In lean-premixed combustion, the narrow range of operating conditions where stable, low-emissions combustion, is achieved make it necessary for a fuel-air equivalence ratio sensor to be incorporated into the combustor. Such a sensor should be capable ofdeterminining nozzle-to-nozzle variations in the equivalence ratio, and have a reasonably fast response time so that the control mechanism can meter the flowrates accordingly. This paper describes the development ofa flame chemilummescence based equivalence ratio sensor, which can be installed in the individual nozzles ofa gas turbine combustor. The first stage ofthe development involves studying the chemiluminescence characteristics of CH* and CO2 in a dump combustor. It was observed that fuel-air mixedness does not affect the overall flame chemiluminescence, and inlet temperature variations over 50 K have not produced discernible differences in the chemiluminescence intensities. Combustor velocities do affect the flame chemiluminescence intensities, and this parameter has to be taken into account while developing the sensor. An optical fibre based sensor, which can be easily installed in a combustor, has been designed. Based on this study, a methodology for determining the equivalence ratio from the chemiluminescent intensities and flowrates is proposed for use with the sensor under development.
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