EP1738109A1

EP1738109A1 - Catalytic reactor and method for burning fuel-air mixtures by means of a catalytic reactor

Info

Publication number: EP1738109A1
Application number: EP05729538A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Richard Carroni; Timothy Griffin
Original assignee: Alstom Technology AG
Current assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
Priority date: 2004-03-31
Filing date: 2005-03-23
Publication date: 2007-01-03
Also published as: WO2005095856A1; US7594394B2; US20070054226A1

Abstract

A catalytic reactor (4) used to burn at least part of the fuel-air mixtures flowing therethrough comprises a plurality of channels (13, 15). Said catalytic reactor (4) is supplied with weak fuel-air mixtures (6) and rich fuel-air mixtures (7). The inventive catalytic reactor (4) consists of at least two sections (I, II, III): a first section (I) through which the mixtures flow is not provided with any catalytic coatings; and a catalytic coating (20) is applied to the channels (15) through which rich fuel-air mixtures (7) flow, in a second section (II) located downstream from the first.

Description

Catalytic reactor and method for the combustion of fuel-air mixtures by means of a catalytic reactor

Technical field

The invention relates to a catalytic reactor according to the preamble of the first claim.

The invention continues from a method for the combustion of fuel-air mixtures by means of a catalytic reactor according to the independent method claim.

State of the art

In power plants, in particular gas turbines, catalytic reactors, or catalysts for short, are used to burn part of the gaseous fuel and air mixture flowing through the catalyst. This results in a temperature increase in the gas-air mixture and, depending on the catalytic reactor, a synthesis gas can essentially be generated from a mixture of hydrogen gas (H ₂ ) and carbon monoxide (CO). The hot exhaust gas is used for thermal and / or chemical stabilization of the homogeneous flame in the combustion chamber. Aerodynamic flame stabilization is often necessary, such as a sudden cross-sectional expansion between the catalytic converter and the homogeneous flame front in the combustion chamber. The catalytic combustion of fuel-air mixtures can significantly reduce the pollutant emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxides (CO). The reason for this reduction are the carbon dioxide (C0 ₂ ) and water (H ₂ 0) present in the exhaust gas of the catalyst, which delay the formation rate of thermally formed nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the homogeneous flame front. This means that less nitrogen oxide is formed, even at high temperatures above 1450 ° C. The catalysts also require a well-mixed fuel-air mixture to avoid local overheating. As a result, the homogeneous flame mixture is more uniform and local hot spots are avoided, which would contribute to the formation of NOx.

The lower hydrocarbon concentrations (CH concentration) after the catalytic reaction also reduce the direct formation of NOx.

The chemical stabilization also extends the extinguishing limits for lean flames. In particular, hydrogen gas and to some extent carbon monoxide have been used for this purpose. In the case of atmospheric burners in gas turbines, it could be shown that the extinguishing limits could be expanded considerably by replacing small portions of the gaseous fuel with hydrogen gas. It is even more advantageous to inject the hydrogen gas locally, as a result of which less H _{2 is} required than in the case of premixing with fuel and without increasing the NOx emissions, as is the case in the case of poor premixing.

For flame stabilization with catalysts, methods of lean premix combustion are known in which a lean fuel / air mixture in the catalyst is completely oxidized (fill oxidation = FOX). In such systems, the combustion air and almost all of the fuel is carried by the catalytic converter directed. Such systems are susceptible to fuel-air fluctuations and inhomogeneities and also to a deactivation of the catalysts. With larger combustion plants, part of the fuel has to be led past the catalytic converter. The injection of this fuel after the catalyst and the admixture is problematic and can lead to undesirable pollutant emissions.

Methods of rich combustion, in which a rich fuel-air mixture is used, are also known for flame stabilization with catalysts. The rich fuel-air mixture is only partially burned in the catalytic converter (partial oxidation = POX). In these, all fuel is usually passed through the catalyst. Flame is extinguished at significantly lower temperatures than with lean mixtures and the stability and robustness of the catalyst are significantly increased. In these systems, however, a large proportion of the combustion air must be led past the catalytic converter and be passed to the exhaust gas after the catalytic converter. This admixture can result in undesirable pollutant emissions and temperature irregularities, especially at high temperatures such as those found in large combustion plants.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art in a catalytic reactor and the associated process of the type mentioned at the outset and to enable pollutant emissions and high flame stability. According to the invention, this is achieved by the features of the first claim.

The essence of the invention is therefore that the catalytic reactor is charged with lean fuel-air mixtures and rich fuel-air mixtures, that the catalytic reactor consists of at least two sectors, that a first flowed through sector is free of catalytic coatings and that a catalytic coating is arranged in a downstream second sector in the channels through which a rich fuel-air mixture flows.

The advantages of the invention can be seen, inter alia, in the fact that the catalyst according to the invention maximizes the catalytic fuel conversion. This reduces pollutant emissions in all operating conditions, nitrogen oxides being reduced by the presence of water and carbon dioxide and carbon monoxides being reduced by the improved chemical flame stabilization. In addition, the flame stability is increased under all operating conditions. The light-off behavior of the catalytic converter is also improved since, in particular, the rich fuel-air mixtures are preheated to a greater extent. The required length of the catalyst is shortened and the cooling of the catalytic coatings (in particular the catalytic coating for lean combustion) and the control of the temperatures in the catalyst are improved. The control of the flow rates of air and fuel through the different channels and thus the precise control of the air-fuel mixtures allows a high degree of flexibility in operation. Furthermore, stable combustion is always guaranteed. Furthermore, the addition of fuel after the catalytic converter, as in lean fuel-air systems (FOX), and the admixture of combustion air after the catalytic converter, as used in rich fuel-air systems (POX), are no longer necessary, which has the disadvantages of the prior art Technology can be avoided. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the subclaims.

Brief description of the drawing

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Identical elements are provided with the same reference symbols in the various figures. The direction of flow of the media is indicated by arrows.

Show it:

1 shows a schematic partial longitudinal section through a burner arrangement according to the invention; 2 shows a schematic top view of a catalytic converter; Fig. 3 is a schematic partial longitudinal section through an inventive catalyst.

Only the elements essential for the immediate understanding of the invention are shown. The system does not show, for example, the fuel feeds, the compressor and the turbine.

Way of carrying out the invention 1 shows a burner arrangement 1, for example for a power plant, comprising a first feed line 2 and a second feed line 3, a catalytic reactor 4, hereinafter referred to as a catalyst, and a downstream combustion chamber 5. A lean air is supplied via the feed line 2 -Fuel mixture 6 with an air ratio λ> 1.0 fed to the catalyst 4 and usually completely oxidized there (fill oxidation = FOX). The air ratio λ is preferably in a range from 1.5 to 3.0.

A rich fuel-air mixture 7 with an air ratio λ <1 is fed to the catalyst 4 via the feed line 3 and is usually only partially oxidized there (partial oxidation = POX). The air ratio λ is preferably in a range from 0.15 to 0.6.

Fuel is mixed with the combustion air upstream of the air supply lines 2 and 3. Mixing devices 8 and 9 can be arranged in the air supply line 2 and 3 for further mixing of the fuel-air mixture. However, the mixing of air and fuel can also take place upstream using known mixing systems. The two fuel-air mixtures 6, 7 now meet a distribution device 10, which the

Distributed fuel-air mixtures on the catalyst 4. A catalytic combustion of the fuel-air mixtures takes place in the catalytic converter, which then enter the combustion chamber 5 downstream via an abrupt cross-sectional widening 11. The cross-sectional expansion creates a stable recirculation zone, which additionally stabilizes a homogeneous flame front 12.

2, the distribution device 10 and the catalyst 4 are shown in more detail. Such distribution devices 10 and catalysts 4 are known in particular from WO 03/033985 A1, the content of which is hereby included. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the distribution device 10 consists of parallel walls and cross struts, which thus run in parallel. fende channels 13 and 15 form. These channels are now alternately closed against the only schematically illustrated supply lines 2 and 3 via orifices 14, so that the lean fuel-air mixture 6 and the rich fuel-air mixture 7 can alternately enter channels 13 and 15, respectively. Like the distribution device, the catalytic converter is also divided into parallel channels, so that the lean fuel-air mixture 6 can enter the channels 13 and the rich fuel-air mixture 7 can enter the channels 15. The parallel channels 13 and 15 are alternately arranged and guided through the catalyst. Thus, a wall of a duct 15, which carries a rich fuel-air mixture 7, always also forms a wall of a duct 13, which carries a lean fuel-air mixture. As a result, thermal energies of the different fuel-air mixtures can be exchanged. Other embodiments analogous to WO 03/033985 A1 are of course also conceivable for the distribution device 10 and the catalyst 4.

3, the channels 13, 15 of the catalytic converter are shown in detail, the arrows indicate the heat flow 19. In a first sector I, the rich fuel-air mixture 7 is preheated and heated. Due to the high fuel concentration in this stream, the temperature of the rich mixture is significantly lower than the temperature in the lean fuel-air mixture 6. This is due to the temperature of the fuel supplied, which is usually between 20 and 100 ° C. The lean mixture has a higher temperature and thus heats up the rich mixture.

In a second subsequent sector II, catalytic coatings 20 are applied mainly in the channels 15 through which the rich fuel-air mixture 7 flows. These coatings 20 preferably consist of rhodium catalyst materials, for example Rh / Zr0 ₂ . The preheated rich fuel-air mixture 7 ignites and partially burns in a fuel-rich environment (POX). The first step in such a reaction is always very exothermic. The heat released is transferred via the channel walls into the adjacent channels 13 carrying a lean fuel-air mixture 6, and the temperature of the lean fuel-air mixture 6 is greatly increased.

In a third subsequent sector III, catalytic coatings 21 are applied mainly in the channels 13 through which the lean fuel-air mixture 6 flows. These coatings 21 preferably consist of palladium catalyst materials, for example Pd / Al ₂ O ₃ , or also platinum catalyst materials. The preheated lean fuel-air mixture 6 reacts heterogeneously with heat generation (FOX) and there is a heat flow in the direction of the channels 15 through which the rich fuel-air mixture 7 flows.

The heat exchange between the rich and lean mixture in the sectors II and III ensures that the catalytic coatings 20, 21 are kept at operating temperature and do not overheat or are below the at least necessary temperature, the so-called light-off temperature. Typical channel diameters are in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm. This ensures that the homogeneous ignition of the mixtures emerging from the catalyst does not occur in the vicinity of the channel outlets. The channels 13 for the lean fuel-air mixture 6 and the channels 15 for the rich fuel-air mixture 7 do not have to have the same diameter and the coated sectors II, III also do not have to have the same length. Sectors II and III can also overlap depending on the desired output.

The residence time of the rich air-fuel mixture 7 in sector II can be set according to the desired products. If the contact time is short enough, then the reaction is predominantly exothermic and the combustion products mainly consist of H ₂ 0 and C0 ₂ , since the main reaction is CH ₄ + 20 ₂ -> C0 ₂ + 2H ₂ 0, and little or no synthesis gas is produced. In this case, sectors II and III should not overlap, since otherwise both coatings 20, 21 overheat. A longer contact time favors the endothermic, fuel-converting reaction, which takes place immediately after the exothermic step, with which synthesis gas is generated. In this case, sectors II and III should overlap, since the exothermic reaction of the lean air-fuel mixture in sector III provides the energy for the endothermic, fuel-converting reaction in the last part of sector II. This guarantees that the catalytic coatings are cooled sufficiently. The overlap must therefore be chosen such that the area of sector II where the endothermic, fuel-converting reaction takes place is overlapped by sector III with catalytic coatings 21.

Of course, the catalyst can only be used in the same way as a pilot burner with high fuel contents. In this case, sector III can be omitted. The channels for the lean air-fuel mixture are present, but are not catalytically coated. A coating is preferably carried out which prevents the lean air-fuel mixture from igniting, for example with Al ₂ O ₃ or other metal oxides.

The distribution of the air flow between the two supply lines 2 and 3 can be constant or changeable.

If the distribution is constant, but not that the proportion of air in the supply lines 2 and 3 is the same, the distribution of the fuel can be varied. As a result, the air to fuel ratio of the two streams 6 and 7 can be changed. The respective air ratio λ of the two flows can thus be adapted to the conditions of the system and the operating conditions. For example, at low inlet temperatures, more fuel can be added to the rich air-fuel mixture so that the catalytic converter starts (POX light-off). As a further possibility, the distribution of the proportions of the total air flow between the two flows 6 and 7 can be changed. In this case, the flow rate of the rich air-fuel mixture 7 could be significantly reduced at low inlet temperatures so that the catalytic converter starts up, and the fuel and air flow could then be increased at higher inlet temperatures.

Different geometries can be used at the exit of Sector III. In the simplest case, the end of Sector III is the end of the catalyst. The closely spaced channels 13, 15 for the lean and rich mixture result in very good mixing between all the streams. This creates a uniform mixture of the high-temperature lean FOX and fat POX mixtures before homogeneous combustion. This prevents the formation of nitrogen oxides and promotes a high, uniform, homogeneous combustion. However, a flow divider can also be arranged at the end of sector III, which prevents mixing of the FOX and POX mixtures. As a result, the rich POX mixture 7 can be supplied locally, in particular at locations where chemical stabilization of the homogeneous flame can thereby be achieved.

The catalyst according to the invention thus maximizes the catalytic fuel conversion, emissions are reduced in all operating states and the flame stability is increased under all conditions. In addition, the light-off behavior of the catalytic converter is improved, the length of the catalytic converter required is shortened and the cooling of the catalytic coatings and the control of the temperatures are improved. The control of the flow rates of air and fuel through the different channels, and thus the precise control over the air-fuel mixtures, allows a high degree of flexibility during operation. Furthermore, stable combustion is always guaranteed. Of course, the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment shown and described.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 burner arrangement 2 feed line

3 supply line

4 catalyst

5 combustion chamber

6 lean air-fuel mixture

7 rich air-fuel mixture

8 mixing device

9 mixing device

10 distribution device

11 Cross-sectional expansion

12 homogeneous flame front

13 channel lean mixture

14 aperture

15 channel rich mixture

19 heat flow

20 catalytic coating

21 catalytic coating λ air ratio

I first sector

II second sector

III third sector

Claims

claims

1. Catalytic reactor (4) for burning at least a portion of the fuel-air mixtures flowing through the catalytic reactor, wherein the catalytic reactor (4) has a plurality of channels (13, 15), characterized in that the catalytic reactor (4) with lean fuel-air mixtures (6) and rich fuel-air mixtures (7) it is applied that the catalytic reactor (4) consists of at least two sectors (I, II, III), that a first flow-through sector (I) is free of catalytic coatings and that a catalytic coating (20) is arranged in a downstream second sector (II) in the channels (15) through which a rich fuel-air mixture (7) flows.

2. Catalytic reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that a third sector (III) is arranged downstream of the second sector, and that in the third sector (III) in the channels (13) through which a lean fuel-air mixture (6) flows ) a catalytic coating (21) is arranged.

3. Catalytic reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the second sector (II) and the third sector (III) overlap.

4. Catalytic reactor according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the channels (13) through which the lean mixture (6) flows and the channels (15) through which the rich mixture (7) flows are arranged adjacent.

5. Catalytic reactor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the catalytic coating (20, 21) is arranged in a channel (13, 15) on the wall adjacent to the adjacent channel (15, 13), the adjacent channel another fuel-air mixture (6 or 7) leads.

6. Catalytic reactor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a distribution device (10) for distributing the lean (6) and rich mixture flows (7) on the channels (13, 15) is arranged in front of the catalytic reactor (4).

7. Catalytic reactor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a combustion chamber (5) is arranged downstream of the catalytic reactor (4).

8. The method for the combustion of fuel-air mixtures (6, 7) by means of a catalytic reactor (4) according to claim 1 to 7, characterized in that the fuel-air mixture in at least one lean fuel-air mixture stream (6 ) and a rich fuel-air mixture stream (7) is divided so that in a first sector (I) of the catalytic reactor (4) thermal energy (19) is led from the lean mixture stream (6) to the rich mixture stream (7), that in a second sector (II) heat energy is led from the rich mixture stream (7) to the lean mixture stream (6).

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that in a third sector (III) of the catalytic reactor (4) thermal energy (19) from the lean mixture stream (6) to the rich mixture stream (7).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that in an endothermic reaction of the rich mixture stream (7) in the second part of the second sector (II) the lean mixture stream (6) emits thermal energy to the rich mixture stream (7), the second sector (II) and the third sector (III) overlap in this area.

11. The method according to claim 8, 9 or 10, characterized in that the air ratio (λ) of the lean mixture flow (6) and the rich mixture flow (7) is set.

12. Power plant, in particular gas turbine plant, with a catalytic reactor according to one of claims 1 to 7.