Active Combustion Throttles (ACT)
Cleaner and more efficient power for the future
Jeffrey S. Vipperman and William W. Clark
Concept
Power plants of the future have the promise of increased efficiency, decreased or zero emissions, multiple use (e.g. petrochemical/power plants/cogeneration), and fuel flexibility. Realizing these performance gains will require significant advances in sensing, actuation, and controls. The Combustion Control and Diagnostics Sensor (CCADS) has been previously developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the U.S. Department of Energy. The sensor permits real-time measurement of dynamic heat release, which is a measure of combution-flame quality. University of Pittsburgh, in collaboration with NETL, Carnegie Mellon University, and West Virginia University, is developing an advanced actuator, the Active Combustion Throttle (ACT), that can be used in conjunction with CCADS to enable real-time combustion management.
Application and Benefits
The development of transducers and controls for advanced energy systems will provide many advantages, including:
- fuel flexibility,
- reduced emissions,
- better efficiency, and
- active combustion control.
Target systems include:
- gas turbine engines,
- gasification plants,
- combined cycle plants,
- fuel cells, and
- FutureGen.
Technical Approach
The ACT device is required to have many challenging attributes, including operation at 650 degrees Fahrenheit and 450 psi, 1kHz bandwidth, compact size (amenable to retrofit), and low cost. The project requires a multidisciplinary approach:
- Identify suitable active materials that can withstand 650 degrees Fahrenheit operation.
- Design a linear or rotational actuator, as required by the valve design.
- Develop valve concepts with good throttling characteristics and the ability to fail at a nominal flow rate (versus fully open or closed, as most control valves work).
- Create CFD analyses to validate valve operation and determine the actuator force requirements.
- Perform mechanical design, taking into account the high pressures and the need to withstand erosive/corrosive hydrogen, natural gas, and syngas blends.
- Implement coupled electro-thermo-mechanical analyses on integrated valve/actuator design to ensure proper performance.
- Fabricate and test various valve and actuator prototypes.
- Construct final prototypes with integrated valve and actuator and demonstrate active combustion throttling on a two-burner test rig at NETL.
Collaborations
Research Team
Jeffrey S. Vipperman
William W. Clark
Nathan Black
Faculty Collaborators
David N. Lambeth
Mary Ann Clark
Industry Partners
Currently seeking, particularly the licensee of CCADS technology
Government Collaborators
Peter Hensel
Ben Chorpening
Jimmy Thornton
Government Support
U.S. Department of Energy
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Contact
Jeffrey S. Vipperman
Associate Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
412-624-1643
jsv@pitt.edu