Development of a combustor strategy to cover a wide range of low calorific value fuels

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Coal, Coal combustion)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Not Cross-cutting

Mr G Kelsall
Alstom Power Ltd

3

DTI

01 February 2000

01 January 2003

35 months

£313,506

West Midlands

Mr G Kelsall, Alstom Power Ltd

Project Contact, Cranfield University
Project Contact, Queen's University Belfast

The main objectives of this project were to:

• Compare the current low calorific value (LCV) diffusion flame combustion system design against a lean premix combustion system (based on the ALSTOM G30 design) and a catalytic combustion design approach.
• Provide a recommendation on the way forward for the commercial exploitation of the LCV and medium calorific value (MCV) gas fuel market, particularly for biomass and underground coal gasification applications.

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The project evaluated the relative merits of three different systems for burning low calorific value gas. These were a diffusion flame combustion system (current V rnamo/ARBRE build), a lean premix combustion system (based on the ALSTOM-Lincoln premium fuelled G30 design) and a catalytic combustion system. The evaluation was based on assembly and analysis of

• The significant existing test data for the diffusion flame combustion system and bench-mark testing using a high pressure ri g a >t Cranfield niversity.
• High pressure rig testing of the lean premix combustion system at Cranfield University.
• Data on catalytic combustion from the open literature and from a previous Foresight Challenge funded project.

The scope of the high pressure testing was increased from that defined in the original proposal, to include medium calorific value (MCV) fuel gas testing of the diffusion flame combustor. This was introduced to assess the suitability of thecombus to >r for underground coal gasification, as applicable to the proposed UK scenario (ie oxygen blown gasification at 600-1200m depth) >

01/01/07