Experimental and numerical prediction of lean blowout limits for micro gas turbine combustor

Purpose The lean blowout (LBO) limit of the combustor is one of the important performance parameters for any gas turbine combustor design. This study aims to predict the LBO limits of an in-house designed swirl stabilized 3kW can-type micro gas turbine combustor. Design/methodology/approach The experimental prediction of LBO limits was performed on 3kW swirl stabilized combustor fueled with methane for the combustor inlet velocity ranging from 1.70 m/s to 6.80 m/s. The numerical prediction of LBO limits of combustor was performed on two-dimensional axisymmetric model. The blowout limits of combustor were predicted through calculated average exit gas temperature (AEGT) method and compared with experimental predictions. Findings The results show that the predicted LBO equivalence ratio decreases gradually with an increase in combustor inlet velocity. Practical implications This LBO limits predictions will use to fix the operating boundary conditions of 3kW can-type micro gas turbine combustor. This methodology will be used in design stage as well as in the testing stage of the combustor. Originality/value This is a first effort to predict the LBO limits on micro gas turbine combustor through AEGT method. The maximum uncertainty in LBO limit prediction with AEGT is 6 % in comparison with experimental results.