초록

In a turbine engine hydrogen is injected into the combustor in response to a power output level of the turbine engine. In a preferred embodiment, gaseous hydrogen is always injected at low-power operations and switched off at mid-power and high-power operations.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for operating a gas turbine engine having a compressor joined to a turbine by a core rotor, with at least one combustor disposed therebetween for receiving compressed air from said compressor and fuel for providing combustion gas discharged to said turbine, said

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for operating a gas turbine engine having a compressor joined to a turbine by a core rotor, with at least one combustor disposed therebetween for receiving compressed air from said compressor and fuel for providing combustion gas discharged to said turbine, said method comprising:supplying a hydrocarbon fuel to the combustor; andinjecting hydrogen into said combustor in response to a power output level of said gas turbine engine; wherein,said gas turbine is operable at least in a high-power condition, a mid-power condition, and a low-power condition;said method further comprises,i) supplying said hydrocarbon fuel to said combustor during said high-power, mid-power and low-power conditions;ii) starting an injection of hydrogen into said combustor when changing from one of said high-power and the mid-power conditions to said low-power condition; andiii) stopping said hydrogen injection when changing from said low-power condition to one of said high-power and mid-power conditions;said gas turbine engine is operable in an output power range ranging from a minimum power output to a maximum power output and including said high-power, mid-power and low-power conditions and further including a low-power subrange ranging from said minimum power output to a switch power level within a lower half of said output power range, said low-power subrange including said low-power condition;said supplying step comprises supplying said hydrocarbon fuel to the combustor in the whole output power range;said starting step comprises starting an injection of hydrogen into the combustor when entering said low-power sub-range; andsaid stopping step comprises stopping said injection of hydrogen when leaving said low-power sub-range;said method further comprises,x) detecting an actual power condition; andy) comparing the actual power condition with said switch power level;said detecting an actual power condition includes detecting an ambient pressure, detecting an ambient temperature, and detecting a speed of said core rotor; andsaid method further calculating a combustor inlet temperature from detected values of the ambient pressure, ambient temperature and core rotor speed.