Measuring Conventional and Alternative Exhaust Emissions from a Gas Turbine Engine

Abstract

Rising fuel costs and energy demands, combined with growing concern over greenhouse gas emissions, have led to increased interest in the use of renewable fuels to help meet increasing worldwide demand and reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions from transportation sources. The global demand for aviation is estimated to have a growth rate of 5% for the next 15 years. This growth will be contributed by both developed and developing economies and if the emission remains unchecked, this is estimated to contribute to 15-20% of global emissions by 2050. This research investigates a method of establishing small batch-scale testing at the University of Kansas for gas turbine exhaust emissions. A Semtech-DS portable gaseous emissions analyzer developed by Sensors-Inc. was used for exhaust sampling of a PT6 turboprop engine on a test-stand located in an outdoor test cell. Exhaust emissions were collected for CO2, CO, NOx, and HC for three fuels (Jet A, HRJ, and FT) and analyzed for comparison in units of grams of pollutant per kilogram of fuel burned. This study successfully accomplished the establishment of small-batch scale emissions collection from a gas turbine engine at the University of Kansas. Limited results were obtained for the alternative fuel blends and more data needs to be collected before environmental impacts can be accurately assessed. Chemical composition data on the fuel feedstocks and blends would be useful in future testing to aid in deciphering the emission results.