摘要
In gas turbines, a fast decrease of efficiency appears when the output decreases; the efficiency of a large gas tur-bine (20...30 MW) is in the order of 40 %, the efficiency of a 30 kW gas turbine with a recuperator is in the order of 25 %, but the efficiency of a very small gas turbine (2...6 kW) in the order of 4...6 % (or 8... 12 % with an op- timal recuperator). This is mainly a result of the efficiency decrease in kinetic compressors, due to the Reynolds number effect. Losses in decelerating flow in a flow passage are sensitive to the Reynolds number effects. In con- trary to the compression, the efficiency of expansion in turbines is not so sensitive to the Reynolds number; very small turbines are made with rather good efficiency because the flow acceleration stabilizes the boundary layer. This study presents a system where the kinetic compressor of a gas turbine is replaced with a pulse combustor. The combustor is filled with a combustible gas mixture, ignited, and the generated high pressure gas is expanded in the turbine. The process is repeated frequently, thus producing a pulsating flow to the turbine; or almost a uni- form flow, if several parallel combustors are used and triggered a/ternately in a proper way. Almost all the com- pression work is made by the temperature increase from the combustion. This gas turbine type is investigated theoretically and its combustor also experimentally with the conclusion that in a 2 kW power size, the pulse flow gas turbine is not as attractive as expected due to the big size and weight of parallel combustors and due to the ef- ficiency being in the order of 8 % to 10 %. However, in special applications having a very low power demand, below 1000 W, this solution has better properties when compared to the conventional gas turbine and it could be worth of a more detailed investigation.
基金
the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation(Tekes),T-Turbine Oy,AXCO-Motors Oy and Veneveist m Pauniaho Oy for supporting this work