NOx-Formation in Reacting Premixed Jets in Hot Cross Flow

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are one main precursor of acid rain, smog and contribute indirectly to global warming. A large fraction of the global NOx-emissions originate from combustion of fossil fuels. Legal compulsion to further reduce maximum NOx-emissions force gas turbine designers to rethink state of the art combustion chamber design. In this context, axially staged combustion with conventional burners in the first stage and jets injected into the hot cross flow in the second stage is of particular interest. The study at hand contributes to the research on if and how axially staged combustion can lead to a reduction of overall NOx-emissions in stationary gas turbines. A combined approach of experiment and chemical reactor network simulations is used to reveal the NOx reduction potential at atmospheric and high pressure engine conditions (at 20bar).