The Relative Importance of Radicals on the N2O and NO Formation and Destruction Paths in a Quartz CFBC

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Winter ◽  
C. Wartha ◽  
H. Hofbouer

In a laboratory-scale circulating fluidized bed combustor (CFBC), which mainly consists of quartz-glass, the relative importance of the radicals, generated by the combustion process, on the N2O and NO formation and destruction paths are studied. The CFBC unit is electrically heated and operating conditions can be nearly independently changed over a wide range; e.g., the bed temperature was varied between 700 and 900°C. The radicals’ importance on the destruction reactions of N2O has been investigated under CFBC conditions by a recently developed iodine-addition technique to suppress the radical concentrations. Additionally, CO, CH4 and H2O have been added to study their influence and to change the pool of radicals. Time-resolved concentration changes at the top of the riser have been measured by using a high-performance FT-IR spectrometer in combination with a low-volume, long-path gas cell. The FT-IR analysis is focused on the carbon-containing species, viz., CO2 CO, CH4 NO2 and other hydrocarbons, as well as on the nitrogen-containing species, viz., NO, NO2, N2O, and HCN. In the continuous combustion tests, petroleum coke has been burned in the CFBC. Concentration profiles and concentration changes at the top of the riser have been measured. Iodine has been added and the bed temperature and the initial fuel particle size are varied. With the knowledge of the N2O destruction reactions, the relative importance of the radicals on N2O and NO formation reactions has been identified and is discussed.

Author(s):  
Franz Winter ◽  
Xin Liu

The attrition behavior of ash produced from two bituminous and one anthracite coal was studied under laboratory-scale circulating fluidized bed combustor (CFBC) conditions. After the ash was produced in the oven, the ash sample with a size range from 0.1 to 1 mm was fed into the hot CFBC, which was heated by electrical heating shells and fluidized by air. The laboratory-scale CFBC was operated with using fine silica sand (40 to 80 μm) as bed material. After a certain time the operation was stopped, all particles were collected and sieving analysis was performed to obtain the actual particle size distribution (PSD) of the coal ash. The operating conditions were changed in a wide range, i.e. the bed temperature from 600 to 850°C, the fluidizing velocity from 1.2 to 2 m/s, the residence time from 60 to 120 min and the design of the cyclone. The effects of operating conditions and coal type were studied and their relative importance is discussed. Elemental analysis of the coal ashes showed that Si and Ca may play an important role during attrition.


Author(s):  
John Ward ◽  
Muhammad Akram ◽  
Roy Garwood

It can be difficult to burn relatively cheap, poor quality, unprepared biomass materials in industrial heating processes because of their variable composition, relatively low calorific values and high moisture contents. Consequently the stability and efficiency of the combustion process can be adversely affected unless they are co-fired with a hydrocarbon support fuel. There is a lack of information on the “optimum” conditions for co-firing of coal and high moisture biomass as well as on the proportions of support fuel which should be used. This paper is therefore concerned with the pilot scale (<25 kW thermal input) fluidised bed combustion of blends of coal with pressed sugar beet pulp, a solid biomass with an average moisture content of 71%. The experimental work was undertaken in collaboration with British Sugar plc who operate a coal-fired 40 MW thermal capacity fluidised bed producing hot combustion gases for subsequent drying applications. The project studied the combustion characteristics of different coal and pressed pulp blends over a wide range of operating conditions. It was found that stable combustion could only be maintained if the proportion of pulp by mass in the blended fuel was no greater than 50%. However evaporation of the moisture in the pressed pulp cools the bed so that the excess air which is necessary to maintain a specified bed temperature at a fixed thermal input can be reduced as the proportion of biomass in the blended fuel is increased. Therefore, with a 50/50 blend the bed can be operated with 20% less fluidising air and this will be beneficial for the output of the full scale plant since at present the flow rate of the air and hence the amount of coal which can be burnt is restricted by supply system pressure drop limitations. A further benefit of co-firing pressed pulp is that NOx emissions are reduced by about 25%. Agglomeration of the bed can be a problem when co-firing biomass because of the formation of “sticky” low melting point alkali metal silicate eutectics which result in subsequent adhesion of the ash and sand particles. Consequently longer term co-firing tests with a 50/50 blended fuel by mass were undertaken. Problems of bed agglomeration were not observed under these conditions with relatively low levels of alkali metals in the ash.


Author(s):  
Raffaela Calabria ◽  
Fabio Chiariello ◽  
Patrizio Massoli ◽  
Fabrizio Reale

In recent years an increasing interest is focused on the study of micro gas turbines (MGT) behavior at part load by varying fuel, in order to determine their versatility. The interest in using MGT is related to the possibility of feeding with a wide range of fuels and to realize efficient cogenerative cycles by recovering heat from exhaust gases at higher temperatures. In this context, the studies on micro gas turbines are focused on the analysis of the machine versatility and flexibility, when operating conditions and fuels are significantly varied. In line of principle, in case of gaseous fuels with similar Wobbe Index no modifications to the combustion chamber should be required. The adoption of fuels whose properties differ greatly from those of design can require relevant modifications of the combustor, besides the proper adaptation of the feeding system. Thus, at low loads or low calorific value fuels, the combustor becomes a critical component of the entire MGT, as regards stability and emissions of the combustion process. Focus of the paper is a 3D CFD analysis of the combustor behavior of a Turbec T100P fueled at different loads and fuels. Differences between combustors designed for natural gas and liquid fuels are also highlighted. In case of natural gas, inlet combustor temperature and pressure were taken from experimental data; in case of different fuels, such data were inferred by using a thermodynamic model which takes into account rotating components behavior through operating maps of compressor and turbine. Specific aim of the work is to underline potentialities and critical issues of the combustor under study in case of adoption of fuels far from the design one and to suggest possible solutions.


Author(s):  
Samveg Saxena ◽  
Iván Dario Bedoya ◽  
Nihar Shah ◽  
Amol Phadke

This paper presents a detailed exergy analysis of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines, including a crank-angle resolved breakdown of mixture exergy and exergy destruction. Exergy analysis is applied to a multi-zone HCCI simulation including detailed chemical kinetics. The HCCI simulation is validated against engine experiments for ethanol-fueled operation. The exergy analysis quantifies the relative importance of different loss mechanisms within HCCI engines over a range of engine operating conditions. Specifically, four loss mechanisms are studied for their relative impact on exergy losses, including 1) the irreversible combustion process (16.4–21.5%), 2) physical exergy lost to exhaust gases (12.0–18.7%), 3) heat losses (3.9–17.1%), and 4) chemical exergy lost to incomplete combustion (4.7–37.8%). The trends in each loss mechanism are studied in relation to changes in intake pressure, equivalence ratio, and engine speed as these parameters are directly used to vary engine power output. This exergy analysis methodology is proposed as a tool to inform research and design processes, particularly by identifying the relative importance of each loss mechanism in determining engine operating efficiency.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. 597-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srdjan Belosevic ◽  
Ivan Tomanovic ◽  
Nenad Crnomarkovic ◽  
Aleksandar Milicevic

A cost-effective reduction of NOx emission from utility boilers firing pulverized coal can be achieved by means of combustion modifications in the furnace. It is also essential to provide the pulverized coal diffusion flame control. Mathematical modeling is regularly used for analysis and optimization of complex turbulent reactive flows and mutually dependent processes in coal combustion furnaces. In the numerical study, predictions were performed by an in-house developed comprehensive three-dimensional differential model of flow, combustion and heat/mass transfer with submodel of the fuel- and thermal-NO formation/ destruction reactions. Influence of various operating conditions in the case-study utility boiler tangentially fired furnace, such as distribution of both the fuel and the combustion air over the burners and tiers, fuel-bound nitrogen content and grinding fineness of coal were investigated individually and in combination. Mechanisms of NO formation and depletion were found to be strongly affected by flow, temperature and gas mixture components concentration fields. Proper modifications of combustion process can provide more than 30% of the NOx emission abatement, approaching the corresponding emission limits, with simultaneous control of the flame geometry and position within the furnace. This kind of complex numerical experiments provides conditions for improvements of the power plant furnaces exploitation, with respect to high efficiency, operation flexibility and low emission.


Author(s):  
Hailin Li ◽  
W. Stuart Neill ◽  
Wally Chippior ◽  
Joshua D. Taylor

In this paper, cyclic variations in the combustion process of a single-cylinder HCCI engine operated with n-heptane were measured over a range of intake air temperatures and pressures, compression ratios, air/fuel ratios, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates. The operating conditions produced a wide range of combustion timings from overly advanced combustion where knocking occurred to retarded combustion where incomplete combustion was detected. Cycle-to-cycle variations were shown to depend strongly on the crank angle phasing of 50% heat release and fuel flow rate. Combustion instability increased significantly with retarded combustion phasing especially when the fuel flow rate was low. Retarded combustion phasing can be tolerated when the fuel flow rate is high. It was also concluded that the cyclic variations in imep are primarily due to the variations in the total heat released from cycle-to-cycle. The completeness of the combustion process in one cycle affects the in-cylinder conditions and resultant heat release in the next engine cycle.


2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Andreassi ◽  
S Cordiner ◽  
V Rocco

The evolution of early stages of homogeneous mixture combustion in spark ignition (SI) engines represents a critical period that greatly affects the whole combustion process. A proper description of this critical phase represents a major issue, which could strongly influence the overall model predictive capability (i.e. model ability to reproduce the real engine behaviour for a large range of operating conditions without any major tuning). Such requirements become even more important for the simulation of last-generation gasoline direct injection or lean stratified engines, where ignition could determine the functionality of the engine itself. In this paper, after a detailed analysis of the ignition physical process and its modelling issues, the predictive capability of the KIVA-3V code has been improved by substituting the original ignition procedure with a more detailed kernel evolution model based on the one presented by Herweg and Maly in 1992. The ignition model introduced in a KIVA-3V version already modified by the authors (re-zoning algorithm, combustion and turbulence models, cylinder wall heat transfer, etc.) has then been tested in order to assess its level of accuracy in describing this complex phenomenon, by varying the most critical engine operating conditions and keeping combustion tuning parameters unchanged. After comparing ignition model results with the corresponding ones presented by Herweg and Maly, a specific application of the overall model (KIVA-3V + ignition model + turbulent combustion model) has been made to perform an analysis of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelled engine for heavy-duty applications. To this aim, the in-cylinder combustion history and the related processes as the temperature distribution and NOx formation have been calculated and verified with reference to the experimental data measured in a wide range of operating conditions of an IVECO turbocharged engine.


Author(s):  
D E Winterbone ◽  
D A Yates ◽  
E Clough ◽  
K K Rao ◽  
P Gomes ◽  
...  

This paper reports the latest results of a comprehensive project investigating the performance of a Ricardo Hydra direct injection diesel engine. Early work covered a number of aspects of research into the gross behaviour of this engine: this paper concentrates on techniques for obtaining quantitative data from photographs of the combustion process. High-speed photographs, at framing rates up to 20 000 frames/s, were taken using a piston with a quartz bowl, at engine speeds up to 3000 r/min. The pre-combustion period was illuminated using a synchronized copper vapour laser. After the initiation of combustion, the process is self-illuminating and information on the combustion process was obtained by analysing the radiation emitted by the carbon particles. The two-colour method was used to evaluate the temperature of the combustion gases over the full field of view. The images have also been analysed by a cross-correlation technique to obtain velocity information. Tests have been performed on the engine over a wide range of operating conditions, but this paper concentrates on the effect of swirl ratio on combustion. It will be shown that too much swirl increases the ignition delay period and results in an increase in the NOx emissions but a decrease in the soot. It will also be shown that the velocity pattern after combustion is in good agreement with that evaluated by Arcoumanis et al. at the end of compression, which implies that swirl persists through the combustion period despite significant decay.


Author(s):  
Giuseppe Mininni ◽  
Dario Marani ◽  
Camilla Maria Braguglia ◽  
Ettore Guerriero ◽  
Andrea Sbrilli

The effects of combustion and feeding conditions on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and PCDD/F formation and appearance in the emissions at the stack during sludge incineration are discussed in this paper. Partitioning in the solid streams of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn is also analyzed. Tests were performed on a demonstrative plant equipped with a fluidized bed furnace (FBF) using sewage sludge either as is or spiked with chlorinated organic compounds (tetrachloroethylene or a mixture of tetrachloroethylene, chlorobenzene and toluene) to study the chlorine effect on the presence of micropollutants in the different streams. Exhaust gases were sampled both before and after the treatment system (bag house and wet scrubber). In the untreated flue gas the highest values of PCDD/F and PAH were detected when the afterburning chamber was not in use or operating at low temperatures. Operation of the afterburning chamber at temperature higher than 850–900 °C was sufficient to keep organic micropollutants concentrations in the untreated flue gas at reasonably low levels. No significant correlation of the operating conditions with emissions at the stack was found. High copper concentration in the feed enhanced PCDD/F formation, with exception of tests carried out with high afterburning temperature. The homologue profile of PCDD/F and PAH depended on test conditions. Preferential accumulation of heavy metals in the filter ash with respect to cyclone ash was quantified in terms of an enrichment factor. Out of the seven metals considered, only Cd and Pb undergo significant enrichment in the filter ash. The enrichment increased with increasing chlorine content of the feed. In contrast, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Zn behaved as refractory (non-volatile) elements even at high chlorine dosage. In accordance with the widely accepted hypothesis that metal enrichment is due to metal vaporization in the combustion chamber and subsequent condensation onto the filter ash particles, a thermodynamic model of the combustion process was able to satisfactorily predict the different metal behavior and the effect of chlorine dosage on metal enrichment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 564 ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
A. R. Najihah ◽  
A.A. Nuraini ◽  
Othman Inayatullah

A zero dimensional thermodynamic model simulation is developed to simulate the combustion characteristics and performance of a four stroke homogeneous compression combustion ignition (HCCI) engine fueled with gasoline. This model which applies the first law of thermodynamics for a closed system is inclusive of empirical model for predicting the important parameters for engine cycles: the combustion timing and mass burnt fraction during the combustion process. The hypothesis is the increasing intake temperature can reduce the combustion duration and the fuel consumption at wide range of equivalence ratio. The intake temperature were increased from 373-433 K with increment of 20 K. The engine was operated over a range of equivalence ratios of 0.2 to 0.5 at constant engine speed of 1200 rpm and intake pressure of 89,950 k Pa. Simulations were performed using Simulink® under different engine operating conditions. Increasing intake temperature allows reducing the combustion duration by 0.99 °CA and 0.26 °CA at equivalence ratios of 0.2 and 0.5, respectively. The brake specific fuel consumption decreases about 6.09%-5.76% at 0.2-0.5 of equivalence ratios. Thus, fuel consumption can be reduced by increasing intake temperature.


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