Laminar Burning Velocities and Emissions of Hydrogen–Methane–Air–Steam Mixtures

Abstract

Humidified gas turbines using steam generated from excess heat feature increased cycle efficiencies. Injecting the steam into the combustor reduces NOx emissions, flame temperatures, and burning velocities, promising a clean and stable combustion of highly reactive fuels such as hydrogen or hydrogen–methane blends. This study presents laminar burning velocities for methane and hydrogen-enriched methane (10 mol. % and 50 mol. %) at steam contents up to 30% of the air mass flow. Experiments were conducted on prismatic Bunsen flames stabilized on a slot-burner, employing OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) as an indicator for flame front areas. The experimental burning velocities agree well with results from one-dimensional simulations using the GRI 3.0 mechanism. Burning velocities reduce nonlinearly with ascending steam mole fractions and more rapid compared to simulations using “virtual H2O” stemming from a chemical influence on reactions. Hydrogen enrichment increases burning velocities, extending the flammability range toward leaner and more humid mixtures. Additionally, measured NOx and CO emissions reveal a strong reduction in NOx emissions for increasing steam dilution rates, whereas CO curves are shifted toward higher equivalence ratios.