Development of a Compact Gas Turbine Combuster to Give Extended Life and Acceptable Exhaust Emissions

Abstract

The paper describes the development history of the Olympus gas turbine combustor from the time that it was first applied to an industrial application in the early 1960s. The design improvements made — • to permit a change in fuel (from kerosene to diesel and/or natural gas), • a 60 percent increase in engine performance, and • to reduce emission levels — are detailed, and the in-service problems associated with these changes are also discussed. The emphasis is placed upon improvements in combustor life and capability to produce smoke levels well below the visible threshold, and significant success is shown to have been achieved in these two factors. The final sections of the paper are concerned with the latest on-going development effort, which is primarily to produce a low emission combustor that can be retrofitted into today’s engines.