Premixing Injectors for Gaseous Hydrogen Combustion in Gas Turbines

Low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission is a goal for both power generation and aero propulsion gas turbines. The invention described here allows for the lean premixed injection of a gaseous hydrogen/air mixture into the combustor of a gas turbine. The combustible mixture produced is predicted to have a uniformly distributed fuel-to-air mass ratio at the exit of the injector. The combustion of the lean mixture creates lower temperatures than the stoichiometric combustion of the fuel and air, which results in low NOx production levels. The injectors are also designed to mix the fuel and air at high velocities to eliminate the occurrence of flashback of the reaction zone of the injector.

This invention has been reduced to two different design alternatives, and experiments of these prototypes are currently underway.

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