Announcing the Final Examination of Christopher Loving for the degree of Master of Science
The success of global energy transition hinges on meeting the world's growing demand for power, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving this will require significant growth in electricity generation from clean and carbon-free energy sources. Several energy providers have already begun the transition from traditional carbon-based fuels
to cleaner alternatives, such as hydrogen and hydrogen enriched natural gas. However, there are still many technical challenges that must be addressed when applying these fuels in gas turbines. The application of hydrogen or hydrogen/natural gas blends to advanced class gas turbines, which have higher operating pressures and temperatures has raised concerns about the potential for leakages or fuel sequencing operations where flammable mixtures of fuel and air could auto-ignite. Public information on the auto-ignition of hydrogen in air at atmospheric pressure is well documented. Such data shows the auto-ignition temperature of hydrogen is roughly 100°C lower than that of methane. Studies also show that as pressure increases, methane's auto-ignition temperature decreases. However, there was insufficient information in the published literature to characterize the influence of pressure on auto-ignition for hydrogen fuel
applications. This study describes the test methodology used to evaluate conditions where auto-ignition occurs for various fuel-air mixtures operating at pressures between 1-30 atmosphere and equivalence ratios between 0.2-2.5. Testing was completed with hydrogen, natural gas and multiple hydrogen-enriched natural gas blends at various equivalence ratios. Testing was performed for natural gas to validate the test and data collection methods cited in prior published literature. Results indicate that at atmospheric pressures, an increase in hydrogen concentration results in a reduced auto-ignition temperature. However, at 30 atmospheres, the auto-ignition temperature increased with higher hydrogen concentrations. Variations of auto-ignition delay times were also observed during the testing and are compared to modeling predictions, providing insight into auto-ignition characteristics
Committee in Charge:
Subith Vasu, Chair, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jayanta Kapat, Teacher, Research
Anthony Terracciano, research