Vincent McDonell | University of California, Irvine (original) (raw)

Papers by Vincent McDonell

Autoignition if of concern for advanced lean premixed combustion systems found on stationary gas ... more Autoignition if of concern for advanced lean premixed combustion systems found on stationary gas turbines. The desire to reach higher efficiencies while at the same time operating on fuels containing significant quantities of hydrogen leads to a question of whether lean premixed strategies are viable for achieving low emissions. In order to address this question, the project described in this report was carried out. Given the increased interest and viability of IGCC as a strategy to meeting future energy needs in the United States, the emphasis of the project was directed at hydrogen containing fuels that would be used as a result of coal gasification. Numerical studies were carried out using a variety of recently developed detailed kinetic mechanisms for hydrogen or hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixtures. Two experimental studies were also identified and included in the analysis. The numerical predictions of ignition delay time were 2-3 order of magitude longer than the experimental res...

The PCEAC was operated as one of nine regional clean energy application centers, originally estab... more The PCEAC was operated as one of nine regional clean energy application centers, originally established in 2003/2004 as Regional Application Centers for combined heat and power (CHP). Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, these centers received an expanded charter to also promote district energy and waste energy recovery, where economically and environmentally advantageous. The centers are working in a coordinated fashion to provide objective information on clean energy system technical and economic performance, direct technical assistance for clean energy projects and additional outreach activities to end users, policy, utility, and industry stakeholders. A key goal of the CEACs is to assist the U.S. in achieving the DOE goal to ramp up the implementation of CHP to account for 20% of U.S. generating capacity by 2030, which is estimated at a requirement for an additional 241 GW of installed clean technologies. Additional goals include meeting the Obama Administration goal of 40 GW of new CHP by 2020, key statewide goals such as renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in each state, California's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals under AB32, and Governor Brown's "Clean Energy Jobs Plan" goal of 6.5 GW of additional CHP over the next twenty years.

A comprehensive field data collection campaign is reported on in which operational data are being... more A comprehensive field data collection campaign is reported on in which operational data are being obtained from microturbine generators located in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The data obtained are archived in a SQL database, which provides the ability to look at various performance aspects as a function of many parameters interactively on the Internet. An overview of the program is provided along with details regarding the data collection and archiving strategies. To provide a framework relative to optimal operation of these systems in the region, economics associated with various operational schedules as a function of various rate structures in Southern California are provided. In addition to quantitative operational characteristics and performance results, some general end-user impressions of the technology and of the overall installation process are also documented. Details from three representative sites are presented. BACKGROUND Microturbine generators (MTGs) are being deployed worldwide for a number of applications. MTGs enable end users to generate their own power during times when power is in short supply, thus alleviating peak stress on the grid, reducing the likelihood of rolling blackouts that utilities may have to impose, and displacing emissions from the highest-emitting and least energy-efficient peaking units. MTGs are available from a number of manufacturers including Bowman, Capstone, Elliott, Ingersol Rand, and Turbec, and represent an option for on-site power generation technology (known generically as "distributed generation"). MTGs can, in principle, be installed relatively quickly and require little maintenance. In addition to providing electricity, a

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, May 1, 2022

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Jun 1, 2023

This paper addresses the impact of fuel composition on the operability of lean premixed gas turbi... more This paper addresses the impact of fuel composition on the operability of lean premixed gas turbine combustors. This is an issue of current importance due to variability in the composition of natural gas fuel supplies and interest in the use of syngas fuels. This paper reviews available results and current understanding of the effects of fuel composition on combustor blowout, flashback, dynamic stability, and autoignition. It summarizes the underlying processes that must be considered when evaluating how a given combustor's operability will be affected as fuel composition is varied.

31st Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Jan 11, 1993

Volume 2: Coal, Biomass and Alternative Fuels; Combustion and Fuels; Oil and Gas Applications; Cycle Innovations, May 8, 2000

The effect of fuel composition on performance is evaluated on a model gas turbine combustor desig... more The effect of fuel composition on performance is evaluated on a model gas turbine combustor designed to mimic key features of practical devices. A flexible fuel injection system is utilized to control the placement of the fuel in the device to allow exploration and evaluation of fuel distribution effects in addition to chemistry effects. Gas blends reflecting the extremes in compositions found in the U.S. are considered. The results illustrate that, for the conditions and configuration studied, both fuel chemistry and fuel air mixing play a role in the performance of the device. While chemistry appears to be the predominant factor in stability, a role is noted in emissions performance as well. It is also found that changes in fuel distribution associated with changes in fuel momentum for fixed firing rate also have an impact on emissions. For the system considered, a strategy for sustaining optimal performance while fuel composition changes is illustrated.

Elsevier eBooks, 2016

Abstract This chapter addresses the use of lean combustion in gas turbines. Lean combustion is no... more Abstract This chapter addresses the use of lean combustion in gas turbines. Lean combustion is now a standard practice for reaching ultralow pollutant emissions through control of combustion temperature. Innovation allows operation at lean conditions while avoiding operability issues such as premixer flashback and autoignition. Ground-based systems adopt innovations sooner than aviation systems because of the latter's safety requirements. The ability of current lean gas turbine technology to provide rapid response, good turndown, good stability, and low-emissions performance is remarkable. Recent adoption of advanced manufacturing methods is allowing further innovation such as multipoint injector arrays to be developed which have shown good performance with highly reactive fuels such as hydrogen.

Applied Thermal Engineering, May 1, 2018

Physics of Fluids, Mar 1, 2021

Recent deep learning extensions in Koopman theory have enabled compact, interpretable representat... more Recent deep learning extensions in Koopman theory have enabled compact, interpretable representations of nonlinear dynamical systems that are amenable to linear analysis. Deep Koopman networks attempt to learn the Koopman eigenfunctions that capture the coordinate transformation to globally linearize system dynamics. These eigenfunctions can be linked to underlying system modes that govern the dynamical behavior of the system. While many related techniques have demonstrated their efficacy on low-dimensional systems and their associated state variables, in this work the system dynamics are observed optically (i.e., spatiotemporal data from video or simulation). We demonstrate the ability of a deep convolutional Koopman network (CKN) in automatically identifying independent modes of simple simulated and atomization systems. Practically, the CKN allows for flexibility in system data collection as the data can be easily obtainable observable variables. The learned models are able to successfully and robustly identify the underlying modes governing the system, even with a redundantly large embedding space. Modal disaggregation is encouraged using a simple masking procedure. All of the systems analyzed in this work use an identical network architecture and results are more compact and interpretable compared to dynamic mode decomposition.

This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It ... more This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report. The project team from the University of California Irvine's (UCI) Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) consisted of Vince McDonell, PhD and Richard L. Hack, PE, CEM. Jeff Wojciechowski provided the program finance and administration support. A number of undergraduate students within the UCI-APEP provided support in the processing and organization of the data. Steven Lee, IT system manager for UCI-APEP oversaw several Computer Science graduate students and their efforts to assemble the SQL data base. The project members thank Nicole Davis for her CEC/CIEE program administration support for this program. Finally the project team wishes to acknowledge and thank the members of the advisory committee for their support and interaction in the development of goals and procedures for completion of this program.

37th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 2001

Combustion research activities conducted during the last 30 years have helped increase our fundam... more Combustion research activities conducted during the last 30 years have helped increase our fundamental understanding of the various critical processes involved in gas turbine combustors. These along with significant advances in combustion diagnostics have given us good DRA and CCD-based tools for post-diction (anchoring) and identified need for further improving the diagnostic capability and the model accuracy for prediction as exemplified in this paper.

Fluid dynamics and chemical kinetics play a significant role in the formation and emission of NOx... more Fluid dynamics and chemical kinetics play a significant role in the formation and emission of NOx, particularly in lean premixed gas turbine combustors, where both phenomena must be considered. However, experimental tests conducted on gas turbines generally evaluate the output variables (e.g., the stack emissions) and those results are used to infer, to the extent possible, the physical and chemical processes taking place in the combustor. This approach only gives an external point of view, which can be complimented with the use of simulation tools such as the chemical kinetics models and computational fluid dynamics. In this paper, a reactor network analysis (RNA) of a 60 kW micro gas turbine combustor fueled with mixtures of natural gas-ethane-propane; and natural gas diluted with carbon dioxide are presented. A chemical reactor network (CRN) is developed for the combustor as operated on natural gas, with the purpose of “tuning” it to match measured exhaust emission levels. Then t...

Cambridge University Press eBooks, Nov 30, 2022

Small scale Distributed Generation with waste heat recovery (<50 kW power output, micro-DG... more Small scale Distributed Generation with waste heat recovery (<50 kW power output, micro-DG/CHP) is an expanding market supporting the widespread deployment of on-site generation to much larger numbers of facilities. The benefits of increased overall thermal efficiency, reduced pollutant emissions, and grid/microgrid support provided by DG/CHP can be maximized with greater quantities of smaller systems that better match the electric and thermal on-site loads. The 3-year CEC funded program to develop a natural gas fueled automotive based rotary engine for micro-DG/CHP, capitalizing upon the unique attributes engine configuration will be presented including initial performance results and plans for the balance of the program.