Additive manufacture and the gas turbine combustor: challenges and opportunities to enable low-carbon fuel flexibility

Abstract

Advances in gas turbine (GT) combustion are enabled by metal additive manufacturing (AM) using selective laser melting (SLM) and other methods. In future low-carbon energy systems, AM will be critical for GTs operating on fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels. This paper evaluates the impact of AM on GT combustors, focusing on design freedom for novel geometries, reduced product development timelines, multiple component integration, and high-temperature materials suitable for harsh environments. Current AM challenges and research needs for GT combustors are discussed with industry input. These challenges are shown to be priority R&D areas across the GT value chain. Recent academic advances show the positive influence of widening access to SLM platforms and AM facilitates research using materials and geometries relevant to the GT community. Micro GTs are well-suited to SLM platforms, enabling novel geometries incorporating multiple functional parts including heat exchangers and porous media using advanced metal alloys. For industrial GTs, AM reduces new combustor product development time, as rapid prototyping and testing complements numerical methods. This review provides compelling evidence for continued AM R&D for GT combustion applications to meet future decarbonization goals