Coal-Fueled Gas Turbine Combustor Island Development

Solar Turbines Incorporated, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., is currently developing under DOE sponsorship a coal-fueled version of its industrial Centaur Model H gas turbine for cogeneration applications. A critical sub-system component is the coal-fueled combustor island consisting of a Two-Stage Slagging Combustor (TSSC) with an integrated Particulate Rejection Impact Separator (PRIS). Earlier development of the TSSC consisted of basic feasibility demonstrations and emissions evaluations and has been reported previously together with preliminary system design and assessment data. This paper reports on the continued bench-scale development of the combustor island with the objective of developing a data base suitable for use in scaling-up the design by an order of magnitude to a rating consistent with application to the 3.8 MW Centaur Model H gas turbine. Development activities have included analytical and flow visualization modeling; sorbent injection tests for control of sulfur oxides; and baseline evaluations of a continuous slag removal system. A preliminary engine-size combustor island design is also presented.