Abstract: An air purification system for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes an ozone generating device that is used to introduce ozone into an air stream flowing through the ozone generating device. The ozone is used to remove contaminants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), from the air stream. The purification system includes sensors in various locations within the HVAC system to measure a concentration of constituents in the air. In some embodiments, the constituents may include ozone and VOCs, such as toluene, butene, and propanal. To control an amount of ozone generated, the purification system controls an amount of electrical power to the ozone generating device. To control a concentration of ozone generated, the purification system controls a flow rate of air through the ozone generating device.

Abstract: A catalyst conduit for a catalytic reactor of a turbine combustor, the conduit comprising a tube including an inlet and an outlet, and a wall with an interior surface and an exterior surface. The tube contains a variation in its cross sectional area along at least a portion of its length to change a property of a fluid flowing adjacent the wall of the tube. An oxidation catalyst is deposited on at least a portion of the tube.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine augmenter has a gas flowpath. A number of vanes extend into the gas flowpath. A number of augmenter fuel conduits have outlets along at least some of the vanes. At least one burner discharge outlet is along at least one of the vanes for discharging a pilot gas.

Abstract: A catalytic reactor for a gas turbine engine comprising an air inlet, a premixing zone, a reacting zone comprising a reactive portion and a nonreactive portion, a post reaction mixing zone, a first fuel injection system for introducing fuel into the reactive portion, and a second fuel injection system for introducing fuel into the nonreactive portion.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine using a rich-lean catalytic combustion system includes a rich catalytic burner and a lean catalytic burner. The rich catalytic burner includes a rich catalytic reactor and a heat exchanger. The rich catalytic reactor catalytically burns a fuel rich mixture to provide a heated fuel. The heat exchanger receives a stream of air that absorbs a portion of the heat from the catalytic burning of the fuel rich mixture to keep the reaction in the rich catalytic reactor at or below a threshold temperature. A resulting heated air from the heat exchanger and the heated fuel are mixed in a mixing zone to provide a heated fuel-air mixture. The lean catalytic burner receives and burns the heated fuel-air mixture.

Abstract: An improved method of burning a hydrocarbon fuel in a combustion system includes burning the fuel in a main burner under fuel-lean conditions to produce a main flame and burning a low heating value fuel in a pilot burner to stabilize the main flame and limit the amount of NO.sub.x produced in the pilot burner. The pilot fuel can inherently have a low heating value, can be a diluted high heating value fuel, or can be made by partially oxidizing a high heating value fuel. An improved combustion system for burning a hydrocarbon fuel with limited NO.sub.x emissions has a main burner, a pilot burner, and a partial oxidation stage capable of converting a high heating value fuel to a low heating value fuel in a partial oxidation reaction. The system also has means for burning the low heating value fuel in the pilot burner. The system can include means for removing heat from the partial oxidation stage or low heating value fuel to lower the temperature of the pilot flame.

Abstract: A method of combusting a hydrocarbon fuel includes mixing the fuel with a first air stream to form a fuel/air mixture having an equivalence ratio of greater than 1 and partially oxidizing the fuel by contacting it with an oxidation catalyst to generate a heat of reaction and a partial oxidation product stream. The partial oxidation product stream is mixed with a second air stream and completely combusted in a main combustor at a condition at which appreciable quantities of thermal NO.sub.x are not formed to generate an effluent gas stream, thereby generating an effluent gas stream containing decreased amounts of thermal and prompt NO.sub.x. A system for combusting a hydrocarbon fuel includes, in combination, means for mixing the fuel with a first air stream, a catalytic oxidation stage containing an oxidation catalyst, means for mixing the partial oxidation product stream with a second air stream, and a main combustor capable of completely combusting the partial oxidation product stream.

Abstract: A heat source, may be on a high speed vehicle, may be cooled by transferring thermal energy from the heat source to an endothermic fuel decomposition catalyst in order to heat the catalyst to a temperature sufficient to crack or dissociate at least a portion of an endothermic fuel stream. The endothermic fuel is selected from the group consisting of normal paraffinic hydrocarbons and methanol. The heated endothermic fuel decomposition catalyst is contacted with the endothermic fuel stream at a liquid hourly space velocity of at least about 10 hr.sup.-1 to cause the endothermic fuel stream to crack or dissociate into a reaction product stream.

Abstract: A heat source, which may be on a high speed vehicle, may be cooled by transferring thermal energy from the heat source to an endothermic fuel decomposition catalyst to heat the catalyst to a temperature sufficient to crack at least a portion of an endothermic fuel stream. The endothermic fuel is selected from the group consisting of isoparaffinic hydrocarbons, blends of normal and isoparaffinic hydrocarbons, and conventional aircraft turbine fuels. The heated endothermic fuel decomposition catalyst is contacted with the endothermic fuel stream at a liquid hourly space velocity of at least about 10 hr.sup.-1 to cause the endothermic fuel stream to crack into a reaction product stream.