The development and testing of a CH4/NH3/H2 combustion system for a 50kW micro gas turbine

In an effort to target lower global warming emissions, carbon-free fuels are a cheap, long-term energy storage solution. Ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends are a good compromise for combustion characteristics and storage/transportation costs, and may be blended with methane to aid the transition to a carbon-free economy. This study outlines the emissions challenges in the utilisation of an industrial scale swirl burner for CH4/NH3/H2 blends. To address these challenges, a novel combustor design has been proposed for the conversion of a 50kW APU. Swirl burner emissions for NH3/H2/CH4 blends were studied and LDA validated CFD defined hydrodynamic behaviour of the NIK15 burner design, with plans for future combustion studies. Prototype APU combustor designs are under development to accommodate this new design.