Evaluation of the transient operation of advanced gas turbine combustors

A unique test capability has been defined and used at the United Technologies Research Center to evaluate the transient response of advanced gas turbine combustors. This UTC Transient Combustion Facility offers the opportunity to achieve pre-defined time variations of the air and fuel flow rates and air temperature delivered to a combustor model. This capability can be used for model scales ranging from multi-nozzle combustor sectors to smaller setups focusing on one component or process. A dedicated control computer aids in establishing time profiles for the input parameters and automatically executing the transient test. Among its applications, the facility has been used to study the occurrence of in-nozzle fuel vaporization during Bodie cycles and to assess the tolerance of a fuel-staged combustor to rapid fuel redistribution.