| abstract |
A gas turbine combustor burns fuel from a fuel supply. The combustor includes a combustion chamber and a fuel delivery system for delivering the fuel to the combustion chamber. A pilot or fuel nozzle establishes a combustion flame in the combustion chamber by burning the fuel. One or more fuel lines operatively connect the fuel delivery system to the fuel supply. A flame spectrometer senses the level, such as the concentration level, of a fuel contaminant, such as sodium, within the combustion flame. A control system disables the fuel delivery system as a function of the contaminant's concentration level or accumulated concentration level. |