embodiments, in the above configuration (1), the burner further comprises a nozzle member at least partially disposed axially upstream of the mixing tube and forming an upstream space communicating with the fuel plenum. The plurality of fuel injection holes is disposed in the nozzle member.
Generally, the flow passage area upstream of the mixing tube is larger than the flow passage area inside the mixing tube. In this regard, with the above configuration (3), since the nozzle member at least partially disposed upstream of the mixing tube is provided, the axial velocity of air supplied to the mixing tube is relatively low at a position upstream of the mixing tube (e.g., the position of the nozzle member) and relatively high inside the mixing tube. Accordingly, the fuel injected from the fuel injection holes disposed in the nozzle member tends to move closer to the central axis in the radial direction as it advances in the axial direction at a position upstream of the mixing tube. Therefore, the fuel introduced into the mixing tube from the region upstream of the mixing tube is more likely to be away from the wall surface of the mixing tube. Therefore, the fuel concentration near the wall surface of the mixing tube can be easily reduced, and backfires caused by high fuel concentration near the wall surface of the mixing tube can be effectively suppressed.
(4) In some embodiments, in the above configuration (3), the burner comprises an upstream plate and a downstream plate partitioning the fuel plenum. The nozzle member is supported by the upstream plate.
With the above configuration (4), since the nozzle member is supported by the upstream plate partitioning the fuel plenum, the fuel concentration near the wall surface of the mixing tube can be easily reduced as described in the above (3) with a simple configuration, and backfires due to fuel near the wall surface of the mixing tube can be effectively suppressed.
(5) In some embodiments, in the above configuration (3) or (4), the at least one mixing tube includes a plurality of mixing tubes, and the nozzle member includes a plurality of the fuel injection holes configured to inject the fuel into the plurality of mixing tubes, respectively.
With the above configuration (5), since fuel is injected into the plurality of mixing tubes from one nozzle member, the efficiency of fuel supply to the plurality of mixing tubes can be improved, or the efficiency of producing premixed air can be improved.
(6) In some embodiments, in any one of the above configurations (1) to (5), in a cross-section in the axial direction of the at least one mixing tube, the central axis of each of the fuel injection holes is oblique to the radial direction of the mixing tube.
With the above configuration (6), since the fuel injection holes are oblique to the radial direction of the mixing tube, the axial distance until the fuel injected from the fuel injection holes collide with each other can be increased. Thus, the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube can be further promoted, so that it is possible to more effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
(7) In some embodiments, in any one of the above configurations (1) to (6), the burner comprises an upstream plate and a downstream plate partitioning the fuel plenum, and the at least one mixing tube is disposed so as to penetrate the upstream plate and the downstream plate.
With the above configuration (7), since the at least one mixing tube is disposed so as to penetrate the upstream plate and the downstream plate, the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube can be promoted as described in the above (1) with a simple configuration in which the mixing tube is supported by the upstream plate and the downstream plate partitioning the fuel plenum, so that it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
(8) In some embodiments, in any one of the above configurations (1) to (7), the at least one mixing tube includes a plurality of mixing tubes, and the plurality of mixing tubes is disposed so as to extend inside one fuel plenum.
With the above configuration (8), since the plurality of mixing tube is disposed in the fuel plenum partitioned by the upstream plate and the downstream plate, many mixing tubes can be installed in a limited space, so that the burner can be downsized, or the efficiency of producing premixed air in the burner can be improved.
(9) A combustor according to at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises: the burner described in any one of the above (1) to (8); and a combustion liner disposed downstream of the burner.
According to the above configuration (9), the fuel injection holes for injecting fuel into the mixing tube are oblique to the radial direction in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction. As a result, when fuel is injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes, the injected fuel has swirl components in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed in the axial direction). This increases the distance until the fuel injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes collide with each other when viewed in the axial direction of the mixing tube, and increases the proportion of the area used for mixing in the cross-section in the axis perpendicular direction, thus promoting the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube and suppressing the concentration from becoming locally high in the cross-section to make the concentration distribution uniform. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
In addition, with the above configuration (9), since the mixing of fuel and air is promoted as described above, the axial distance required for mixing fuel and air can be reduced compared to conventional ones, so that the burner can be downsized.
(10) A gas turbine according to at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises the combustor described in the above (9).
According to the above configuration (10), the fuel injection holes for injecting fuel into the mixing tube are oblique to the radial direction in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction. As a result, when fuel is injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes, the injected fuel has swirl components in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed in the axial direction). This increases the distance until the fuel injected from the plurality of fuel injection holes collide with each other when viewed in the axial direction of the mixing tube, and increases the proportion of the area used for mixing in the cross-section in the axis perpendicular direction, thus promoting the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube and suppressing the concentration from becoming locally high in the cross-section to make the concentration distribution uniform. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
In addition, with the above configuration (10), since the mixing of fuel and air is promoted as described above, the axial distance required for mixing fuel and air can be reduced compared to conventional ones, so that the burner can be downsized.
At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a burner, a combustor including the same, and a gas turbine whereby it is possible to effectively reduce NOx produced during fuel combustion.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is intended, however, that unless particularly identified, dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of components described in the embodiments shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
First, with reference to
The compressor 2 includes a plurality of stator blades 16 fixed to a compressor casing 10 and a plurality of rotor blades 18 implanted on a rotor 8 so as to be arranged alternately with the stator blades 16.
To the compressor 2, air sucked in from an air inlet 12 is supplied. The air flows through the plurality of stator blades 16 and the plurality of rotor blades 18 and is compressed into compressed air having a high temperature and a high pressure.
The combustor 4 is supplied with fuel and the compressed air produced in the compressor 2. The combustor 4 combusts the fuel to produce combustion gas that serves as a working fluid of the turbine 6. As shown in
The turbine 6 includes a plurality of stator blades 24 and a plurality of rotor blades 26 disposed in a combustion gas passage formed by a turbine casing 22. The stator blades 24 and the rotor blades 26 of the turbine 6 are disposed downstream of the combustors 4 with respect to the combustion gas flow.
The stator blades 24 are fixed to the turbine casing 22, and a set of the stator blades 24 arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotor 8 forms a stator blade array. Further, the rotor blades 26 are implanted on the rotor 8, and a set of the rotor blades 26 arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotor 8 forms a rotor blade array. The stator blade arrays and the rotor blade arrays are arranged alternately in the axial direction of the rotor 8.
In the turbine 6, as the combustion gas introduced from the combustor 4 into the combustion gas passage passes through the plurality of stator blades 24 and the plurality of rotor blades 26, the rotor 8 is rotationally driven. Thereby, the generator connected to the rotor 8 is driven to generate power. The combustion gas having driven the turbine 6 is discharged outside via an exhaust chamber 30.
The burner 50 includes a cylindrical member 105 disposed along the axial direction (direction of the axis L of the burner 50), an upstream plate 111 and a downstream plate 113 disposed with a distance in the axial direction, and a mixing tube 131 disposed so as to pass through a fuel plenum 122 which is a space formed between the upstream plate 111 and the downstream plate 113. In the illustrated example, a plurality of mixing tubes 131 is disposed so as to pass through the fuel plenum 122.
The upstream plate 111 and the downstream plate 113 are disposed along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction, and may have a disk shape, for example. The cylindrical member 105 is supported on the casing 20 by a support member 106 disposed around the cylindrical member 105. Each mixing tube 131 extends along the axial direction so as to pass through the upstream plate 111 and the downstream plate 113, and has an inlet 142 at the upstream end and an air-fuel mixture injection hole 141 (see
Fuel is supplied from a fuel port 52 to the fuel plenum 122 via a fuel passage (not shown), and the supplied fuel is stored in the fuel plenum 122.
Meanwhile, air is supplied to the mixing tube 131. More specifically, an air chamber 121 is formed inside the casing 20 on the upstream side of the burner 50 (i.e., on the opposite side of the burner 50 from the combustion liner 46), and air (compressed air) is introduced into the air chamber 121 from a compartment 40 via an air passage 110 to fill the air chamber 121. Further, the air in the air chamber 121 is supplied to the mixing tube 131 through the inlet 142.
In the mixing tube 131, the fuel supplied from the fuel plenum 122 to the mixing tube 131 and the air supplied to the mixing tube 131 through the inlet 142 are mixed while flowing downstream (i.e., toward the combustion liner 46) to produce a premixed gas. The fuel from the fuel plenum 122 is injected into the mixing tube 131 through fuel injection holes 133 which will be described later. The premixed gas produced in the mixing tube 131 is injected to a combustion chamber 124 formed by the combustion liner 46 through the air-fuel mixture injection hole 141 formed at the downstream end of the mixing tube 131, and is ignited and combusted by a pilot light (not shown).
The burner 50 according to some embodiments will now be described in more detail. The burner 50 described below is applied to the gas turbine 100 and the combustor 4, for example.
As described above, the burner 50 has at least one mixing tube 131 extending inside the fuel plenum 122 and having the interior configured to be supplied with air. In the exemplary embodiment shown in
As shown in
More specifically, in the exemplary embodiment shown in
Further, in the exemplary embodiments shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
Further, in this embodiment, as shown in
Further, as shown in
Further, each nozzle member 132 is configured to inject fuel through the fuel injection holes 133B into the mixing tubes 131 disposed around the nozzle member 132, respectively.
In these embodiments, when viewed in the axial direction, the fuel injection holes 133 (133A, 133B) disposed around one mixing tube 131 are oblique to the radial direction of the mixing tube 131 in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction of the mixing tube 131. In other words, as shown in
With the burner 50 having the above configuration, the fuel injection holes 133 (133A, 133B) for injecting fuel into the mixing tube 131 are oblique to the radial direction in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction. As a result, when fuel is injected from the fuel injection holes 133, the injected fuel has swirl components in the same direction with respect to the circumferential direction (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise in
As described above, in the above-described embodiments in which the central axes P of the fuel injection holes 133 are oblique to the radial direction, compared to the case where the central axes P of the fuel injection holes 133 are not oblique to the radial direction, the axial distance required for mixing air and fuel can be reduced. Therefore, the length of the mixing tube 131 can be shortened, and the burner 50 can be downsized. Thus, the axial lengths of the mixing tube 131 and the cylindrical member 105 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the burner 50 can be reduced. Further, since the mixing tube 131 and the cylindrical member 105 are shortened, the frequency range of unstable vibrations that can occur in these components is limited, thus reducing combustion vibrations.
The inclination angle θ of the central axis P of each of the fuel injection holes 133 to the radial direction of the mixing tube 131 may be not less than 15 degrees and not more than 55 degrees.
As described above, in the exemplary embodiments shown in
Thus, in the embodiments shown in
In some embodiments, for example as shown in
In this case, the axial distance until the fuel injected from the fuel injection holes 133B collide with each other can be increased. Thus, the mixing of fuel and air in the mixing tube 131 can be further promoted, so that it is possible to more effectively reduce NOx produced during combustion of fuel.
In some embodiments, for example as shown in
Further, in some embodiments, some mixing tubes 131 constituting the burner 50 may have a fuel injection hole whose central axis extends along the radial direction when viewed in the axial direction of the mixing tube 131. In other words, when viewed in the axial direction of the mixing tube 131, the central axis of this fuel injection hole may not be oblique to the radial direction of the mixing tube 131 with respect to the circumferential direction of the mixing tube 131.
Embodiments of the present invention were described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various amendments and modifications may be implemented.
Further, in the present specification, an expression of relative or absolute arrangement such as “in a direction”, “along a direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “centered”, “concentric” and “coaxial” shall not be construed as indicating only the arrangement in a strict literal sense, but also includes a state where the arrangement is relatively displaced by a tolerance, or by an angle or a distance whereby it is possible to achieve the same function. For instance, an expression of an equal state such as “same” “equal” and “uniform” shall not be construed as indicating only the state in which the feature is strictly equal, but also includes a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference that can still achieve the same function.
Further, for instance, an expression of a shape such as a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape shall not be construed as only the geometrically strict shape, but also includes a shape with unevenness or chamfered corners within the range in which the same effect can be achieved.
On the other hand, an expression such as “comprise”, “include”, “have”, “contain” and “constitute” are not intended to be exclusive of other components.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-015574 | Jan 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/002042 | 1/22/2020 | WO | 00 |
