A method for controlling a combustion process in a gas turbine wherein a combustion chamber, a control device storing a calculation model of the combustion process, and an exhaust air measurement device are used. A permissible limit value for nitrogen oxides and for carbon monoxide as pollutants is set. The actual value of at least one of the two pollutants is measured continuously in the exhaust air. When a signal to reduce the power of the gas turbine to a lowest possible value is given, then a minimum fuel supply at which the limit values are complied with is calculated. The fuel supply is then reduced either until the calculated minimum fuel supply is reached or until the continuously measured proportion of the pollutant reaches the permissible limit value.

The present application discloses a method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. The method comprises: determining, during use of the gas turbine engine, one or more exhaust content parameters by performing a sensor measurement on an exhaust of the gas turbine engine; and determining one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the one or more exhaust parameters. Also disclosed is a fuel characteristic determination system, a method of operating an aircraft, and an aircraft.

A method of controlling a fuel blend for a turbine engine is provided. The method includes supplying a first fuel and a second fuel to a mixer and mixing, in the mixer, the first and second fuels together to obtain a fuel blend. The method also includes receiving, at a fuel blend analyzer downstream from the mixer, a measurement indicative of a composition of the fuel blend. The method further includes combusting the fuel blend in a combustor. The method also includes receiving a combustion signal indicative of combustion behavior. The method further includes controlling, based on at least one of the fuel blend measurement and the combustion signal, by a controller, at least one of a flow of the first fuel and a flow of the second fuel.

An emissions control system for a gas turbine system includes a reducing agent supply, at least one sensor, at least one valve, and a controller. The reducing agent supply has one or more conduits configured to couple to one or more fluid pathways of the gas turbine system, which are fluidly coupled to a flow path of an exhaust gas from a combustor through a turbine of the gas turbine system. The at least one sensor is configured to obtain a feedback of one or more parameters of the gas turbine system, which are indicative of a visibility of emissions of the exhaust gas. The at least one valve is coupled to the reducing agent supply. The controller is communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the at least one valve, such that, in response to the feedback, the controller adjusts the at least one valve to adjust a flow of the reducing agent to reduce the visibility of the emissions of the exhaust gas.

A method for controlling emissions from a power plant having an ammonia injection grid that includes a plurality of ammonia injection points includes the steps of injecting ammonia into a flow of exhaust gas at an injection location, the injection of ammonia defining a spatial distribution of ammonia across an exhaust gas flowpath, measuring at least one parameter of the exhaust gas downstream from the injection location, comparing a measured value for the at least one parameter of the exhaust gas to a threshold value for the at least one parameter and, if the measured value for the at least one parameter exceeds the threshold value for the at least one parameter, automatically modifying the spatial distribution of ammonia injection across the exhaust gas flowpath.

The present application discloses a method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. The method comprises: determining, during use of the gas turbine engine, one or more exhaust content parameters by performing a sensor measurement on an exhaust of the gas turbine engine; and determining one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the one or more exhaust parameters. Also disclosed is a fuel characteristic determination system, a method of operating an aircraft, and an aircraft.

Various embodiments include a system having: at least one computing device configured to tune a set of gas turbines (GTs) by performing actions including: commanding each GT in the set of GTs to a base load level, based upon a measured ambient condition for each GT; commanding each GT in the set of GTs to adjust a respective output to match a nominal mega-watt power output value, and subsequently measuring an actual emissions value for each GT; adjusting an operating condition of each GT in the set of GTs based upon a difference between the respective measured actual emissions value and a nominal emissions value at the ambient condition; and calculating a degradation for each GT in the set of GTs over a period.

Systems and methods for gas turbine combustion profile monitoring are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for detecting an anomaly in a combustion section of a gas turbine is disclosed. The method includes receiving, from a plurality of thermal sensors disposed around an exhaust section of a gas turbine, exhaust profile data of the gas turbine. The method further analyzes the exhaust profile data to calculate statistical features associated with a peak-trough pattern. The method further determines, using a machine learning algorithm, that the statistical features are abnormal. In response to the determination, the method processes the exhaust profile data for a predetermined period of time and reports an anomaly in a combustion section of the gas turbine if the statistical features remain abnormal for the predetermined period of time.

Various embodiments include a system having: at least one computing device configured to tune a set of gas turbines (GTs) by performing actions including: commanding each GT in the set of GTs to a base load level, based upon a measured ambient condition for each GT; commanding each GT in the set of GTs to adjust a respective output to match a nominal mega-watt power output value, and subsequently measuring an actual emissions value for each GT; adjusting an operating condition of each GT in the set of GTs based upon a difference between the respective measured actual emissions value and a nominal emissions value at the ambient condition; and further adjusting an operating condition of each GT in the set of GTs based upon a determined emissions measurement error.

A method of operating a rotary machine below a minimum emissions compliance load in a response mode includes reducing a fuel split to zero. The fuel split apportions a total flow of fuel to the combustor between a first combustion zone and a second combustion zone. The method also includes determining a current operating temperature of the first combustion zone using a digital simulation of the rotary machine. The method further includes determining a target operating temperature of the first combustion zone. The target operating temperature enables the rotary machine to operate below a traditional Minimum Emissions Compliance Load (MECL) while still in compliance with emissions standards. The method also includes channeling a first flow of fuel to the first combustion zone. The first flow of fuel decreases the temperature of the first combustion zone to the target operating temperature.