ABSTRACT
Oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and other products of combustion have long been identified as harmful to humans and the environment. A method of predicting the emission of pollutants from parameters that affect their formation is called the Parametric Emissions Monitoring System (PEMS).
During this study, two equilibrium models for gas turbine combustors were developed to respectively predict the emissions of NOx and CO in gas turbines. These models are based on the governing thermodynamic, and materials and energy balance equations. Aspen HYSYS, Microsoft Excel, and MATLAB software were utilized in the development and simulation of the models, and the results were compared with field data from Ihovbor Gas Turbine Power Plant, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The results of the developed models show close agreement with the plant data, and they can be used both in the design phase for predicting the amount of pollutants expected by the machine, and in the operating phase for assessing the quantity of pollutants possible based on the plant’s operating conditions.
It was established that the most significant pollutant of interest in gas turbines is NOx. This is because modern gas turbines employ lean premix technology, making CO concentration in the flue gases inconsequential. Furthermore, factors that affect NOx formation include flame temperature and quantity of excess air used. Ultimately, it has been validated in this research work that the most important parameter that governs the formation of NOx is the flame temperature, as the analysis of the simulation results show that formation of NOx rises exponentially with increase in the combustor flame temperature.
