FLOXCOM

LOW-NOX FLAMELESS OXIDATION COMBUSTOR
FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY GAS TURBINES

Project funded by the European Community under the “FP5-EESD” Program (1998-2002)

CONTRACT N°: ENK5-CT-2000-00114
Project Start Date: 1/11/2000 Duration: 36 MONTHS
PROJECT COORDINATOR: TECHNION – ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
CONTRACTORS:

  • Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) IL
  • Imperial College of Science Technology & Medicine (ICSTM) UK
  • CINAR Ltd. (CINAR) UK
  • Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST) P
  • Institute of Fundamental Technological Research (IPPT-PAN) PL
  • ANSALDO Ricerche Srl. (Ansaldo) I
  • B&B AGEMA Gmbh (B&B_AGEMA) G
  • Rheinish-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH) G

The project consists of nine work packages

Back to Top

 

Project Description

The FLOXCOM Project is intended to develop technology for clean and efficient gas turbines, operating at high temperatures. It is based on the technologically innovative combustion solution -Flameless Oxidation. The investigation is directed towards the completion of the studies required to validate the engineering feasibility of incorporating the Flameless Oxidation technology in gas turbine combustors. The project aims at the development of an operating pilot combustors that will demonstrate, advantages including among others, improved performance relating to low NOx levels, maintaining uniform combustor wall temperatures, uniform fuel stream injection and more. This should also result in an increased Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and reliability of the gas turbine.

The project has reached its practical experimental stage. Measurements have already been performed and initial results have been achieved. The predictions and measurements are in relatively good agreement and clarified some issues concerning the internal physical behavior of the flow within the combustor.

In general, it can be said that aside of minor delays the project is carried out as planned and is advancing towards its goals of demonstrating the feasibility of FLOXCOM method. In the near future, experiments will commence at IST for atmospheric and reactive measurements and construction of the Ansaldo test rig will follow the approved final design. The design of the Pilot Combustor, based on the experience gained from the high-pressure sector system as well as the atmospheric system will continue from its current preliminary stage. Upon mutual agreement with the operator (RWTH)construction will be carried out followed by delivery of the system for testing of the pilot combustor. Design modification of the combustor characteristics will continue based on experience gained in the different studies including the wall cooling, fuel injection and vortical flow visualization.

The FLOXCOM Website

Back to Top

 

The project consists of nine work packages headed by WP Leaders from industry and academia.

Back to Top

 

WP1 Combustor Sector Design and Manufacture
WP leader – Technion

3D model of the experimental combustion chamber

Picture of experimental combustion chamber

The assembled combustor sector, mounted on the interface section to the atmospheric pressure combustor test rig

Back to Top

WP2 Investigation of FLOX Fundamentals & Development of Engineering Prediction Tools
Investigation of FLOX Fundamentals & Development of Engineering Prediction Tools
WP leader – ICSTM

Modular Experimental Unit – At the Technion

Modular Experimental Unit: Gas Temperature Field Radial Distribution

Back to Top

WP3 Integration of Developed Mathematical Models & Combustor Design
WP leader – Cinar

Temperature Distribution (Kelvin) in the FLOXCOM Combuster

 Computational Structured Mesh for FLOXCOM Combustor

 Predicted Temperature Distribution

Back to Top

WP4 Fuel Injection System Development
WP leader – IST

During the project’s second 12M period the following:
Construction completion and delivery of the atmospheric pressure combustor sector and test rig to IST Portugal.

The atmospheric pressure combustor sector test rig,
assembled and incorporating the combustor sector.

Back to Top

WP5: Laser Diagnostics of Vortical Flow
WP leader – IPPT-PAN

Schematic and Plexiglas model for Geometry2 with 2 parallel wals,
used for the cold flow visualization

Side views of the Plexiglas model for Geometry3 ,
used for the cold flow visualization

Back to Top

WP6 Hot Pressurized Tests of the Sector Combustor
WP leader – Ansaldo Research

Completion of design of the combustor test rig section at elevated pressure
to be utilized at Ansaldo Italy.

Construction of the combustor test rig section at elevated pressure has been finalized

Back to Top

WP7 Optimization of convective wall cooling, wall temperature and stress analysis, turbine Interface
WP-Leader: B&B-AGEMA

Back to Top

WP8 Pilot Combustor Testing
WP leader – RWTH

Drawing of the test rig for the pilot combustor to be tested at RWTH

Back to Top

WP9 Pilot Combustor Manufacturing and Possible Preliminary Tests

Three dimensional view of the first version of the Pilot Combustor.
Including the interface section to the test rig

Back to Top