Numerical and experimental study of a micro gas turbine combustor

The behavior of the combustor of a Turbec T100P 100 kWe micro gas turbine (MGT) is analyzed at different load conditions by means of computational fluid dynamic modeling (CFD) and experimental investigation. CFD analysis results, comparing various numerical models for a given set of boundary conditions, are discussed in the paper. The k-? and k-? SST Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes models were used to model the turbulence while for the combustion Finite Rate - Eddy Dissipation model was adopted. Westbrook and Dryer's 2-step kinetic mechanism and Zeldovich's mechanism were used to model methane oxidation and NO formation, respectively. The numerical results from the two turbulence models show a similar combustor behavior. The computed concentrations of O2, CO2 and NO are in good agreement with the experimental data, while CO concentration is underestimated of one order of magnitude.