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A trapped vortex combustor. The trapped vortex combustor is configured for receiving a lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant stream, where the fuel includes hydrogen gas. The trapped vortex combustor is configured to receive the lean premixed fuel and oxidant stream at a velocity which significantl

A trapped vortex combustor. The trapped vortex combustor is configured for receiving a lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant stream, where the fuel includes hydrogen gas. The trapped vortex combustor is configured to receive the lean premixed fuel and oxidant stream at a velocity which significantly exceeds combustion flame speed in a selected lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture. The combustor is configured to operate at relatively high bulk fluid velocities while maintaining stable combustion, and low NOx emissions. The combustor is useful in gas turbines in a process of burning synfuels, as it offers the opportunity to avoid use of diluent gas to reduce combustion temperatures. The combustor also offers the possibility of avoiding the use of selected catalytic reaction units for removal of oxides of nitrogen from combustion gases exiting a gas turbine.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A trapped vortex combustor, comprising: a pressurizable plenum oriented along an axis defining an axial direction, said pressurizable plenum comprising a base and containment walls, said containment walls comprising a ceiling; an oxidant inlet for receiving a gaseous ox

The invention claimed is: 1. A trapped vortex combustor, comprising: a pressurizable plenum oriented along an axis defining an axial direction, said pressurizable plenum comprising a base and containment walls, said containment walls comprising a ceiling; an oxidant inlet for receiving a gaseous oxidant; a fuel inlet for receiving a gaseous fuel, said gaseous fuel comprising hydrogen; a first bluff body, said first bluff body extending between said base and said ceiling and having a rear wall; a second bluff body, said second bluff body located downstream from said first bluff body, said second bluff body extending between said base and said ceiling and having a front wall; a mixing zone downstream of said gaseous fuel inlet, said mixing zone upstream of said rear wall of said first bluff body, said mixing zone having a length along said axial direction sufficient to allow mixing of said gaseous fuel and said gaseous oxidant to form a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture stream; wherein the pressurizable plenum, first bluff body, and second bluff body are sized and shaped to receive the premixed fuel and oxidant mixture stream at a velocity greater than the combustion flame speed resulting from combustion of the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture composition. 2. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first fluff body and said second bluff body are spaced apart sufficiently to operably contain during combustion, one or more stabilized vortices of burning gases therebetween, so that during operation, one or more stabilized vortices of mixing and burning gas is trapped between said rear wall of said first bluff body and said front wall of said second bluff body. 3. The combustor as set forth in claim 2, further comprising one or more lateral struts extending outward from said first bluff body adjacent said rear wall of said bluff body. 4. The combustor as set forth in claim 3, wherein between said rear wall of said first bluff body and said front wall of said second bluff body, at least a portion of gases in said stabilized vortex of mixing and burning gas moves in opposition to the bulk fluid flow direction. 5. The combustor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the first and second bluff bodies are sized, shaped, and located such that during operation, between said rear wall of said first bluff body and said front wall of said second bluff body, at least a portion of gases in said stabilized vortex of mixing and burning gas moves in the bulk fluid flow direction. 6. The combustor as set forth in claim 5, further comprising one or more struts, said one or more struts extending outwardly from said first bluff body. 7. The combustor as set forth in claim 6, wherein said one or more struts comprises at least one pair of struts extending outward from opposing sides of said first bluff body. 8. The combustor as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of said at least one pair of struts comprises a planar rear portion. 9. The combustor as set forth in claim 8, wherein said planar rear portion is oriented coplanar with said rear wall of said first bluff body. 10. The combustor as set forth in claim 6, wherein said one or more struts comprise an upstream portion shaped for low aerodynamic drag. 11. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pressurizable plenum is sized and shaped to receive, during operation, the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture at a velocity of at least 105 meters per second. 12. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pressurizable plenum is sized and shaped to receive, during operation, the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture at a velocity of from about 105 meters per second to about 150 meters per second. 13. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pressurizable plenum is sized and shaped to receive, during operation, the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture at a velocity of at least 150 meters per second. 14. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said combustor is sized and shaped to receive the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture at a bulk fluid velocity exceeding the flame speed of combustion occurring in the entering lean premixed gaseous fuel. 15. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said combustor is sized and shaped to receive the lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture at a bulk fluid velocity exceeding the flame speed of combustion occurring in the entering lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture from a factor of about 3 to a factor of about 6. 16. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said combustor comprises a first bluff body and a second bluff body, and wherein said first fluff body and said second bluff body are spaced apart sufficiently to operably contain during combustion, a stabilized vortex of burning gases there between, and wherein heat and combustion products produced in the stabilized vortex of burning gases are carried upstream by a recirculation zone to ignite lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture entering the combustor. 17. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said combustor between said rear wall of said first bluff body and said second bluff body are spaced apart sufficiently to provide a cavity to operably contain a stabilized vortex of burning gases there between, and wherein said combustor further comprises at least one structure extending outwardly from at or near the rear wall of the first bluff body, said at least one structure immersed at least in part in the bulk fluid flow area adjacent the first bluff body, and wherein heat and combustion products produced in the stabilized vortex of burning gases are carried at least in part laterally adjacent the at least one outwardly extending structure, to ignite lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture entering the combustor. 18. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, wherein said at least one outwardly extending structure comprises a strut. 19. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, wherein said at least one outwardly extending structure comprises at least one strut, each of said at least one struts protruding from a side of said first bluff body, at or adjacent the rear wall thereof. 20. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, wherein said at least one outwardly extending structure comprises one or more pairs of struts, each strut in each of said one or more pairs of struts protruding from said first bluff body, at or adjacent the rear wall thereof. 21. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second bluff body further comprises one or more vortex stabilization jets, each of said one or more vortex stabilization jets providing an upstream jet of gas in a direction tending to stabilize the vortex in the cavity between the first bluff body and the second bluff body. 22. The combustor as set forth in claim 21, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of fuel, and wherein at least one of said vortex stabilization jets comprises a stream containing fuel. 23. The combustor as set forth in claim 22, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of syngas, and wherein said fuel comprises syngas. 24. The combustor as set forth in claim 21, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of oxidant, and wherein at least one of said vortex stabilization jets comprises a stream containing an oxidant. 25. The combustor as set forth in claim 21, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of fuel, and wherein at least one of said vortex stabilization jets comprises a stream containing a fuel, and wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of oxidant, and wherein at least one of said vortex stabilization jets comprises a stream containing an oxidant. 26. The combustor as set forth in claim 21, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source for a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture, and wherein at least one of said vortex stabilization jets injects a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture into the cavity between the first bluff body and the second bluff body. 27. The combustor as set forth in claim 21, wherein the first and second bluff bodies are sized, shaped, and spaced apart in a manner that when in operation, the heat and combustion products produced during combustion of the lean premix are continuously recirculated in a recirculation zone in the cavity between the first and second bluff bodies, and wherein heat and combustion products exit transversely from the cavity and are employed to continuously ignite a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture entering the combustor. 28. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, or in claim 27, wherein NOx is controlled to 15 ppmvd or lower. 29. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, or in claim 27, wherein NOx is controlled to 9 ppmvd or lower. 30. The combustor as set forth in claim 17, or in claim 27, wherein NOx is controlled to 3 ppmvd or lower. 31. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 15 percent hydrogen. 32. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 25 percent hydrogen. 33. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 30 percent hydrogen. 34. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 50 percent hydrogen. 35. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 65 percent hydrogen. 36. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises 75 percent or more hydrogen. 37. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises about 100 percent hydrogen. 38. The combustor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said combustor comprises a base, and wherein said first bluff body extends from said base for a distance Y1, and wherein said second bluff body extends outward from the base for a distance Y2, and wherein distance Y1 is equal to distance Y2. 39. A gas turbine engine, said gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor; a gas turbine; a trapped vortex combustor, said trapped vortex combustor comprising a pressurizable plenum, said pressurizable plenum comprising a base and containment walls, said containment walls; an oxidant inlet for receiving a gaseous oxidant; a fuel inlet for receiving a gaseous fuel, said gaseous fuel comprising hydrogen; a first bluff body, said first bluff body extending from the base and having a rear wall; a second bluff body, said second bluff body located downstream from said first bluff body, said second bluff body extending from the base and having a front wall; a mixing zone downstream of said gaseous fuel inlet, said mixing zone upstream of said rear wall of said first bluff body, said mixing zone having a length to allow mixing of said gaseous fuel and said gaseous oxidant to form a lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant mixture comprising an excess of oxidant; wherein the pressurizable plenum, first bluff body, and second bluff body are sized and shaped to receive the lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant mixture at a velocity greater than the combustion flame speed resulting from combustion in the lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant mixture composition; and wherein said rear wall of said first bluff body and said front wall of said second bluff body are spaced apart sufficiently to form a cavity there between to operably contain during combustion one or more stabilized vortices of burning gases, and wherein said combustor further comprises at least one structure extending outward from at or near the rear wall of the first bluff body, and wherein heat and combustion products produced in the one or more stabilized vortices of burning gases are carried away from said rear wall of said first bluff body, behind said at least one structure extending outward, to ignite lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture entering the trapped vortex combustor. 40. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said second bluff body further comprises one or more vortex stabilization jets. 41. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 40, wherein each of said one or more vortex stabilization jets provides a jet in a direction tending to stabilize at least one of the one or more stabilized vortices in the cavity between the first bluff body and the second bluff body. 42. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 40, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of fuel, and wherein at least one of said one or more vortex stabilization jets delivers to said cavity a stream containing a fuel. 43. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 40, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a source of oxidant, and wherein at least one of said one or more vortex stabilization jets delivers to said cavity a stream containing an oxidant. 44. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 40, wherein said second bluff body is coupled to a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture source, and wherein at least one of said one or more vortex stabilization jets injects a lean premixed fuel and oxidant mixture stream into the cavity between the first bluff body and the second bluff body. 45. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein the first and second bluff bodies are sized, shaped, and spaced apart in a manner that when in operation, the heat and combustion products produced during combustion of the lean premix are continuously recirculated in a recirculation zone in the cavity between the first and second bluff bodies, and wherein heat and combustion products circulate from the cavity in a direction having a lateral directional component and wherein said heat and combustion products are employed to continuously ignite a lean premixed gaseous fuel and oxidant mixture entering the trapped vortex combustor. 46. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein NOx is controlled to 15 ppmvd or lower. 47. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein NOx is controlled to 9 ppmvd or lower. 48. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein NOx is controlled to 3 ppmvd or lower. 49. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said trapped vortex combustor operates without diluent gas addition. 50. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 15 mole percent hydrogen gas. 51. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 25 mole percent hydrogen gas. 52. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 30 mole percent hydrogen gas. 53. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 50 mole percent hydrogen gas. 54. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises at least 65 mole percent hydrogen gas. 55. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises 75 mole percent or more hydrogen gas. 56. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said gaseous fuel comprises about 100 mole percent hydrogen gas. 57. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 39, wherein said trapped vortex combustor is sized and shaped for operation with a gaseous fuel comprising hydrogen in the range of from about 15 mole percent to about 75 mole percent.