STABILITY LIMITS AND EFFICIENCY OF SWIRL-CAN COMBUSTOR MODULES BURNING NATURAL GAS FUEL

摘要

Individual swirl-can combustor modules burning natural gas fuel were evaluated for combustion efficiency, stability, and flame length. Tests were performed at ambient temperature and pressure with modules of various cone angles and a constant exit diameter of 2.25 in. (5. 72 cm). Results showed a significant increase in combustion efficiency and stability, accompanied by a shorter flame length, for modules with wider cone angles. Decreasing the inlet orifice diameter from 0.75 to 0.60 in (1. 91 to 1. 52 cm) increased combustion efficiency for all modules tested. The decrease in inlet orifice diameter had little effect on the general shape of a module's lean and rich blowout curves but did decrease the fuel-air ratio value at the point of maximum blowout velocity.