Transient Flame Stability in a Hydrogen Enriched Reacting Jet-in-Crossflow

Gas turbine engines traditionally have been using annular, turbo-annular (can-annular) and multiple (cans) combustion chambers, but to meet emission regulatory standards, a more suitable type of combustion chamber is needed. The axial stage combustor has been studied for more than 20 years and has demonstrated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this study an axial stage combustor is used to perform tests in which the reacting jet is a mixture of methane and hydrogen premixed with hot air. The amount of hydrogen is increased from 30 % to 90 % in mole fraction while simultaneously decreasing the methane content. This is done using electronic regulators that allows us to run extended duration tests capturing the effects of the hydrogen addition along with the temporal effects on flame stabilization. High speed and low speed videos were taken in the optically accessible test section where the behavior of the axial stage flame is studied. The aim of the study is to not only acquire qualitative data that shows how the hydrogen addition leads to the behavior of leeward to windward side stabilization, but also quantitative parameters to characterize the dependence of flame stability on injector configuration and axial stage hydrogen content increase.