Performance of SRC-II Fuels in Gas Turbine Combustors

Jet A fuel, solvent-refined coal II (SRC-II) middle distillate, and a 50:50 volume percent blend of Jet A and SRC-II middle distillate were burned in laboratory combustion rigs to study the effects of fuel properties on combustion performance. Centerline soot concentration, flame radiation intensity, and lean blowoff measurements were made in combustors simulating conventional and prechamber geometry gas turbine combustors. A special ignition rig was used to obtain minimum ignition energies. The centerline soot concentrations and flame radiation intensities for the SRC-II-middle distillate and the blend were very similar and were higher than those for Jet A. Characteristic time models correlating lean blowoff and minimum ignition energies indicated that the chemical properties of the fuels appeared to have only minor effects on these performance areas.