CFD Assessment of the Accuracy of Using the Gibbs Minimization Method for the Prediction of Combustion Emissions

When conducting a preliminary analysis of a power system using a system of nonlinear equations with software like MATLAB or Engineering Equation Solver (EES), there is no efficient mathematical procedure that can easily incorporate into these equations the detailed chemical kinetics that describes a combustion process. This gap in the preliminary analysis stage of power system development is critical to fill in, as emissions modeling is fundamental in addressing environmental concerns that can make or break a product reaching the market, particularly when it comes to adhering to government regulations. Normally, CFD or live testing of the system is required to gain an understanding of the emission compositions, but those are not seamless integrations to the preliminary analysis phase. The Gibbs Minimization Method, however, may be able to accomplish this seamless integration of emission predictions into the nonlinear equation set. This paper investigates the accuracy of the Gibbs Minimization Method by comparing it to reduced-order combustion simulations in Ansys Fluent and external reference data at matching conditions.