Task 3.1 – Development of instability warning system

Supervisor: Dr Jakob Hermann,
Host: Ingenieurbüro für Thermo-Akustik, Active Control, Munich, Germany.

Task 3.1 of the TANGO Network aims to develop an instability warning system, which is a product with enormous commercial potential. Preliminary experimental studies at IITM have shown that precursors (in particular change of flame shape, brief sound signal) occur spontaneously shortly before flame blow-off. Systematic experiments will be made to investigate any precursors associated with the transition from a stable to an unstable state. In addition, external excitation, and the response to that, will be investigated. It is expected that the response can be exploited for diagnostic purposes, i.e. it can indicate how close a combustion system is to the unstable state. On industrial systems, such as gas turbines or furnaces, this technique would allow a systematic investigation of the relevant combustion parameters (e.g. fuel split, ambient conditions etc.) which might lead to combustion instabilities. This analysis can be performed before a critical state reached. Therefore parameters can be adjusted and a damage to the system prevented. This task will benefit from the findings of tasks 2.1 and 2.3 of the TANGO Network.