g

GER-3568G

GE Power Systems

Dry Low NOx Combustion

Systems for GE Heavy-Duty
Gas Turbines

L.B. Davis
S.H. Black
GE Power Systems
Schenectady, NY
 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

Contents

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Dry Low NOx Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Dry Low NOx Product Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DLN-1 System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
DLN-1 Combustor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Mode/Operating Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
DLN-1 Controls and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
DLN-1 Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
DLN-1 Experience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DLN-2 System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
DLN-2 Combustion System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lean-Lean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Premix Transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Piloted Premix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Premix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tertiary Full Speed No Load (FSNL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DLN-2 Controls and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DLN-2 Emissions Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DLN-2 Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DLN-2.6 Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
DLN-2+ Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Gas Turbine Combustion Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Equivalence Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Flame Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Operational Stability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Gas Turbine Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Emissions Control Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

Abstract (2000°F/1093°C firing temperature class)

machines, or DLN-2, which was developed
State-of-the-art emissions control technology for
specifically for the F technology machines and
heavy-duty gas turbines is reviewed with empha-
is also being applied to the EC and H machines.
sis on the operating characteristics and field
experience of Dry Low NOx (DLN) combustors Development of these products has required an
for E and F technology machines. The lean pre- intensive engineering effort involving both GE
mixed DLN systems for gas fuel have demon- Power Systems and GE Corporate Research and
strated their ability to meet the ever-lower emis- Development. This collaboration will continue
sion levels required today. Lean premixed tech- as DLN is applied to the H machines and com-
nology has also been demonstrated on oil fuel bustor development for Dry Low NOx on oil
and is also discussed. (“dry oil”) continues.
This paper presents the current status of DLN-1
Introduction technology and experience, including dry oil,
The regulatory requirements for low emissions and of DLN-2 technology and experience.
from gas turbine power plants have increased Background information about gas turbine
during the past 10 years. Environmental agen- emissions and emissions control is contained in
cies throughout the world are now requiring the Appendix.
even lower rates of emissions of NOx and other
pollutants from both new and existing gas tur- Dry Low NOx Systems
bines. Traditional methods of reducing NOx Dry Low NOx Product Plan
emissions from combustion turbines (water and
Figure 1 shows GE’s Dry Low NOx product of-
steam injection) are limited in their ability to
ferings for its new and existing machines in
reach the extremely low levels required in many
three major groupings. The first group includes
localities. GE’s involvement in the development
the MS3002J, MS5001/2 and MS6001B prod-
of both the traditional methods (References 1
ucts. The 6B DLN-1 is the technology flagship
through 6) and the newer Dry Low NOx (DLN)
product for this group and, as can be noted, is
technology (References 7 and 8) has been well
available to meet 9 ppm NOx requirements.
documented. This paper focuses on DLN.
Such low NOx emissions are generally not
Since the commercial introduction of GE’s attainable on lower firing temperature
DLN combustion systems for natural-gas-fired machines such as the MS3002s and MS5001/2s
heavy-duty gas turbines in 1991, systems have because carbon monoxide (CO) would be
been installed in more than 222 machines, from excessive.
the most modern FA+e technology (firing tem-
The second major group includes the
perature class of 2420 F/1326 C) to field retro-
MS7001B/E, MS7001EA and MS9001E
fits of older machines. As of May 1999, these
machines with the 9 ppm 7EA DLN-1 as the
machines have operated more than 4.8 million
flagship product.
hours with DLN; and more than 1.4 million
hours have been in the F technology. To meet The dry oil program focuses initially on this
marketplace demands, GE has developed DLN group.
products broadly classified as either DLN-1, The third group combines all of the DLN-2
which was developed for E-technology products and includes the FA, EC, and H

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines
Gas Distillate
Turbine Model NOx (ppmvd) CO (ppmvd) Diluent NOx (ppmvd) CO (ppmd) Diluent
MS3002(J)-RC 33 25 Dry N/A N/A N/A
MS3002(J)-SC 42 50 Dry N/A N/A N/A
MS5001P 25 50 Dry 65 20 W ater
MS5001R 42 50 Dry 65 20 W ater
MS5002C 42 50 Dry 65 20 W ater
MS6001B 9 25 Dry 42 30 W ater

MS7001B/E Conv. 25 25 Dry 42 30 W ater

MS7001EA 9 25 Dry 42 30 W ater
MS9001E 15 25 Dry 42 20 W ater
25 25 Dry 90 20 Dry
MS6001FA 25 15 Dry 42/65 20 W ater/Steam
MS7001FA 25 15 Dry 42/65 20 W ater/Steam
9 9 Dry 42/65 30 W ater/Steam
MS7001FB 25 15 Dry 42 20 W ater

MS7001H 9 9 Dry 42/65 30 W ater/Steam

MS9001EC 25 15 Dry 42/65 20 W ater/Steam
MS9001FA 25 15 Dry 42/65 20 W ater
MS9001FB 25 15 Dry 42 20 W ater
MS9001H 25 15 Dry 42 20 W ater

Figure 1. Dry Low NOx product plan

machines, with the 7FA product as the flagship. gas fuel, power augmentation with steam is in
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, most of these prod- the premixed mode for both DLN-1 and DLN-2
ucts are capable of power augmentation and of systems.
peak firing with increased NOx emissions. With The GE DLN systems integrate a staged pre-
mixed combustor, the gas turbine’s
NOx NOx at CO
SPEEDTRONIC™ controls and the fuel and
Turbine @15% O 2 Operating Maximum Max D/F Max D/F
Model (ppmvd) Mode Diluent Diluent/Fuel (ppmvd) (ppmvd) associated systems. There are two principal
MS6001(B) 9 Premix Steam 2.5/1 9 25 measures of performance. The first is meeting
Premix Steam 2.5/1 25 15
the emission levels required at baseload on both
25
gas and oil fuel and controlling the variation of
MS7001(EA) 9 Premix Steam 2.5/1 9 25
these levels across the load range of the gas tur-
25 Premix Steam 2.5/1 25 15 bine.
MS7001(FA) 9 Premix Steam 2.1/1 12 15 The second measure is system operability, with
GT24556B.ppt
emphasis placed on the smoothness and relia-
Figure 2. DLN power augmentation summary bility of combustor mode changes, ability to
load and unload the machine without restric-
tion, capability to switch from one fuel to anoth-
NOx-Base NOx-Peak CO-Base CO-Peak er and back again, and system response to rapid
(ppmvd) (ppmvd) (ppmvd) (ppmvd)
transients (e.g., generator breaker open events
MS6001(B) 9 18 25 6
or rapid swings in load). GE’s design goal is to
25 50 15 4
make the DLN system operate so the gas tur-
MS7001(EA) 9 18 25 6
25 50 15 4 bine operator does not know whether a DLN or
MS7001(FA) 25 35 15 6 conventional combustion system has been
MS9001(E) 25 40 15 6 installed (i.e., its operation is “transparent to
GT24557A . ppt
the user”). A significant portion of the DLN
Figure 3. DLN peak firing emissions - natural gas design and development effort has focused on
fuel system operability. As operational experience

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

has increased, design and development efforts These efforts have resulted in a large number of
have moved towards hardware durability and hardware and control features that limit dynam-
extending combustor inspection intervals. ics, plus analytical tools that are used to predict
Design of a successful DLN combustor for a system behavior. The latter are particularly use-
heavy-duty gas turbine also requires the design- ful in correlating laboratory test data from full
er to develop hardware features and opera- scale combustors with actual gas turbine data.
tional methods that simultaneously allow the
equivalence ratio and residence time in the DLN-1 System
flame zone to be low enough to achieve low DLN-1 development began in the 1970s with
NOx, but with acceptable levels of combustion the goal of producing a dry oil system to meet
noise (dynamics), stability at part-load opera- the United States Environmental Protection
tion and sufficient residence time for CO burn- Agency’s New Source Performance Standards
out, hence the designation of DLN combustion of 75 ppmvd NOx at 15% O2. As noted in
design as a “four-sided box” (See Figure 4). Reference 7, this system was tested on both oil
A scientific and engineering development pro- and gas fuel at Houston Lighting & Power in
gram by GE’s Corporate Research and 1980 and met its emission goals. Subsequent to
Development, Power Systems business and this, DLN program goals changed in response
Aircraft Engine business has focused on under- to stricter environmental regulations and the
standing and controlling dynamics in lean pre- pace of the program accelerated in the late
mixed flows. The objectives have been to: 1980s.

■ Gather and analyze machine and labo-

DLN-1 Combustor
ratory data to create a comprehensive
dynamics data base The GE DLN-1 combustor (shown in cross sec-
tion in Figure 5 and described in Reference 8) is a
■ Create analytical models of gas turbine
two-stage premixed combustor designed for use
combustion systems that can be used to
with natural gas fuel and capable of operation
understand dynamics behavior
on liquid fuel. As shown, the combustion system
■ Use the analytical models and experi- includes four major components: fuel injection
mental methods to develop methods to system, liner, venturi and cap/centerbody
control dynamics assembly.
NOx

Dynamics

CO

Turndown
GT23812B

Figure 4. DLN technology - a four sided box Figure 5. Dry Low NOx combustor

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines
The GE DLN-1 combustion system operates in modes. This mode is necessary to
four distinct modes, illustrated in Figure 6, dur- extinguish the flame in the primary
ing premixed natural gas or oil fuel operation: zone, before fuel is reintroduced into
These components form two stages in the com- what becomes the primary premixing
bustor. In the premixed mode, the first stage zone.
thoroughly mixes the fuel and air and delivers a ■ Premix – Fuel to both primary and
uniform, lean, unburned fuel-air mixture to the secondary nozzles. Flame is in the
second stage. secondary stage only. This mode of
operation is achieved at and near the
Mode/Operating Range
combustion reference temperature
■ Primary – Fuel to the primary nozzles design point. Optimum emissions are
only. Flame is in the primary stage generated in premix mode.
only. This mode of operation is used
The load range associated with these modes var-
to ignite, accelerate and operate the
ies with the degree of inlet guide vane modula-
machine over low- to mid-loads, up to
tion and, to a smaller extent, with the ambient
a pre-selected combustion reference
temperature. At ISO ambient, the premix oper-
temperature.
ating range is 50% to 100% load with IGV mod-
■ Lean-Lean – Fuel to both the primary ulation down to 42°, and 75% to 100% load
and secondary nozzles. Flame is in with IGV modulation down to 57°. The 42° IGV
both the primary and secondary minimum requires an inlet bleed heat system.
stages. This mode of operation is used If required, both the primary and secondary
for intermediate loads between two fuel nozzles can be dual-fuel nozzles, thus allow-
pre-selected combustion reference ing automatic transfer from gas to oil through-
temperatures. out the load range. When burning either natu-
■ Secondary – Fuel to the secondary ral gas or distillate oil, the system can operate to
nozzle only. Flame is in the secondary full load in the lean-lean mode (Figure 6). This
zone only. This mode is a transition allows wet abatement of NOx on oil fuel and
state between lean-lean and premix power augmentation with water on gas.

Primary Operation Lean-Lean Operation

• Ignition to 20% Load • 20 to 50% Load
Fuel Fuel
100% 70%
30%

Fuel Fuel
100% 83%
17%

Second-Stage Burning Premixed Operation

• Transient During • 50 to 100% Load
Transfer to Premixed
GT20885B. ppt

Figure 6. Fuel-staged Dry Low NOx operating modes

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

The spark plug and flame detector arrange- ance in premixed operation, the fuel-air equiv-
ments in a DLN-1 combustor are different from alence ratio of the mixture exiting the first-stage
those used in a conventional combustor. Since mixer must be very lean. Efficient and stable
the first stage must be re-ignited at high load in burning in the second stage is achieved by pro-
order to transfer from the premixed mode back viding continuous ignition sources at both the
to lean-lean operation, the spark plugs do not inner and outer surfaces of this flow. The three
retract. One plug is mounted near a primary elements of this stage comprise a piloting flame,
zone cup in each of two combustors. The system an associated aerodynamic device to force inter-
uses flame detectors to view the primary stage of action between the pilot flame and the inner
selected chambers (similar to conventional sys- surface of the main stage flow, and an aerody-
tems), and secondary flame detectors that look namic device to create a stable flame zone on
through the centerbody and into the second the outer surface of the main stage flow exiting
stage. the first stage.
The primary fuel injection system is used dur- The piloting flame is generated by the second-
ing ignition and part load operation. The sys- ary fuel nozzle, which premixes a portion of the
tem also injects most of the fuel during pre- natural gas fuel and air (nominally, 17% at full-
mixed operation and must be capable of stabi- load operation) and injects the mixture
lizing the flame. For this reason, the DLN-1 pri- through a swirler into a cup where it is burned.
mary fuel nozzle is similar to GE’s MS7001EA Burning an even smaller amount of fuel (less
multi-nozzle combustor with multiple swirl-sta- than 2% of the total fuel flow) stabilizes this
bilized fuel injectors. The GE DLN-1 system flame as a diffusion flame in the cup. The sec-
uses five primary fuel nozzles for the MS6001B ondary nozzle, which is mounted in the cap
and smaller machines and six primary fuel noz- centerbody, is simple and highly effective for
zles for the larger machines. This design is capa- creating a stable flame.
ble of providing a well-stabilized diffusion flame A swirler mounted on the downstream end of
that burns efficiently at ignition and during the cap/centerbody surrounds the secondary
part load operation. nozzle. This creates a swirling flow that stirs the
In addition, the multi-nozzle fuel injection sys- interface region between the piloting flame and
tem provides a satisfactory spatial distribution the main-stage flow and ensures that the flame
of fuel flow entering the first-stage mixer. The is continuously propagated from the pilot to the
primary fuel-air mixing section is bound by the inner surface of the fuel-air mixture exiting the
combustor first-stage wall, the cap/centerbody first stage. Operation on oil fuel is similar
and the forward cone of the venturi. This vol- except that all of the secondary oil is burned in
ume serves as a combustion zone when the a diffusion flame in the current dry oil design.
combustor operates in the primary and lean- The sudden expansion at the throat of the ven-
lean modes. Since ignition occurs in this stage, turi creates a toroidal re-circulation zone over
crossfire tubes are installed to propagate flame the downstream conical surface of the venturi.
and to balance pressures between adjacent This zone, which entrains a portion of the ven-
chambers. Film slots on the liner walls provide turi cooling air, is a stable burning zone that
cooling, as they do in a standard combustor. acts as an ignition source for the main stage
In order to achieve good emissions perform- fuel-air mixture. The cone angle and axial loca-

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

tion of the venturi cooling air dump have sig- Primary Mode
100
nificant effects on the efficacy of this ignition 90
Premix Mode

% Primary Fuel Split

source. Finally, the dilution zone (the region of 80
70
the combustor immediately downstream from 60
Lean-Lean

50
the flame zone in the secondary) provides a 40

region for CO burnout and for shaping the gas 30

20
temperature profile exiting the combustion sys- 10 Secondary Mode
0
tem. Combustion 1600 1950 ºF 2020
Reference
Temperature
871 1066 ºC 1104

DLN-1 Controls and Accessories GT20327D

The gas turbine accessories and control systems Figure 7. Typical DLN-1 fuel gas split schedule
are configured so that operation on a DLN-
equipped turbine is essentially identical to that
of a turbine equipped with a conventional com-
bustor. This is accomplished by controlling the
turbines in identical fashions, with the exhaust
temperature, speed and compressor discharge
pressure establishing the fuel flow and com-
pressor inlet-guide-vane position.
A turbine with a conventional diffusion com-
bustor that uses diluent injection for NOx con-
Figure 8. Dry Low NOx gas fuel system
trol will use an underlying algorithm to control
steam or water injection. This algorithm will use opens at load or a PRI is sensed by ultraviolet
top level control variables (exhaust tempera- flame detectors looking into the first stage, the
ture, speed, etc.) to establish a steam-to-fuel or splitter valve is commanded to move to a pre-
water-to-fuel ratio to control NOx. determined position. For the breaker open
In a similar fashion, the same variables are used event the combustor returns to normal opera-
to divide the total turbine fuel flow between the tion in primary mode at full speed no load
primary and secondary stages of a DLN com- (FSNL). In the case of a PRI there is no hard-
bustor. The fuel division is accomplished by ware damage and the combustor maintains load
commanding a calibrated splitter valve to move but operates in extended lean-lean mode with
to a set position based on the calculated com- high emissions.
bustion reference temperature (Figure 7). Figure
8 shows a schematic of the gas fuel system for a DLN-1 Emissions
DLN-equipped turbine. The emissions performance of the GE DLN sys-
The only special control sequences required are tem can be illustrated as a function of load for a
for protection of the turbine during a generator given ambient temperature and turbine config-
breaker open trip, or for a Primary Zone uration. Figures 9 and 10 show the NOx and CO
Ignition or Primary Re-Ignition (PRI) (i.e., emissions from typical MS7001EA and
flame is established in first stage during pre- MS6001B DLN systems designed for 9 ppmvd
mixed operation). When either the breaker NOx and 25 ppm CO when operated on natural

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

gas fuel. Note that in premixed operation, NOx

is generally highest at higher loads and CO only
approaches 25 ppm at lower premixed loads.
The MS9001E DLN system has very similar
behavior but with somewhat higher NOx emis-
sions (See Figure 1). Figures 11 and 12 show NOx
and CO emissions for the same systems operat-
ed on oil fuel with water injection for NOx con-
trol, rather than premixed oil. These figures are
for units equipped with inlet bleed heat and Figure 11. MS7001EA Dry Low NOx combustion
extended IGV modulation. system performance on distillate oil
At loads less than 20% of baseload, NOx and
CO emissions from the DLN are similar to those
from standard combustion systems. This result
is expected because both systems are operating
as diffusion flame combustors in this range.
Between 20% and 50% load, the DLN system is
operated in the lean-lean mode. On gas fuel the
flow split between the primary fuel nozzles and

Figure 12. MS6001B emissions distillate oil fuel

secondary nozzle may be varied to optimize
emissions, while on oil fuel the flow split is
fixed.
From 50% to 100% load, the DLN system oper-
ates as a lean premixed combustor when operat-
ed on gas fuel, and as a diffusion flame combus-
Figure 9. MS7001EA/MS9001E emissions - tor with water injection when operated on oil
natural gas fuel fuel. As shown in Figures 9–12, NOx emissions
are significantly reduced, while CO emissions
are comparable to those from the standard sys-
tem.

DLN-1 Experience
GE’s first DLN-1 system was tested at Houston
Lighting and Power in 1980 (Reference 7). A pro-
totype DLN system using the combustor design
discussed above was tested on an MS9001E at
the Electricity Supply Board’s (ESB) Northwall
Figure 10. MS6001B emissions - natural gas Station in Dublin, Ireland, between October

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

1989 and July 1990. A comprehensive engineer- is 50 ppmvd). These units have operated for
ing test of the prototype DLN combustor, con- more than 250,000 hours. Four additional F
trols and associated systems was conducted with technology DLN-1 systems were commissioned
NOx levels of 32 ppmvd (at 15% O2) obtained at Scottish Hydro’s Keadby site and at National
at baseload. The results were incorporated into Power’s Little Barford site. These 9F machines
the design of prototype systems for the have operated more than 80,000 hours at less
MS7001E and MS6001B. than 60 ppm NOx.
The 7E DLN-1 prototype was tested at The combustion laboratory’s testing and field
Anchorage Municipal Light and Power (AMLP) operation have shown that the DLN-1 system
in early 1991 and entered commercial service can achieve single digit NOx and CO levels on E
shortly afterward. Since then, development of technology machines operating on gas fuel.
advanced combustor configurations have been Current DLN-1 development activity focuses
carried out at AMLP. These results have been on:
incorporated into production hardware. ■ Application of single-digit technology
The MS6001B prototype system was first oper- to the MS6001B and MS7001EA
ated at Jersey Central Power & Light’s Forked uprates.
River Station in early 1991. A series of addition- ■ Application of DLN-1 technology for
al tests culminated in the demonstration of a 9 retrofitting existing field machines
ppm combustor at Jersey Central in November (including MS3002s and MS5000s,
1993. some of which will require upgrade
As of May 1999, 44 MS6001B machines are before DLN retrofit)
equipped with DLN-1 systems. In total, they ■ Completing the development of steam
have accumulated more than 1.4 million hours power augmentation as needed by the
of operation. There are, in addition, 4 market
MS7001E, 8 MS7001B/E, 39 MS7001EA, 27
■ Completing the development of lean
MS9001E, 2 MS5001P and 4 MS3002J DLN-1
premixed oil fuel DLN-1 products.
machines that have collectively operated for
more than 2 million hours. Excellent emission ■ Increasing combustion inspection
results have been obtained in all cases, with sin- intervals.
gle-digit NOx and CO achieved on many ■ Improving overall system reliability
MS7001EAs. Several MS7001E/EA machines and operability for operation on oil
have the capability to power augment with fuel.
steam injection in premixed mode.
Starting in early 1992, eight MS7001F machines DLN-2 System
equipped with GE DLN systems were placed in As F-technology gas turbines became available
service at Korea Electric Power Company’s in the late 1980s, studies were conducted to
Seoinchon site. These F technology machines establish what type of DLN combustor would be
have achieved better than 55% (gross) efficien- needed for these new higher firing temperature
cy in combined-cycle operation, and the DLN machines. Studies concluded that that air usage
systems are currently operating between 30 and in the combustor (e.g., for cooling) other than
40 ppmvd NOx on gas fuel (the guarantee level for mixing with fuel would have to be strictly

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

limited. A team of engineers from GE Power Each DLN-2 combustor system has a single
Systems, GE Corporate Research and burning zone formed by the combustor liner
Development and GE Aircraft Engines pro- and the face of the cap. In low emissions opera-
posed a design that repackaged DLN-1 premix- tion, 90% of the gas fuel is injected through
ing technology but eliminated the venturi and radial gas injection spokes in the premixer, and
centerbody assemblies that require cooling air. combustion air is mixed with the fuel in tubes
The resulting combustor is called DLN-2, which surrounding each of the five fuel nozzles. The
is the standard system for the 6FA, 7FA, and 9FA premixer tubes are part of the cap assembly.
machines. Fourteen combustors are installed in The fuel and air are thoroughly mixed, flow out
the 7FA, 18 in the 9FA, and six in the 6FA. Two of the five tubes at high velocity and enter the
additional variants of the DLN-2 system have burning zone where lean, low-NOx combustion
been developed to meet the additional design occurs. The vortex breakdown from the swirling
requirements imposed by either new machine flow exiting the premixers, along with the sud-
cycles or reduced emissions levels. These com- den expansion in the liner, are mechanisms for
bustors, the DLN-2.6 and the DLN-2+, will be flame stabilization. The DLN-2 fuel nozzle/pre-
described briefly in later sections. mixer tube arrangement is similar in design
and technology to the secondary nozzle/cen-
DLN-2 Combustion System terbody of a DLN-1. Five nozzle/premixer tube
assemblies are located on the head end of the
The DLN-2 combustion system shown in Figure
combustor. A quaternary fuel manifold is locat-
13 is a single-stage dual-mode combustor that
ed on the circumference of the combustion cas-
can operate on both gaseous and liquid fuel.
ing to bring the remaining fuel flow to casing
On gas, the combustor operates in a diffusion
injection pegs located radially around the cas-
mode at low loads (< 50% load), and a pre-
ing.
mixed mode at high loads (> 50% load). While
the combustor can operate in the diffusion Figure 14 shows a cross-section of a DLN-2 fuel
mode across the load range, diluent injection nozzle. As noted, the nozzle has passages for dif-
would be required for NOx abatement. Oil fusion gas, premixed gas, oil and water. When
operation on this combustor is in the diffusion mounted on the end cover, as shown in Figure
mode across the entire load range, with diluent 15, the diffusion passages of four of the fuel
injection used for NOx control. nozzles are fed from a common manifold,
called the primary, that is built into the end
cover. The premixed passages of the same four
nozzles are fed from another internal manifold
called the secondary. The pre-mixed passages of
the remaining nozzle are supplied by the terti-
ary fuel system; the diffusion passage of that
nozzle is always purged with compressor dis-
charge air and passes no fuel.
Figure 15 shows the fuel nozzles installed on the
combustion chamber end cover and the con-
nections for the primary, secondary and tertiary
Figure 13. DLN-2 combustion system
fuel systems. DLN-2 fuel streams are:

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

Primary
Fuel only to the primary side of the four fuel
nozzles; diffusion flame. Primary mode is used
from ignition to 81% corrected speed.

Lean-Lean
Fuel to the primary (diffusion) fuel nozzles and
single tertiary (premixing) fuel nozzle. This
mode is used from 81% corrected speed to a
pre-selected combustion reference tempera-
Figure 14. Cross-section of a DLN-2 fuel nozzle ture. The percentage of primary fuel flow is
■ Primary fuel – fuel gas entering modulated throughout the range of operation
through the diffusion gas holes in the as a function of combustion reference tempera-
swirler assembly of each of the ture. If necessary, lean-lean mode can be oper-
outboard four fuel nozzles ated throughout the entire load range of the
turbine. Selecting “lean-lean base on” locks out
■ Secondary fuel – premix fuel gas
premix operation and enables the machine to
entering through the gas metering
be taken to base load in lean-lean.
holes in the fuel gas injector spokes of
each of the outboard four fuel nozzles Premix Transfer
■ Tertiary fuel – premix fuel gas delivered Transition state between lean-lean and premix
by the metering holes in the fuel gas modes. Throughout this mode, the primary
injector spokes of the inboard fuel and secondary gas control valves modulate to
nozzle their final position for the next mode. The pre-
■ The quaternary system – injects a small mix splitter valve is also modulated to hold a
amount of fuel into the airstream just constant tertiary flow split.
up-stream from the fuel nozzle swirlers Piloted Premix
The DLN-2 combustion system can operate in Fuel is directed to the primary, secondary and
several different modes. tertiary fuel nozzles. This mode exists while
operating with temperature control off as an
intermediate mode between lean-lean and pre-
mix mode. This mode also exists as a default
mode out of premix mode and, in the event
that premix operating is not desired, piloted
premix can be selected and operated to base-
load. Primary, secondary and tertiary fuel split
are constant during this mode of operation.

Premix
Fuel is directed to the secondary, tertiary and
quaternary fuel passages and premixed flame
Figure 15. External view of DLN-2 fuel nozzles exists in the combustor. The minimum load for
mounted

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

premixed operation is set by the combustion 17) consists of the gas fuel stop-ratio valve, pri-
reference temperature and IGV position. It typ- mary gas control valve, secondary gas control
ically ranges from 50% with inlet bleed heat on valve premix splitter valve and quaternary gas
to 65% with inlet bleed heat off. Mode transi- control valve. The stop-ratio valve is designed to
tion from premix to piloted premix or piloted maintain a predetermined pressure at the con-
premix to premix, can occur whenever the com- trol-valve inlet.
bustion reference temperature is greater than The primary, secondary and quaternary gas
2200 F/1204 C. Optimum emissions are gener- control valves regulate the desired gas fuel flow
ated in premix mode. delivered to the turbine in response to the fuel
Tertiary Full Speed No Load (FSNL) command from the SPEEDTRONIC™ controls.

Initiated upon a breaker open event from any

load > 12.5%. Fuel is directed to the tertiary
nozzle only and the unit operates in secondary
FSNL mode for a minimum of 20 seconds, then
transfers to lean-lean mode.
Figure 16 illustrates the fuel flow scheduling as-
sociated with DLN-2 operation. Fuel staging de-
pends on combustion reference temperature
and IGV temperature control operation mode.

DLN-2 Controls and Accessories Figure 17. DLN-2 gas fuel system
The DLN-2 control system regulates the fuel dis- The premix splitter valve controls the fuel flow
tribution to the primary, secondary, tertiary and split between the secondary and tertiary fuel
quaternary fuel system. The fuel flow distribu- system.
tion to each combustion fuel system is a func-
tion of combustion reference temperature and DLN-2 Emissions Performance
IGV temperature control mode. Diffusion,
Figures 18 and 19 show the emissions perform-
piloted premix and premix flame are estab-
ance for a DLN-2-equipped 7FA/9FA for gas
lished by changing the distribution of fuel flow
fuel and for oil fuel with water injection.
in the combustor. The gas fuel system (Figure

Combustion Reference Temperature DLN-2 Experience

2135 2200 2350

100 Primary
The first DLN-2 systems were placed in service
Secondary
70
Tertiary at Florida Power and Light’s Martin Station with
% of Base Load Fuel Flow

60 Quaternary

50 commissioning beginning in September 1993,

40

30
Primary Lean-Lean Premix Mode and the first two (of four) 7FA units entered
Mode Mode
20 commercial service in February 1994. During
10

0
commissioning, quaternary fuel was added and
16% Speed 100
0 20 40 60 80 100 other combustor modifications were made to
% Load Typical
GT24671 control dynamic pressure oscillations in the
Figure 16. Typical DLN-2 gas fuel split schedule combustor.

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

damage occurs. In some cases, these events

have caused forced outages and adversely
impacted availability. The solution chosen was
to install full “fairings” on the downstream side
of the cylindrical fuel injection pegs.
Laboratory testing and subsequent fleet experi-
ence has demonstrated that full fairings are
highly effective in reducing the probability of
fuel nozzle flash-back. The fairings improve the
peg aerodynamics in order to reduce the size of
the recirculation zone downstream of the pegs.
The result is to significantly reduce the proba-
Figure 18. Gas fuel emissions in diffusion and bility of flame holding or attachment to the pre-
premixed mixed pegs. Figure 20 shows the original DLN-2
fuel nozzle while Figure 21 illustrates the same
nozzle with the addition of the fuel-peg fairings.
As of May 1999 there were 8 6FA, 26 7FA and 38
9FA units equipped with DLN-2 in commercial
service. They have accumulated more than 1.1
million hours of operation.

DLN-2.6 Evolution
Regulatory pressures in the U.S. market in the
early 1990s led to the need to develop a 9 ppm
combustion system for the Frame 7FA. The
Figure 19. Distillate oil emissions with water result of this development is the DLN-2.6, which
injection above 50% load was first placed into service in March 1996 at
Public Service of Colorado.
After the 7FA DLN-2 entered commercial serv-
ice the 9FA DLN-2 was introduced. Subsequent Reduction of NOx levels from the DLN-2 at 25
fleet experience indicated that to achieve ade- ppm to 9 ppm required that approximately 6%
quate operational robustness against the entire
range of site specific events, an improvement in
premixer flashback resistance was needed.
Under certain transient conditions flashback
can occur where flame “holds” or is supported
in the recirculation zone downstream of the
premixed gas pegs. This region is not designed
to withstand the abnormally high temperatures
resulting from the presence of a flame. In the
event of a flashback, the metal temperatures
increase to unacceptable levels and hardware Figure 20. Un-faired DLN-2 fuel nozzle

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

fuel down in the center burner does not result

in any additional CO generation.

Fairing
Absent any other changes in the DLN-2 other
than the addition of the center nozzle, the
Fused Tip
DLN-2.6 combustor would have required five
~
fuel manifolds, compared to four on the DLN-
2. An alternative scheme was proposed to oper-
ate the machine at startup and low load, which
eliminated diffusion mode. The result was a
Figure 21. Fully faired (flashback resistant) fuel premixed-only combustor with 4 manifolds: 3
nozzle premixed manifolds staging fuel to the six
additional air was needed to pass through the burners, and a fourth premixed manifold for
premixers in the combustor (see Appendix for injecting quaternary fuel for dynamics abate-
description of the NOx and temperature rela- ment, (See Figure 22). The first three premixed
tionship). This change in air splits was accom- manifolds, designated PM1, PM2, and PM3, are
plished through reductions in cap and liner configured such that any number (1 to 6) of
cooling air flows, requiring increased cooling burners can be operated at any time. The PM1
effectiveness. However, without changes in the manifold fuels the center nozzle, the PM2 man-
operation of the DLN-2 system, certain penal- ifold fuels the two outer nozzles located at the
ties would have been incurred for achieving 9 cross-fire tubes, and the PM3 manifold fuels the
ppm baseload performance. The turndown of a remaining three outer nozzles. The five outer
DLN-2 combustor tuned to 9/9 operation was nozzles are identical to those used for the DLN-
estimated to be about 70% load, compared to 2, while the center nozzle is similar but with sim-
40% load for the 25/15 system. A new combus- plified geometry to fit within the available
tor configuration was conceived based on the space.
DLN-2 burner, but overcoming these difficul- With the elimination of the diffusion mode the
ties. The DLN-2 burner was carried forward as DLN-2.6 loads and unloads very differently than
the basis of the new combustor because of its the DLN-2. The loading and unloading strate-
excellent flame stabilization characteristics and gies are shown in Figures 23 and 24. The addi-
the large database of knowledge, which had tional mode changes are necessary to maintain
been accumulated on the parameters affecting the premixed flames within their burnable
combustion dynamics. zones and so prevent combustor blowout. The
The key feature of the new configuration is the
q q
q q
addition of a sixth burner located in the center q
PM3 PM3 q
q
of the five existing DLN-2 burners. The pres- q
PM2
PM1
PM2 q
q Quaternary
PM3
ence of the center nozzle enables the DLN-2.6 q
q q
(15 pegs)

q q
PM2 PM1
to extend its 9/9 turndown well beyond the five (2 nozzles)
located at crossfire tubes PM3
(1 nozzle)
6 Premix Burners - Five identical outer
(3 nozzles) burners, one smaller center nozzle.
nozzle DLN-2. By fueling the center nozzle sep-
During different machine cycle conditions,
arately from the outer nozzles, the fuel-air ratio PM1, PM2, PM3 are flowed in varying
combinations to give low F/A.
can be modulated relative to the outer nozzles Quaternary Pegs are located
circumferentially around the combustion
leading to approximately 200°F of turndown casing.

from baseload with 9 ppm NOx. Turning the Figure 22. DLN-2.6 fuel nozzle arrangement

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

gas fuel control system is also changed relative

to the DLN-2. Control is accomplished with one GCV3
PM3

stop ratio valve and four individual gas control SRV GCV1 PM1 SINGLE
BURNING
valves, (See Figure 25). The splitter valve utilized ZONE
6 BURNERS
GCV2 PM2

in both the DLN-1 and DLN-2 combustion sys-

Q
tems is eliminated. GAS SKID
GCV4 TURBINE COMPARTMENT

Emissions performance of the DLN-2.6 SRV SPEED/RATIO VALVE

GCV1 GAS CONTROL PM1
PM3 - 3 NOZ. PRE-MIX ONLY
PM2 - 2 NOZ. PRE-MIX ONLY

depends on the operational mode (See Figures GCV2 GAS CONTROL PM2
GCV3 GAS CONTROL PM3
PM1 - 1 NOZ. PRE-MIX ONLY
Q - QUAT MANIFOLD, CASING, PRE-MIX ONLY
GCV4 GAS CONTROL Quaternary
26 and 27). As can be seen, the emissions goal
Figure 25. DLN-2.6 fuel distribution and controls
DLN-2.6
START
TYPICAL system
LOADING
(firing and initial crossfire)
PM1+PM2 SEQUENCE

PM2 (Complete crossfire to 95 % speed) Mode 1 Mode 4

80 Mode 3

PM1 (95 % speed to TTRF1 switch #1 at 10 percent load)

(TTRF1 switch #1 to #2 at 25 percent load 60

PM1+PM2

PM1+PM3 (TTRF1 switch #2 to #3 at 40 percent load ISO

NOx 40
(ppm)
PM2+PM3 (TTRF1 switch #3, brief duration)

PM2+PM3+Q (TTRF1 switch #3 + a time delay to #4 at 45 percent load) 20

Mode 5Q
Mode 6Q
PM1+PM2+PM3+Q (Above TTRF1 switch #4 to base load)

0
0% 50%
Figure 23. DLN-2.6 ignition, crossfire, accelera- % Baseload
100%

tion, and loading strategy Figure 26. NOx at 15% O2 vs. percent load

STOP DLN-2.6 1000 Mode 3

TYPICAL
UN-LOADING Mode 4
SEQUENCE
PM1+PM2+PM3+Q
Mode 1
100
CO (ppm)

PM2+PM3+Q
BREAKER
OPEN
EVENT
PM1+PM3 Mode 5Q
10
PM1+PM2
PM1+PM2
Mode 6Q
PM1 (FSNL operating mode)
1
0% 50% 100%
Load (MW)
UNIT FLAM E-OUT
Figure 27. CO level vs. percent load
Figure 24. DLN-2.6 unloading and fired shutdown
sequence DLN-2+ Evolution
In late 1996 an uprated version of the Frame
of 9 ppm NOx and CO over a 50% load range 9FA was introduced. Called the 9FA+e, the cycle
was met. Since its introduction in 1996 the for this machine increased the air and fuel flow
DLN-2.6 has been installed on 8 machines and to the combustion system by approximately
accumulated approximately 17,000 hours of 10%. In addition, the machine was intended for
operation. use with gas fuels ranging in heat content from

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

approximately 70–100% of natural gas while

still maintaining low emissions.
To meet these requirements an updated version
of the DLN-2, called the DLN-2+, was devel-
oped. The DLN-2+ retains the basic architec-
ture of the DLN-2 with adaptations for both the
new requirements and to improve the operabil-
ity and robustness of the existing system. In
comparison to the DLN-2, the major changes
are concentrated in the fuel nozzle and end- Figure 29. DLN-2+ fuel nozzle
cover arrangement (See Figure 28). Both the
endcover and fuel nozzle have substantially tial flow disturbances after the point of fuel
enlarged fuel passages for the increased volu- injection. The improvement in aerodynamics
metric flow of fuel. In addition the fuel nozzle also reduces the overall system pressure drop to
(See Figure 29), was redesigned for further the level required by the new cycle.
improvements in flame holding margin, The nozzle-tip geometry and the improvements
reduced pressure drop, and improved diffu- in diffusion flame stability allow the use of a dif-
sion-flame stability. fusion flame on every nozzle. This eliminates
The additional gains in flame-holding velocity the lean-lean mode of the DLN-2 and results in
margin result from cleaner aerodynamics in the the simplified staging methodology shown in
premixers. This is achieved via a new swirler Figure 30.
design, which incorporates fuel injection direct- A further simplification illustrated in Figure 30 is
ly from the swirler surface. Each swirler vane the elimination of the DLN-2 Quaternary fuel
comprises a turning vane and an upstream system. This is achieved through the use of bi-
straight section. The straight section is hollow radial fuel staging in each swirler vane. In this
and houses the fuel manifolds plus the discrete design the radial fuel injection balance can be
injection holes. Upstream of the swirler an inlet adjusted via fixed orifices on the endcover as
flow conditioner improves the character of the part of the system setup procedure.
flow entering the premixer, while downstream Overall, the fuel nozzle and endcover arrange-
an integral outer shroud eliminates any poten- ment of the DLN-2+ can accept fuels with
Wobbe Index ranging from 28 to 52. The fuel
IGNITION to
D5 LOW LOAD

4 4
LOW LOAD to
D5 + PM1 + PM4 PREMIX TRANSFER

4 4
1 D5
PM1 + PM4 PREMIX TRANSFER
PM4 to BASE LOAD
PM1

Premix Dynamics Control: PM4/PM1 Fuel Split

D5 - Diffusion Flame on All
PM4 - Premixed Flame on “4”
PM1 - Premixed Flame on “1” Load Reject to Underlined Mode

Figure 28. Parts highly modified for DLN-2+ as

compared to DLN-2 Figure 30. DLN-2+ staging methodology

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

delivery system is very similar to the one used production needs and the requirements of
for the DLN-2.6, with a stop ratio valve and existing machines are being addressed. GE
independent gas control valves for each of the DLN systems are operating on more than 222
three gas fuel circuits. machines and have accumulated more than 4.8
million service hours. GE is the only manufac-
The first installation and startup of a 9FA+e was
turer with F technology machines operating
in early 1999 at the Sutton Bridge Power Station
below 15 ppmvd.
in the UK. Emissions measured during the
startup were well within design goals (See Figures
30 and 31). Additional machines will be com-
Appendix
missioned throughout 1999. Gas Turbine Combustion Systems
A gas turbine combustor mixes large quantities
100.0
of fuel and air and burns the resulting mixture.
90.0
80.0
In concept the combustor is comprised of a fuel
ISO Nox @15%

70.0 injector and a wall to contain the flame. There

60.0
50.0 are three fundamental factors and practical
40.0
30.0 concerns that complicate the design of the com-
20.0
10.0 bustor: equivalence ratio, flame stability, and
0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 ability to operate from ignition through full
GT load (MW)
load.

Figure 31. DLN-2+ combustion system Equivalence Ratio

NOx emissions A flame burns best when there is just enough
fuel to react with the available oxygen. With this
stoichiometric mixture (equivalence ratio of
1200
1.0) the flame temperature is the highest and
1000
the chemical reactions are the fastest, com-
800
CO (raw)

600
pared to cases where there is either more oxy-
400 gen (“fuel lean,” < 1.0) or less oxygen (“fuel
200 rich,” > 1.0) for the amount of fuel present.
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
In a gas turbine, the maximum temperature of
GT load (MW) the hot gases exiting the combustor is limited by
the tolerance of the turbine nozzles and buck-
Figure 32. DLN-2+ combustion system ets. This temperature corresponds to an equiva-
NOx emissions lence ratio of 0.4 to 0.5 (40% to 50% of the sto-
ichiometric fuel flow). In the combustors used
Conclusion on modern gas turbines, this fuel-air mixture
GE’s Dry Low NOx Program continues to focus would be too lean for stable and efficient burn-
on the development of systems capable of the ing. Therefore, only a portion of the compres-
extremely low NOx levels required to meet sor discharge air is introduced directly into the
today’s regulations and to prepare for more combustor reaction zone (flame zone) to be
stringent requirements in the future. New unit mixed with the fuel and burned. The balance of

GE Power Systems GER-3568G (10/00) ■ ■ 16

 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines
the airflow either quenches the flame prior to
the combustor discharge entering the turbine
or cools the wall of the combustor.

Flame Stability
Even with only part of the air being introduced
into the reaction zone, flow velocities in the
zone are higher than the turbulent flame speed
at which a flame propagates through the fuel-air GT21897A . ppt

mixture. Special mechanical or aerodynamic

Figure A-1. MS7001E Dry Low NOx combustion
devices must be used to stabilize the flame by
system
providing a low velocity region. Modern com-
bustors employ a combination of swirlers and ■ The configuration permits the entire
jets to achieve a good mix and to stabilize the turbine to be factory assembled, tested
flame. and shipped without interim
disassembly
Operational Stability
■ The turbine inlet temperature can be
The combustor must be able to ignite and to
better controlled, thus providing for
support acceleration and operation of the gas
longer turbine life with reduced
turbine over the entire load range of the
turbine cooling air requirements
machine. For a single-shaft generator-drive
machine, speed is constant under load and, ■ Smaller parts can be handled more
therefore, so is the airflow for a fixed ambient easily during routine maintenance
temperature. There will be a five-to-one or six- ■ Smaller transition pieces are less
to-one turndown in fuel flow over the load susceptible to damage from dynamic
range. A combustor whose reaction zone equiv- forces generated in the combustor;
alence ratio is optimized for full-load operation furthermore, the shorter combustion
will be very lean at the lower loads. system length ensures that acoustic
Nevertheless, the flame must be stable and the natural frequencies are higher and less
combustion process must be efficient at all likely to couple with the pressure
loads. oscillations in the flame
GE uses multiple-combustion chamber assem-
blies in its heavy-duty gas turbines to achieve
reli-able and efficient turbine operation. As
shown in Figure A-1, each combustion chamber
assembly comprises a cylindrical combustor, a
fuel-injection system and a transition piece that
guides the flow of the hot gas from the combus-
tor to the inlet of the turbine. Figure A-2 illus-
trates the multiple-combustor concept.
GT18556

There are several reasons for using the multi-

ple-chamber arrangement instead of large silo- Figure A-2. Exploded view of combustion
type combustors: chamber

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

■ Smaller combustors generate less NOx version of a fraction of any nitrogen chemically
because of much better mixing and bound in the fuel (called fuel-bound nitrogen
shorter residence time or FBN). Lower-quality distillates and low-Btu
coal gases from gasifiers with hot gas cleanup
■ As turbine inlet temperatures have
carry various amounts of fuel-bound nitrogen
increased to improve efficiency, the
that must be taken into account when emissions
size of the combustors has decreased
calculations are made. The methods described
to minimize cooling requirements, as
below to control thermal NOx emissions are
in aircraft gas turbine combustors
ineffective in controlling the conversion of FBN
■ Small can-type combustors can be to NOx.
completely developed in the
Thermal NOx is generated by a chemical reac-
laboratory through a combination of
tion sequence called the Zeldovich Mechanism
both atmospheric and full-pressure,
(Reference 6). This set of well-verified chemical
full-flow tests. Therefore, there is a
reactions postulates that the generation of ther-
higher degree of confidence that a
mal NOx is an exponential function of the tem-
combustor will perform as designed
perature of the flame and a linear function of
across all load ranges before it is
the time which the hot gases are at flame tem-
installed and tested in a machine.
perature. Thus, temperature and residence
time determine thermal NOx emissions levels
Gas Turbine Emissions and are the principal variables that a gas tur-
The significant products of combustion in gas bine designer can adjust to control emission lev-
turbine emissions are: els.
■ Oxides of nitrogen (NO and NO2, For a given fuel, since the flame temperature is
collectively called NOx) a unique function of the equivalence ratio, the
■ Carbon monoxide (CO) rate of NOx generation can be cast as a function
of the equivalence ratio. Figure A-3 shows that
■ Unburned hydrocarbons or UHCs
the highest rate of NOx production occurs at an
(usually expressed as equivalent
equivalence ratio of 1.0, when the temperature
methane [CH4] parti-cles and arise
is equal to the stoichiometric, adiabatic flame
from incomplete combustion)
temperature.
■ Oxides of sulfur (SO2 and SO3)
To the left of the maximum temperature point
particulates.
(Figure A-3), more oxygen is available (the
Unburned hydrocarbons include both volatile equivalence ratio is < 1.0) and the resulting
organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute flame temperature is lower. This is a fuel-lean
to the formation of atmospheric ozone, and operation. Since the rate of NOx formation is a
compounds, such as methane, that do not. function of temperature and time, it follows
There are two sources of NOx emissions in the that some difference in NOx emissions can be
exhaust of a gas turbine. Most of the NOx is gen- expected when different fuels are burned in a
erated by the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen given combustion system. Since distillate oil and
in the flame, which is called thermal NOx. natural gas have approximately a 100°F/38°C
Nitrogen oxides are also generated by the con- flame temperature difference, a significant dif-

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

ference in NOx emissions can be expected if flow to the combustors decreases, the flame
reaction zone equivalence ratio, water injection temperature will approach the blowout point
rate are equal. and at some point the flame will either become
As shown in Figure A-3, the rate of NOx produc- unstable or blow out. This behavior is in direct
tion dramatically decreases as flame tempera- contrast to that of a diffusion flame combustor.
ture decreases (i.e., the flame becomes fuel In that type of combustor the fuel is injected
lean). This is because of the exponential effect unmixed and burns at maximum flame temper-
of temperature in the Zeldovich Mechanism ature using only a portion of the available air.
and is the reason why diluent injection (usually This results in high NOx emissions, but has the
water or steam) into a gas turbine combustor benefit of very good stability because the flame
flame zone reduces NOx emissions. For the burns at the same temperature independent of
same reason, very lean dry combustors can be fuel flow.
used to control emissions. Lean, dry control is In response to these challenges, combustion sys-
desirable for reaching the lower NOx levels now tem designers use staged combustors so a por-
required in many applications, and also to avoid tion of the flame zone air can mix with the fuel
the turbine efficiency penalty associated with at lower loads or during startup. The two types
diluent injection. of staged combustors are fuel-staged and air-
staged (Figure A-4). In its simplest and most
common configuration, a fuel-staged combus-
tor has two flame zones; each receives a con-
stant fraction of the combustor airflow. Fuel
flow is divided between the two zones so that at
each machine operating condition, the amount
of fuel fed to a stage matches the amount of air
available. An air-staged combustor uses a mech-
anism for diverting a fraction of the airflow
from the flame zone to the dilution zone at low
Figure A-3. NOx production rate

There are two design challenges associated with

very lean combustors. First, care must be taken
Primary Secondary Dilution
to ensure that the flame is stable at the design Stage Stage Zone

operating point. Second, a turndown capability

is necessary since a gas turbine must ignite,
accelerate, and operate over the load range.
Both of these challenges are driven by the need
to operate the combustor at low flame tempera- Primary Stage Dilution
Zone
tures to achieve very low emissions. Therefore
the combustor operating point at full load is
just above the flame blowout point, which is the
point at which a premixed fuel and air mixture
is unable to self sustain. At lower loads, as fuel Figure A-4. Staged combustors

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

load to increase turndown. These methods can stances (such as peaking applications).
be combined, but both work to achieve the
Single-nozzle combustors that use water or
same objective, to maintain a stable flame tem-
steam injection are limited in their ability to
perature just above the blowout point.
reduce NOx levels below 42 ppmvd on gas fuel
and 65 ppmvd on oil fuel. GE developed multi-
Emissions Control Methods nozzle quiet combustors (MNQC) for the
There are three principal methods for control- MS7001EA and MS7001FA capable of achieving
ling gas turbine emissions: 25 ppmvd on gas fuel and 42 ppmvd on oil,
using either water or steam injection. Since
■ Injection of a diluent such as water or
October 1987, more than 26 MNQC-equipped
steam into the burning zone of a
MS7001s that use water or steam injection have
conventional (diffusion flame)
been placed in service. One unit that uses steam
combustor
injection has operated nearly 50,000 hours at 25
■ Catalytic clean-up of NOx and CO
ppmvd NOx (at 15% O2).
from the gas turbine exhaust (usually
used in conjunction with the other two Frequent combustion inspections and
methods) decreased hardware life are undesirable side
effects that can result from the use of diluent
■ Design of the combustor to limit the
injection to reduce NOx emissions from com-
formation of pollutants in the burning
bustion turbines. For applications that require
zone by utilizing “lean-premixed”
NOx emissions below 42 ppmvd (or 25 ppmvd
combustion technology
in the case of the MS7001EA or MS7001FA
The last method includes both DLN combus- MNQC), or to avoid the significant cycle effi-
tors and catalytic combustors. GE has consider- ciency penalties incurred when water or steam
able experience with each of these three meth- injection is used for NOx control, one of the
ods. other two principal methods of NOx control
Since September 1979, when regulations mentioned above must be used.
required that NOx emissions be limited to 75 Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) converts NO
ppmvd (parts per million by volume, dry), and NO2 in the gas turbine exhaust stream to
more than 300 GE heavy-duty gas turbines have molecular nitrogen and oxygen by reacting the
accumulated more than 2.5 million operating NOx with ammonia in the presence of a catalyst.
hours using either steam or water-injection to Conventional SCR technology requires that the
meet required NOx emissions levels, sometimes temperature of the exhaust stream remain in a
producing levels even lower than required. The narrow range (550°F to 750°F or 288°C to
amount of water required to accomplish this is 399°C) and is restricted to applications with a
approximately one-half of the fuel flow. heat recovery system installed in the exhaust.
However, there is a 1.8% heat rate penalty asso- The SCR is installed at a location in the boiler
ciated with using water to control NOx emis- where the exhaust gas temperature has
sions for oil-fired simple-cycle gas turbines. decreased to the above temperature range. New
Output increases by approximately 3%, making high-temperature SCR technology is being
water (or steam) injection for power augmenta- developed that may allow SCRs to be used for
tion economically attractive in some circum- applications without heat recovery boilers.

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

For an MS7001EA gas turbine, an SCR designed order to develop an operational catalytic com-
to remove 90% of the NOx from the gas turbine bustor. GE has development programs in place
exhaust stream has a volume of approximately with both ceramic and catalyst manufacturers to
175 cubic meters and weighs 111 tons. It is com- address these challenges.
prised of segments stacked in the exhaust duct.
Each segment has a honeycomb pattern with References
passages that are aligned in the direction of the 1. Washam, R. M., “Dry Low NOx
exhaust gas flow. A catalyst, such as vanadium Combustion System for Utility Gas
pentoxide, is deposited on the surface of the Turbine,” ASME Paper 83-JPGC-GT-13,
honeycomb. Sept. 1983.
SCR systems are sensitive to fuels containing 2. Davis, L. B. and Washam, R. M., “Develop-
more than 1,000 ppm of sulfur (light distillate ment of a Dry Low NOx Combustor,”
oils may have up to 0.8% sulfur). There are two ASME Paper No. 89-GT-255, June 1989.
reasons for this sensitivity.
3. Dibelius, N.R., Hilt, M.B., and Johnson,
First, sulfur poisons the catalyst being used in R.H., “Reduction of Nitrogen Oxides from
SCRs. Second, the ammonia will react with sul- Gas Turbines by Steam Injection,” ASME
fur in the presence of the catalyst to form Paper No. 71-GT-58, Dec. 1970.
ammonium bisulfate, which is extremely corro-
4. Miller, H. E., “Development of the Quiet
sive, particularly near the discharge of a heat
Combustor and Other Design Changes to
recovery boiler. Special catalyst materials that
Benefit Air Quality,” American
are less sensitive to sulfur have been identified,
Cogeneration Association, San Francisco,
and there are some theories as to how to inhib-
March 1988.
it the formation of ammonium bisulfate. This,
however, remains an open issue with SCRs. 5. Cutrone, M. B., Hilt, M. B., Goyal, A.,
Ekstedt, E. E., and Notardonato, J.,
More than 100 GE units have accumulated
“Evaluation of Advanced Combustor for
more than 100,000 operating hours with SCRs
Dry NOx Suppression with Nitrogen
installed. Twenty of the units are in Japan; oth-
Bearing Fuels in Utility and Industrial Gas
ers are located in California, New Jersey, New
Turbines,” ASME Paper 81-GT-125, March
York and several other eastern U.S. states. Units
1981.
operating with SCRs include MS9000s,
MS7000s, MS6000s, LM2500s and LM5000s. 6. Zeldovich, J., “The Oxidation of Nitrogen
in Combustion and Explosions,” Acta Phys-
Lean premixed combustion is the basis for
icochimica USSR, Vol. 21, No. 4, 1946, pp
achieving low emissions from Dry Low NOx and
577-628.
catalytic combustors. GE has participated in the
development of catalytic combustors for many 7. Washam, R. M., “Dry Low NOx
years. These systems use a catalytic reactor bed Combustion System for Utility Gas
mounted within the combustor to burn a very Turbine,” ASME Paper 83-JPGC-GT-13,
lean fuel-air mixture. They have the potential to Sept. 1983.
achieve extremely low emissions levels without 8. Davis, L. B., and Washam, R. M., “Develop-
resorting to exhaust gas cleanup. Technical ment of a Dry Low NOx Combustor,”
challenges in the combustor and in the catalyst ASME Paper No. 89-GT-255, June 1989.
and reactor bed materials must be overcome in

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 Dry Low NOx Combustion Systems for GE Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines

List of Figures
Figure 1. Dry Low NOx product plan
Figure 2. DLN power augmentation summary
Figure 3. DLN peak firing emissions - natural gas fuel
Figure 4. DLN technology - a four sided box
Figure 5. Dry Low NOx combustor
Figure 6. Fuel-staged Dry Low NOx operating modes
Figure 7. Typical DLN-1 fuel gas split schedule
Figure 8. Dry low NOx gas fuel system
Figure 9. MS7001EA/MS9001E emissions - natural gas fuel
Figure 10. MS6001B emissions - natural gas
Figure 11. MS7001EA Dry Low NOx combustion system performance on distillate oil
Figure 12. MS6001B emissions distillate oil fuel
Figure 13. DLN-2 combustion system
Figure 14. Cross-section of a DLN-2 fuel nozzle
Figure 15. External view of DLN-2 fuel nozzles mounted
Figure 16. Typical DLN-2 gas fuel split schedule
Figure 17. DLN-2 gas fuel system
Figure 18. Gas fuel emissions in diffusion and premixed
Figure 19. Distillate oil emissions with water injection above 50% load
Figure 20. Un-faired fuel nozzle
Figure 21. Fully faired (flashback resistant) fuel nozzle
Figure 22. DLN-2.6 fuel nozzle arrangement
Figure 23. DLN-2.6 ignition, crossfire, acceleration, and loading strategy
Figure 24. DLN-2.6 unloading and fired shutdown sequence
Figure 25. DLN-2.6 fuel distribution and controls system
Figure 26. NOx at 15% O2 vs. percent load
Figure 27. CO level vs. percent load
Figure 28. Parts highly modified for DLN-2+ as compared to DLN-2
Figure 29. DLN-2+ fuel nozzle
Figure 30. DLN-2+ staging methodology
Figure 31. DLN-2+ combustion system NOx emissions
Figure 32. DLN-2+ combustion system NOx emissions
Figure A-1. MS7001E Dry Low NOx combustion system
Figure A-2. Exploded view of combustion chamber
Figure A-3. NOx production rate
Figure A-4. Staged combustors

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