Thermophotovoltaic power generation systems using natural gas-fired radiant burners

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power generation in gas-fired furnaces is attracting technical attention. Considerable work has been done in the area of low bandgap GaSb cell-based TPV systems as well as silicon solar cell-based TPV systems. Previous investigations have shown that a radiant burner with a high conversion level of fuel to radiation energy must be developed to realize an efficient TPV system. In our work, we investigated different natural gas-fired radiant burners in order to raise the conversion of fuel energy to thermal radiation. These burners were used as radiation sources to establish and test two TPV prototype systems. It was found that for a non-surface combustion radiant burner, the radiation output can be enhanced using a thermal radiator with a porous structure. Also, we developed a cascaded radiant burner that generates two streams of radiation output. One stream illuminates silicon concentrator solar cells while the other drives low bandgap GaSb cells. In this way, useful radiation output and thus TPV system efficiency are significantly increased due to the cascaded utilization of combustion heat and optimized thermal management.     

A Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Performance of a Nonsprayed Porous Burner

The performance of a nonsprayed porous burner (NSPB) is investigated through both numerical and experimental studies. The major requirement of liquid fuel combustion systems is excellent fuel vaporization, which is accomplished by using porous medium. Instead of heterogeneous combustion, which occurs in free space of a conventional sprayed burner, a homogeneous combustion of vaporized kerosene and air takes place within a porous medium. The liquid kerosene is preheated and completely vaporized in the first porous medium before being mixed with preheated air in the mixing chamber (i.e., a small space between two porous media). Then the combustion occurs in the second porous medium. A subcooled boiling, single global reaction combustion, and local nonthermal equilibrium between fluid and solid phases with phase change under complex radiative heat transfer are considered. The model accuracy is validated by the experimental data before parametric study—that is, equivalence ratio and firing rate are performed. Result show that a self-sustaining evaporation without atomization and matrix-stabilized flame can be achieved in the NSPB by providing the radiant output efficiency in the same range as a conventional premixed gaseous porous burner. This indicates that the NSPB is one possible technology to replace conventional spray burners for future requirements.     

Performance and Emission Analysis of a Novel Porous Radiant Burner for Domestic Cooking Application

Present study focuses on the performance and emission analysis of a novel porous radiant burner for domestic cooking application using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel. The porous radiant burner (PRB) used here is a novel ceramic porous radiant burner which is designed and developed in the University laboratory for this present study. Two kinds of PRBs as circular porous radiant burner and square porous radiant burner have been developed and hence the thermal efficiency and emission analysis of these burners are tested for their performance. The test results are very encouraging as the thermal efficiency of the circular porous radiant burner and square porous radiant burner are much higher as compared to the conventional metallic burners or other types of burners. The emission characteristic also shows that the emission of CO and NOx values are much lesser than the conventional burner and are well within the world health organization standard. The experimental setup used here is a flexible one that contains PRBs, LPG cylinder, K- type thermocouple, data acquisition system, flue gas analyzer, Infrared camera and a computer. The maximum thermal efficiency obtained in that test for the PRB is about 72% which indicates its bright future prospect.     

Frontiers in combustion techniques and burner designs for emissions control and CO2 capture: A review

The use of fossil fuel is expected to increase significantly by midcentury because of the large rise in the world energy demand despite the effective integration of renewable energies in the energy production sector. This increase, alongside with the development of stricter emission regulations, forced the manufacturers of combustion systems, especially gas turbines, to develop novel combustion techniques for the control of NO_x and CO₂ emissions, the latter being a greenhouse gas responsible for more than 60% to the global warming problem. The present review addresses different burner designs and combustion techniques for clean power production in gas turbines. Combustion and emission characteristics, flame instabilities, and solution techniques are presented, such as lean premixed air‐fuel (LPM) and premixed oxy‐fuel combustion techniques, and the combustor performance is compared for both cases. The fuel flexibility approach is also reviewed, as one of the combustion techniques for controlling emissions and reducing flame instabilities, focusing on the hydrogen‐enrichment and the integrated fuel‐flexible premixed oxy‐combustion approaches. State‐of‐the‐art burner designs for gas turbine combustion applications are reviewed in this study, including stagnation point reverse flow (SPRF) burner, dry low NO_x (DLN) and dry low‐emission (DLE) burners, EnVironmental burners (including EV, AEV, and SEV burners), perforated plate (PP) burner, and micromixer (MM) burner. Special emphasis is made on the MM combustor technology, as one of the most recent advances in gas turbines for stable premixed flame operation with wide turndown and effective control of NO_x emissions. Since the generation of pure oxygen is prerequisite to oxy‐combustion, oxygen‐separation membranes became of immense importance either for air separation for clean oxy‐combustion applications or for conversion/splitting of the effluent CO₂ into useful chemical and energy products. The different carbon‐capture technologies, along with the most recent carbon‐utilization approaches towards CO₂ emissions control, are also reviewed.     

Porous burners for lean-burn applications

We review research on lean methane combustion in porous burners, with an emphasis on practical aspects of burner design and operation and the application of the technology to real-world problems. In particular we focus on ‘ultra-lean’ combustion, where the methane concentration is actually at or below the lean flammability limit for a free flame (5% methane by volume in air). Porous burners are an advanced combustion technology whereby a premixed fuel/air mixture burns within the cavities of a solid porous matrix. They are capable of burning low-calorific value fuels and very lean fuel/air mixtures that would not normally be flammable, potentially allowing the exploitation of what would otherwise be wasted energy resources. Possible lean-burn applications include the reburn of exhaust gases from existing combustion systems, and the mitigation of fugitive methane emissions. Porous burners operate on the principle that the solid porous matrix serves as a means of recirculating heat from the hot combustion products to the incoming reactants. This results in burning velocities higher than those for a free flame, as well as extended lean flammability limits. Burner performance is also characterised by low emissions of combustion related pollutants and stable operation over a wide range of fuel concentrations and flow rates. Stable combustion of methane/air mixtures below the conventional lean limit has been observed by a number of researchers; in one study the combustion of a mixture with a fuel concentration of only 1% was reported. A number of design considerations are important as regards optimising burner performance for lean-burn applications. Foremost among these is the selection of a suitable material for the porous matrix. Possibilities include packed beds of alumina spheres or saddles, and reticulated foams made of silicon carbide or high temperature metal alloys. Other potentially significant design issues include the length of the porous bed, the use of ‘multi-section’ designs where different porous materials are used in each section, the incorporation of external heat exchangers to supplement the heat recirculation provided by the porous matrix, and the ability to operate the burner at elevated pressures. There is an extensive body of research relating to porous burners, comprising experimental and numerical investigations. However the majority of previous studies have been directed towards the use of porous burners for radiant heating applications rather than for the combustion of low-calorific value fuels. Consequently there is a lack of reliable data relating specifically to ultra-lean combustion. We identify specific areas where further research is required to progress this field. These include the influence on burner performance of the design considerations listed above, the stability of the combustion process to fluctuations in fuel concentration and flow rate, the development of reliable models specifically for ultra-lean combustion in practical burners, and the investigation of issues relating to scale-up and commercial application.     

Investigation of the structural and reactants properties on the thermal characteristics of a premixed porous burner

Porous burners offer attractive features such as competitive combustion efficiency, high power ranges, and lower pollutant emissions. In the present study, the thermal characteristics of a porous burner are numerically investigated for a range of operating conditions and design specifications within a practical range. The premixed flame propagation of a methane/air mixture in a ceramic porous medium is simulated through an unsteady, one-dimensional model. The combustion process is modeled using a suitable single-step chemical kinetics. The reaction location is not predetermined, thus the flame is allowed to float within the solid matrix or to run off from either side of the porous medium. The numerical results indicate that flame stability and thermal characteristics of the burner are strongly dependent on the inlet mixture specifications and the solid matrix structural properties. For a fixed value of the inlet firing rate, the combustion products temperature will increase by an increase in the inlet gas temperature, an increase in the matrix porosity, or by a decrease of the matrix pore density. Among the geometrical properties, the burner length has virtually no effect on the burner performance. An increase in the solid matrix porosity or burner firing rate will increase the efficiency of the preheating zone, while increasing the inlet gas temperature or matrix pore density will cause a reduction in this efficiency. Simulation results also suggest that in order to prevent flame blow-out or flash-back, critical values of the burner settings and design parameters must be avoided.     

Experimental investigation of the natural gas confined flames using the OEC

The concept of environmental efficiency in equipment is increasing with the unfolding of global warming. In terms of industrial equipment, it is the burners which have a major impact in this discussion because of industrial combustion. Demand for environmentally more efficient burners with a reduction in emissions is essential for the proper use of fossil fuels during the transition between this energy and alternative energy sources for the next fifty years or more. This study experimentally evaluates the technique of oxygen-enhanced combustion - OEC - and its interaction with soot formation and thermal radiation in natural gas confined flames. The literature shows that the OEC technique - an important technique for improving the thermal efficiency of combustion - causes under certain conditions an increase in soot formation. Soot, as an important participant in radiant heat transfer, can increase the thermal efficiency of burners, implementing heat transfer from the flame to the heating areas, thereby reducing fuel consumption, the temperature of the flame, and consequently a reduction in the emission of NO_x. In the experiment was used low enriched with oxygen, which does not require significant existing equipment changes. This technology can play an important role in preparing particularly the oil and gas industry for the technological challenge of reducing global warming.     

多孔介质中预混火焰猝熄及自稳定性研究

分析了多孔介质中预混火焰的猝熄效应,试验测定了一系列工况下泡沫陶瓷的猝熄直径和自稳定范围,为多孔介质燃烧器的开发设计提供了依据。通过分析发现,猝熄直径受到多个参数的影响,包括：混合气体的流速u、预混气体的层流火焰传播速度SL、燃烧室空管Re、预混气体的导温系数a、当量比φ以及多孔介质固体温度Ts。通过对多孔介质中燃烧的自稳定性试验研究,发现了多孔介质燃烧器中火焰稳定极限(吹脱极限和回火极限)与多孔介质平均孔径和气流速度及燃烧当量比的关系。     

Performance and analysis by particle image velocimetry (PIV) of cooker-top burners in Thailand

Cooker-top burners are used extensively in Thailand because of the rapid combustion and high heating-rates created by an impinging flame, which is characteristic of these types of burners. High thermal efficiency with low level of CO emissions is the most important performance criteria for these burners. The wide variation in reported performances of the burners appears to be due to the ad hoc knowledge gained through trial and error of the local manufacturers rather than sound scientific principles. This is extremely undesirable in view of safety, energy conservation and environmental protection. In the present work, a nationwide cooker-top burner performance survey and an implementation of a PIV technique to analyze the burner performance as well as advising local manufacturers were carried out. Experimental data were reported for the base line value of thermal efficiency of all the burners. The thermal performance parameters and dynamic properties of the flow field at a flame impingement area, i.e. velocity magnitude, turbulent intensity, vorticity and strain rate were also reported as a function of burner type, which was categorized into four types based on the configuration of the burner head: radial flow burners, swirling flow burners, vertical flow burners and porous radiant burners.     

单元熔窑燃烧过程数值模拟

对单元熔窑燃烧空间内的流动,燃烧及辐射传热等过程进行数值模拟研究,比较燃烧布置方式对火焰形状及传热过程中的影响,结果表明,对于所研究的宽度为3．2m的窑炉,燃烧器的布置应采用错排方式。     

Development and characterization of a low-NOx partially premixed hydrogen burner using numerical simulation and flame diagnostics

The utilization of hydrogen as a fuel in free jet burners faces particular challenges due to its special combustion properties. The high laminar and turbulent flame velocities may lead to issues in flame stability and operational safety in premixed and partially premixed burners. Additionally, a high adiabatic combustion temperature favors the formation of thermal nitric oxides (NO). This study presents the development and optimization of a partially premixed hydrogen burner with low emissions of nitric oxides. The single-nozzle burner features a very short premixing duct and a simple geometric design. In a first development step, the design of the burner is optimized by numerical investigation (Star CCM+) of mixture formation, which is improved by geometric changes of the nozzle. The impact of geometric optimization and of humidification of the combustion air on NO_x emissions is then investigated experimentally. The hydrogen flame is detected with an infrared camera to evaluate the flame stability for different burner configurations. The improved mixture formation by geometric optimization avoids temperature peaks and leads to a noticeable reduction in NO_x emissions for equivalence ratios below 0.85. The experimental investigations also show that NO_x emissions decrease with increasing relative humidity of combustion air. This single-nozzle forms the basis for multi-nozzle burners, where the desired output power can flexibly be adjusted by the number of single nozzles.     

Combustion of suspended fine solid fuel in air inside inert porous medium: A heat transfer analysis

Present work is a numerical analysis of combustion of submicron carbon particles inside an inert porous medium where the particles in form of suspension in air enter the porous medium. A one-dimensional heat transfer model has been developed using the two-flux gray radiation approximation for radiative heat flux equations. The effects of absorption coefficient, emissivity of medium, flame position and reaction enthalpy flux on radiative energy output efficiency have been presented. It is revealed that in porous medium the combustion of suspended carbon particles is similar to premixed single phase gaseous fuel combustion except the former has shorter preheating temperature zone length. Use of porous ceramic having high porosity and made of Al₂O₃ or ZrO₂ with stabilized flame position operated nearer to downstream end will ensure radiative output maximum and minimum at downstream and upstream end, respectively.     

Development of a high efficiency radiation converter using a spiral heat exchanger

Heating by radiation is widely used for materials processing. Electrical radiant heaters are the most commonly used heaters. Electricity is expensive and the combustion of fossils fuels for electricity production emits CO₂. In order to convert the energy from the fuel to radiation energy directly and efficiently, our group has developed a compact, high efficiency, radiation converter using a spiral heat exchanger to recover the energy from high-temperature exhaust gas. The spiral heat exchanger has a weld-free construction to prevent cyclic thermal stress, and is constructed from inexpensive ferrite steel plates. The combustion chamber, equipped with a swirler to mix the gas fuel and air, can achieve stable combustion. The distribution of the surface temperature on the radiant tube was measured by a radiation thermometer, called a thermo viewer, and then the radiant energy emitted from the radiant tube was estimated. The efficiency of the spiral heat exchanger was measured from the temperature of the inlet air and exhaust gas. The heat exchanger achieved a high effectiveness, and heat loss from the exhaust gas was minimized. Consequently, a highly efficient radiation converter was produced to convert the fuel energy to radiation energy.     

旋流对天然气高温空气燃烧特性影响的数值模拟

以工业炉的高温空气燃烧技术应用为背景,对一个新型轴向旋流式单烧嘴燃烧室内天然气的高温空气燃烧特性进行了数值研究。采用数值模拟的方法研究了同心式轴向旋流燃烧器（HCASbumer）中螺旋肋片的旋转角度对燃烧特性的影响,其中湍流采用Reynolds应力模型,气相燃烧模拟采用β函数形式的PDF燃烧模型,采用离散坐标法模拟辐射换热过程,NOx模型为热力型与快速型。计算结果表明,对预热空气采用旋转射流时,能明显降低NOx生成量。对于HCAS型燃烧器,随着空气射流旋转角度的增大,燃烧室内的回流区域增大增强,降低了局部的氧体积分数分布,燃烧室中平均温度和最高温度都有所增加,且燃烬程度大幅度提高,而局部高温区缩小,只在靠近入口处出现。总的NOx排放量随着空气射流旋转角度的增大先减小,后增大。因此,适当调整肋片的旋转角度可以降低NOx生成量。     

A two-stage burner

This new design of burner achieves improved fuel combustion by combining (i) a primary diffusion-flame from a wick with (ii) a secondary premixed-flame. The latter occurs as a result of fuel being vaporized by radiant heat from the diffusion flame and that vapour being mixed by convection with air entrained through an orifice. The efficiency of the diffusion-flame combustion is improved because the entrained air is introduced near the centre of the annular flame, so increasing the air/flame interface available for combustion.     

Modeling of trickle flow liquid fuel combustion in inert porous medium

Present work is a numerical analysis of fuel oil combustion inside an inert porous medium where fuel oil flows through the porous medium under gravity wetting its solid wall with concurrent movement of liquid fuel and air under steady state conditions. A one-dimensional heat transfer model has been developed under steady state conditions using a single step global reaction mechanism. The effects of optical thickness, emissivity of medium, flame position and reaction enthalpy flux on radiation energy output efficiency as well as the temperature, position and thickness of vaporization zone have been presented using kerosene as fuel. Low values of optical thickness and emissivity of porous medium will ensure efficient combustion, maximize downstream radiative output with minimum upstream radiative loss.     

Combustion Wave Propagation of a Modular Porous Burner with Annular Heat Recirculation

A numerical investigation of the different arrangements of porous media in a combustor with annular heat recirculation is conducted.The effect of annular heat recirculation and porous block arrangement on the characteristics of combustion wave propagation is numerically studied.Results show that power input,heat capacity of porous matrix,arrangement of porous blocks,and annular heat recirculation are major factors that influence the propagation of combustion wave.The overall temperature of ceramic porous burner is higher than that of ceramic-metal type burner due to the lower heat storage capacity of the former,especially for the temperature downstream.The flame temperature is higher upstream and lower downstream with metal foams in the annulus than that without metal foams.The flame temperature of uniformity type burner is more uniform than that of gradually-varied and modular type burners.The flame front moves more slowly with metal foams in the annulus than that without metal foams due to the better preheating effect of metal foams.The flame position moves downstream,and the flame temperature gradually decreases and is eventually extinguished due to the low preheating temperature.     

Experimental investigation of combustion in porous heating burners

The combustion characteristics of liquefied petroleum gas inside porous heating burners have been investigated experimentally under steady-state and transient conditions. Cooling tubes were embedded in the postflame region of the packed bed of a porous heating burner. The flame speed, temperature profile, and [NO_x] and [CO] in the product gases were monitored during an experiment. Due to the heat removal by the cooling tubes, a phenomenon termed metastable combustion was observed; this is that only one flame speed exists at a particular equivalence ratio for maintaining stable combustion within the porous bed of the porous heating burner. This behavior is quite different from that of porous burners without cooling tubes, in which an extended range of flame speeds usually is found for maintaining stable combustion. After metastable combustion has been established in a porous heating burner, a change in the equivalence ratio will stop the metastable combustion and drive the flame out of the packed bed. From the steady-state results, the porous heating burner was shown to maintain stable combustion under fuel-lean conditions with an equivalence ratio lower than the flammability limit of a normal free-burning system. The flame speed in a porous heating burner was found to decrease with an increase in the length of the porous bed. Combustion within a porous heating burner has the features of low flame temperature, extended reaction zone, high preheating temperature and low emissions of NO_x and CO. The flame temperature ranged from 1050 to 1250 °C, which is ∼200 °C lower than the adiabatic flame temperature at the corresponding equivalence ratio. The length of the reaction zone could be more than 70 mm and the preheating temperature ranged from 950 to 1000 °C. Both [NO_x] and [CO] were low, typically below 10 ppm.     

多孔燃烧器中氨/空气燃烧特性数值研究

氨具有氢密度高、生产成本低、基础设施完善等优点,作为一种潜在的可再生替代燃料受到了广泛的关注.目前,仅有少数研究关注氨气燃烧喷嘴的研究,针对氨气稳定燃烧喷嘴的研究尤其不足.为实现氨燃料的稳定燃烧和低污染物排放,本研究提出了一种氨用多孔介质燃烧器.对氨用多孔介质燃烧器建立了二维数值模型,并对预混氨/空气在多孔介质燃烧器中...     

Experimental study of the combustion of natural gas and high-hydrogen content syngases in a radiant porous media burner

The primary objective of this work is to study the blending of natural gas in equimolar proportions with three high hydrogen content syngases in a radiant porous media burner. We examined the effects of the composition of the syngases, the fuel-to-air ratio and the thermal input on the flame stability, the radiation efficiency and the pollutant emissions (CO and NOx). In this study, we emulated the syngases with H₂–CO mixtures, in which the H₂ to CO ratio was varied between 1.5 and 3. Additionally, pure natural gas was also used as a base fuel for comparison. The thermal inputs evaluated in this study correspond to two values (300 and 500 kW/m2) found in practical applications. The results indicate that the thermal input and the fuel-to-air ratio significantly influenced the temperature profile in the radiant porous media burner, the radiation efficiency, and the pollutant emissions. On the other hand, contrary to what was observed in other studies for lower hydrogen concentrations, we found that substituting natural gas with high hydrogen content syngases (up to 50%) affected the flame stability limits. Significant differences were also observed for the radiation efficiencies and pollutant emissions.