The Effects of Liquid Water Addition In Gas Turbine Combustors

The addition of liquid water, in quantities equivalent to the mass of fuel consumed, exerts thermal and chemical effects upon the combustion process in a gas turbine engine. The thermal influence is produced by the vaporizalion and heating of the water and its vapor. The final temperature is reduced and the concentrations of NO _x , O, OH, CO are lower than standard combustion concentrations. Chemically, the additional H₂O participates in reactions producing the aforementioned species. However, the lower temperature overrides this influence. These effects have been assessed for different fuel states, i.e., for pre-mixed combustion and for liquid fuel undergoing vaporization and mixing.