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RCL® Catalytic Pilot Burner

PCI’s catalytic pilot burner technology is a simpler, less expensive and retrofittable version of our catalytic combustor, catalytically-stabilizing only a portion of the engine’s fuel, but using that portion to enable improved combustion stability throughout the catalytic combustor. This is an 80/20 modification, seeking to deliver most of the benefits of a full catalytic combustor at a fraction of the cost, and perhaps as important, in a package that is more readily retrofittable to existing engines. PCI is developing catalytic pilot burners to allow conventional state-of-the-art natural gas-fired Dry Low NOx (DLN) gas turbine engines to achieve substantially lowered NOx emissions with high combustion stability, wide low emissions turndown, and good operability. These compact devices are being developed to fit into existing DLN combustor envelopes, providing a low cost design upgrade for new machines and the potential for a retrofit product for installed machines.

PCI’s catalytic pilot injectors replace conventional pilot injectors or injector flows in existing lean premix gas turbine engines. The catalytically stabilized combustion supported by the pilot is used to stabilize conventional lean premix flows elsewhere in the combustor, increasing in overall flame stability and enabling a resulting improvement in NOx emissions.

Performance Benefits of RCL® Catalytic Pilot Burner

The PCI Rich Catalytic Lean burn (RCL®) Catalytic Pilot Burner offers many desirable features such as:

  • Demonstrated low emissions (NOx<3, CO<5) at 10-17 atm and in engine trials
  • Full range of firing temperatures
  • Low acoustics (<0.4 psi)
  • Easy operability
  • Compact/capable of fitting existing engine envelopes

The RCL® Catalytic Pilot offers a lower cost technology more readily integrated to existing engines and also offers the potential for retrofit applications in older engines.


Contact PCI
 to learn more about how our solutions may be adapted for your needs.