Review of gliding arc plasma assisted ignition and combustion for gas turbine application

Abstract

The potential of gliding arc plasma-assisted ignition and combustion technology to enhance ignition and combustion performance is attracting increasing attention from the scientific community. A multitude of experimental studies have been conducted by scientists and engineers on its application in gas turbine combustors. This paper presents a review of the research conducted on gliding arc plasma-assisted ignition and combustion over the past five years. Gliding arc plasma exerts a multitude of effects on combustion processes. These effects can be broadly categorized as follows: (1) reduction in ignition delay time; (2) expansion of ignition and lean blowout boundaries; (3) enhancement of ultra-lean burning combustion and low-temperature flame stability; (4) improvement in combustion efficiency; (5) reduction in pollutant emissions; (6) augmentation of stability of unstable fuels such as ammonia. Finally, a prospection on the application of gliding arc plasma assisted ignition and combustion technology in gas turbine combustor is presented.