Boundary layer flashback prevention by active control

Boundary layer flashback prevention by active control: Combining process and control engineering knowledge

van der Laan, Fedor (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering; TU Delft Delft Center for Systems and Control)

Klein, S.A. (mentor)
Ferrari, Riccardo M.G. (mentor)
Gonzalez Silva, J. (mentor)
Tummers, M.J. (graduation committee)
Myers, N.J. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Control

2022-08-24

Hydrogen is a promising fuel for both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and being used as an energy carrier for renewable energy sources. The adaption of hydrogen instead of natural gas as a fuel in gas turbine combustors introduces additional challenges regarding flame stability. One instabilities is boundary layer flashback. This phenomenon occurs if the flame speed exceeds the local flow velocity. Then the flame can propagate upstream, which can result in equipment failure. Lean premixed hydrogen mixtures are more prone to boundary layer flashback because hydrogen flames have both a smaller quenching distance and higher flame speed compared to natural gas. Therefore, operating at 100% hydrogen fuel content is an enormous challenge. Active control strategies are a promising strategy to prevent and withstand possible occurrences of boundary layer flashback in gas turbine combustors. In this work, the detection, prevention, and counteraction of flashback are investigated in unconfined Bunsen burners. After an experimental analysis of suitable sensors, a tracking controller is therefore designed and different control design approaches evaluated.

Both the increase in flame fluctuations and in flame angle are reasonable as indicators for a flame moving towards flashback as the flow velocity is reduced. However, the complex nature of a flame makes it challenging to measure these effects in a flame. Four types of sensors, i.e. an ion sensor, a thermocouple, a photo-detector and a microphone, were investigated for their ability to detect flashback and to find precursors that indicate the onset of flashback. A Bunsen burner equipped with the different types of sensors was used in an experiment to determine the most suitable sensor type. Of the investigated sensors, the thermocouple is the most promising sensor for both flashback detection and use the temperature signal as a control variable. The temperature is a precursor for the onset of flashback since the temperature increases with increasing flame angle. Also, by placing multiple thermocouples in $360^oC$ configuration on the burner rim, it is possible to estimate the position, where the flame entered the burner.

A complete fault-tolerant framework to control a flashback event is proposed. This framework increases the flashback resistance of the system and it counteracts possible flashback events, which is considered as a fault in the system. A supervisor block has two functions. Firstly, the supervisor uses a fault detection method, known as trend checking, to detect flashback. Secondly, it decides which strategy should be applied, based on the temperature measurements. The fault-tolerant control strategy is threefold. First, the prevention controller closes the loop, so it can steer away from flashback conditions by rejecting disturbances and tracking a desired reference path using the temperature data. Different tuning methodologies based on the traditional proportional and integral (PI), linear-quadratic-integral (LQI) and pole placement regulator (PPR) are explored for this purpose. The robustness of the proposed controller was verified through loop shaping interpretation. However, flashback could be consider as an stochastic process that still could be triggered. Therefore, the second task is to detect present flashback events and apply counteraction to oppose the fault. A design is proposed by the injection of pressurized air upstream of the burner rim to push back the flame by diluting the boundary layer and increasing the flow speed. A proof-of-concept is validated in the experimental set-up as a possible and feasible counteraction. The third task is a final safety measure. A safety switch would be applied to shut off the fuel supply to fail safe after a potential unsuccessful counteraction attempt. The fault-tolerant control framework was simulated in Simulink for a demonstration purpose, where the models were identified from experimental data.

The proposed fault tolerant control framework is intended to increases the flashback resistance of the system by being more robust towards disturbances and flashback events that would normally require a restart of the system. Its potential to do so has been confirmed by simulations. However, further research on the prediction of flashback and controller implementation are still required to run burners on 100% hydrogen without flashback.

Premixed Bunsen flame
Boundary layer flashback
Hydrogen combustion
System Identification
Fault Detection
Fault Tolerant Control

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:02ffdca4-805c-45e3-a034-87c2c35ce94d

Student theses

master thesis

© 2022 Fedor van der Laan