KW Scale Combustor for Power Generation

摘要

The U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has identified the need for the deployment of residential distributed generation with combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The target of the Generators for Small Electrical and Thermal Systems (GENSETS) program utilizes natural-gas combustion systems that provide an electrical output of 1kW while obtaining high efficiency operation, low-cost, long life, and low emissions. In order to achieve these targets, various types of combustion systems are currently under development including free-piston engines, Stirling cycle engines, as well as thermoelectric generators among many others. This paper reports the development of a gas turbine system that includes a low-swirl burner (LSB) combustion system that is integrated into a recuperated Brayton cycle. This paper focuses on resolving the technical issues associated with the miniaturization of the LSB while meeting the specified design and GENSETS specific targets. Results from the design, testing, and validation of the combustion system will be discussed.