Characteristics and conditions for ignition of bio-coal mixtures based on coal and forest combustible material

The results of the experimental studies of the ignition process of a pulverized fuel mixture based on coal and biomass — forest combustible material (FCM) have been given. As the second component of the fuel the wastes of various deciduous or coniferous species of trees have been used.The experiments have been carried out on the equipment that provides a fairly low level of error when registering the main characteristics (ignition delay time of the fuel particles _tign, ambient temperature T_g) of heat and mass transfer processes occurring together during ignition of bio-coal fuel during thermal preparation. It has been established that the addition of biomass to coal leads to a significant reduction (up to 30%) of the entire ignition period of the fuel mixture. The video recording of the ignition processes has allowed to identify the main stages of thermal preparation and ignition of the bio-coal fuel particles. It has been established that the particles of biomass (leaf or fir needles) ignite faster than coal.A mathematical model has been developed based on the results of a detailed analysis of the videograms of the ignition process of the bio-coal mixtures describing the joint flow of the main processes of heat and mass transfer under conditions of the intense phase and thermochemical transformations. A numerical simulation of the ignition process has been carried out and the ignition delay times have been established. A comparative analysis of the theoretical and experimental values of t_ign has shown their good conformance.     

Numerical study of heat transfer of hydrogen combustion in noble gases atmosphere in compression ignition engine

The high energy content of hydrogen and zero carbon emission from hydrogen combustion is very important for compression ignition engine development. Hydrogen requires a very high auto-ignition temperature, which encourages replacing nitrogen with noble gases with higher specific heat ratio during compression process. In noble gases-hydrogen combustion, higher combustion temperature potentially leading to a higher heat loss. This paper aims to investigate the effect of hydrogen combustion in various noble gases on heat distribution and heat transfer on the cylinder wall. Converge CFD software was used to simulate a Yanmar NF19SK direct injection compression ignition engine. The local heat flux was measured at different locations of cylinder wall and piston head. The heat transfer of hydrogen combustion in various noble gases at different intake temperatures was studied using the numerical approach. As a result, hydrogen combustion in light noble gases such as helium produces faster combustion progress and higher heat temperature. The hydrogen combustion that experienced detonation, which happened in neon at 340 K and argon at 380 K, recorded a very high local heat flux at the cylinder head and piston due to the rapid combustion, which should be avoided in the engine operation. At a higher intake temperature, the rate of heat transfer on the cylinder wall is increased. In conclusion, helium was found as the best working gas for controlling combustion and heat transfer. Overall, the heat transfer data gained in this paper can be used to construct the future engine hydrogen in noble gases.     

The combined effect of pressure and oxygen concentration on piloted ignition of a solid combustible

There are a number of situations when fires may occur at low pressures and oxygen concentrations that are different than standard atmospheric conditions, such as in buildings at high elevation, airplanes, and spacecraft. The flammability of materials may be affected by these environmental conditions. Since ignition delay is a measure of material flammability and directly influences whether a fire will occur, experiments were conducted to assess the variation of the ignition delay of PMMA in sub-atmospheric pressures and elevated oxygen concentrations. Three sets of experiments were performed at different pressures and in air, in an atmosphere having 30% oxygen/70% nitrogen by volume, and in a “normoxic” atmosphere (constant oxygen partial pressure). It was observed that as the pressure is reduced, the ignition time decreased, reached a minimum, and then increased until ignition did not occur. Several mechanisms were considered to explain the “U-shaped” dependence of ignition time on pressure, and three regimes were identified each having a different controlling mechanism: the transport regime where the ignition delay is controlled by changes in convection heat losses and critical mass flux for ignition; the chemical kinetic regime where the ignition delay is controlled by gas-phase chemical kinetics; and an overlap region where both the transport and chemistry effects are seen. The results provide further insight about the effect of the environmental conditions on the flammability of materials, and guidance about fire safety in low pressure environments.     

Experimental methodology and heat transfer model for identification of ignition kinetics of powdered fuels

A methodology for investigating and quantifying the thermal processes leading to ignition of rapidly heated metal powders was developed. The simple experiment involves observing ignition of a powder coated on the surface of an electrically heated filament and is well suited for a variety of powdered fuels. In an experimental case study, the ignition temperature of spherical Mg powder was detected optically at different heating rates. To interpret the results, a heat transfer model was developed for a multilayer powder coating on the heated cylindrical filament. The thermal contact resistance between particles was determined from the measured bulk thermal diffusivity of the powder considering the experimental particle size distribution. An Arrhenius type expression was used to describe the exothermic chemical processes leading to ignition with the pre-exponent as an adjustable parameter. For Mg, a pre-exponent value identified by matching the calculations with the experimental data was found to be 10¹⁰ kg/m² s. The match between the experimental and predicted temperatures and times of ignition was good for different heating rates, which validated the proposed heat transfer model and indicated that the developed methodology is practically useful.     

Investigation of hydrogen usage on combustion characteristics and emissions of a spark ignition engine

In this study, initially, a single cylinder, naturally aspirated, spark ignition engine was loaded with AC engine dynamometer and a spark plug type engine transducer was used to obtain in-cylinder pressure. The test engine was operated with gasoline fuel at full load and different engine speeds (3100, 3200, 3300, 3400 and 3450 rpm). Secondly, using obtained engine performance, emission values and in-cylinder pressure, a one dimensional engine model was built and validated by an engine performance and emission analysis software (AVL-Boost). After the validation of single dimensional theoretical engine model, a comparison was made between the emission, performance and combustion (in-cylinder pressure, rate of heat release) values of operations with pure hydrogen fuel and such values of the operations with unleaded gasoline. The emissions of CO and total hydrocarbons (THC) were negligible with using hydrogen as fuel in SI engine. A dramatic increase in NO_x emissions was obtained with using hydrogen as fuel. However, by using hydrogen in lean conditions, NO_x emissions were taken under control by means of wide flammability limits of hydrogen.     

Premixed ignition behavior of C9 fatty acid esters: A motored engine study

An experimental study on the premixed ignition behavior of C₉ fatty acid esters has been conducted in a motored CFR engine. For each test fuel, the engine compression ratio was gradually increased from the lowest point (4.43) to the point where significant high temperature heat release (HTHR) was observed. The engine exhaust was sampled and analyzed through GC-FID/TCD and GC-MS. Combustion analysis showed that the four C₉ fatty acid esters tested in this study exhibited evidently different ignition behavior. The magnitude of low temperature heat release (LTHR) follows the order, ethyl nonanoate > methyl nonanoate ? methyl 2-nonenoate > methyl 3-nonenoate. The lower oxidation reactivity for the unsaturated fatty acid esters in the low temperature regime can be explained by the reduced amount of six- or seven-membered transition state rings formed during the oxidation of the unsaturated esters due to the presence of a double bond in the aliphatic chain of the esters. The inhibition effect of the double bond on the low temperature oxidation reactivity of fatty acid esters becomes more pronounced as the double bond moves toward the central position of the aliphatic chain. GC-MS analysis of exhaust condensate collected under the engine conditions where only LTHR occurred showed that the alkyl chain of the saturated fatty acid esters participated in typical paraffin-like low temperature oxidation sequences. In contrast, for unsaturated fatty acid esters, the autoignition can undergo olefin ignition pathways. For all test compounds, the ester functional group remains largely intact during the early stage of oxidation.     

Numerical simulation on the spontaneous ignition of high-pressure hydrogen release through a tube at different burst pressures

Spontaneous ignition induced by high-pressure hydrogen release is one of the huge potential risks in the promotion of hydrogen energy. However, the understanding of the microscopic dynamic characteristics of spontaneous ignition, such as ignition initiation and flame development, remains unresolved. In this paper, the spontaneous ignition caused by high-pressure hydrogen release through a tube is investigated by two-dimensional numerical simulation at burst pressure ranging from 2.67 to 15 MPa. Especially, the thermal and species characteristics in hydrogen shock-induced ignition under different strengths of shock wave are discussed carefully. The results show that the stronger shock wave caused by higher burst pressure leads to larger heating area and higher heating temperature inside the tube, increasing the possibility of spontaneous ignition. The shortening effect of initial ignition time and initial ignition distance will decrease with the increase of the burst pressure. Ignition will be initiated when the temperature is raised to about 1350–1400 K under the heating effect of shock waves. It is also found that the ignition occurs under the lean-fuel condition firstly on the upper and lower walls of the tube. The flame branch after spontaneous ignition is observed in the mixing layer. Two ignition kernels show different characteristics during the process of combustion and flow. The evolution of HRR and mass fraction of key species (OH, H, HO₂) are also compared to identify the flame front. The mass fraction of H has the better trend with HRR. It is suggested that H radical is a more reasonable choice as the indicator of the flame front.     

Mass flux at ignition in reduced pressure environments

Ignition of solid combustible materials can occur at atmospheric pressures lower than standard either in high altitude environments or inside pressurized vehicles such as aircraft and spacecraft. NASA’s latest space exploration vehicles have a cabin atmosphere of reduced pressure and increased oxygen concentration. Recent piloted ignition experiments indicate that ignition times are reduced under these environmental conditions compared to normal atmospheric conditions, suggesting that the critical mass flux at ignition may also be reduced. Both effects may result in an increased fire risk of combustible solid materials in reduced pressure environments that warrant further investigation. As a result, a series of experiments are conducted to explicitly measure fuel mass flux at ignition and ignition delay time as a function of ambient pressure for the piloted ignition of PMMA under external radiant heating. Experimental findings reveal that ignition time and the fuel mass flux at ignition decrease when ambient pressure is lowered, proving with the latter what earlier authors had inferred. It is concluded that the reduced pressure environment results in smaller convective heat losses from the heated material to the surroundings, allowing for the material to heat more rapidly and pyrolyze faster. It is also proposed that a lower mass flux of volatiles is required to reach the lean flammability limit of the gases near the pilot at reduced pressures, due mainly to a reduced oxygen concentration, an enlarged boundary layer, and a thicker fuel species profile.     

Analysis of local convective heat transfer in a spark ignition engine

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code is applied to simulate fluid flow, heat transfer and combustion in a four-stroke single cylinder engine with pent roof combustion chamber geometry, having two inlet valves and two exhaust valves. Heat flux and heat transfer coefficient on the cylinder head, cylinder wall, piston, intake and exhaust valves are determined with respect to crank angle position. Results for a certain condition are compared for total heat transfer coefficient of the cylinder engine with available correlation proposed by experimental measurement in the literature and close agreement are observed. It was found that the local value of heat transfer coefficient varies considerably in different parts of the cylinder, but they have equivalent trend with crank angle. Based on the results, new correlations are suggested to predict maximum and minimum convective heat transfer coefficient in the combustion chamber of a SI engine.     

The pyrolysis and ignition of charring materials under an external heat flux

Experimental measurements have tested the effect of an external heat flux on the pyrolysis and combustion of charring materials using a cone calorimeter and a radiation platform, particularly with a small heat flux. Differences in the pyrolysis and burning of wood under strong and weak heat fluxes are discussed. Also, a modified model of pyrolysis for charring materials in a fire is proposed. In this model some special factors that affect pyrolysis, such as heat loss by convection and radiation caused by the surface temperature rising and also shrinkage of the char’s external surface, are considered. The pyrolysis of wood and the time to ignition is predicted using the model, which is also used to explain the mechanism of the pyrolysis of wood exposed to weak external fluxes for long times.     

使用放热率计算总体辐射热流量的研究

本文发展了一个预测直喷式柴油机缸内总体辐射热流量的模型。该模型利用单区放热率所得资料，配合适当的碳粒形成和氧化的子模型，以计算辐射温度，燃烧区温度，碳粒浓度，碳粒发射率和总体辐射热流量等，计算结果与已发表的实验数据吻合。     

Detailed and reduced chemistry for methanol ignition

Simplified chemical-kinetic mechanisms are sought that can provide agreement with measured shock-tube autoignition times and counterflow critical ignition conditions for methanol (CH₃OH) oxidation. Existing detailed chemistry over-predicts measured counterflow ignition temperatures by 100 K or more. It was found that the elementary step CH₃OH + HO₂ → CH₂OH + H₂O₂ most strongly affects the predictions. Increasing the pre-factor in the Arrhenius expression for the rate of this step from different available literature values by a factor ranging from 2 to 13, namely to 8 × 10¹³ cm³/(mol s), within existing uncertainty, produces agreement of predictions with experiment. Using this revised rate, unimportant steps are deleted from the San Diego mechanism to obtain a set of 26 irreversible elementary steps (augmented to 27 by including fuel dissociation to CH₃ + OH for high-temperature shock-tube conditions) that predict ignition nearly as well as the detailed mechanism. In this mechanism, the intermediate species CH₂OH, CH₃O, HCO, H, O, and OH accurately obey steady states, while the intermediates CH₂O, HO₂, H₂O₂, CO, and H₂ do not. The result is a six-step overall reduced mechanism that describes ignition well at the lower temperatures. At higher temperatures, the aforementioned fuel decomposition becomes important, increasing the six-step mechanism to a seven-step mechanism. Expressions for the reaction rates, branching ratios, and steady-state species concentrations in the six-step reduced mechanism are given to facilitate future methanol ignition computations. Higher alcohols, which are less dependent on HO₂ attack in ignition, are indicated to nevertheless possibly benefit from an increase of the rate of the corresponding step.     

Experimental study on the ignition characteristics of cellulose,hemicellulose, lignin and their mixtures

Ignition behaviour of biomass is an essential knowledge for plant design and process control of biomass combustion. Understanding of ignition characteristics of its main chemical components, i.e. cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and their mixtures will allow the further investigation of ignition behaviour of a wider range of biomass feedstock. This paper experimentally investigates the influences of interactions among cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin on the ignition behaviour of biomass by thermogravimetric analysis. Thermal properties of an artificial biomass, consisting of a mixture of the three components will be studied and compared to that of natural biomass in atmospheres of air and nitrogen in terms of their ignition behaviour. The results showed that the identified ignition temperatures of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are 410 °C, 370 °C and 405 °C, respectively. It has been found that the influence of their interactions on the ignition behaviour of mixtures is insignificant, indicating that the ignition behaviour of various biomass feedstock could be predicted with high accuracy if the mass fractions of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are known. While the deficiencies of the determined mutual interactions would be further improved by the analytical results of the activation energies of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, their mixtures as well as natural and artificial biomass in air conditions.     

Comparative experimental study on combustion characteristics of typical combustible components for lithium-ion battery

In this paper, the cone calorimeter is used to investigate the combustion characteristics of typical combustible components for lithium-ion battery (LIB). The incomplete combustion of solvents, lithium salt, and separator results in the generation of residue. The melting of the separator at the early stage shows a more obvious endothermic reaction than the decomposition of LiPF₆ resulting in smaller peak heat release rate (HRR). The exothermic reaction of separator combustion increases the internal temperature and produces more heat; however, the sustained endothermic reaction of LiPF₆ decomposition leads to the opposite result. Due to the different boiling points, the single solvent has different quasi-steady-state combustion and boiling combustion time nodes. Different sizes of burn pans have little effects on HRR, but it has a significant impact on the mass loss rate (MLR) data. The average MLR ratio of the three solvents is close to that of the burn pan area. These tests could be the reference of more detailed analysis of the combustion mechanism of LIB and practical applications.     

An experimental investigation of iso-octane ignition phenomena

High-speed digital imaging has been used in rapid compression facility (RCF) studies to investigate ignition phenomena of iso-octane/air mixtures. Sequential images were captured for each experiment. The results indicate the existence of two ignition regimes. In one domain, ignition is rapid, typically less than 76 μs, and ignition occurs simultaneously throughout the test volume. In the other domain, reaction fronts form and propagate within the test volume prior to volumetric ignition. The data span equivalence ratios from ?=0.20 to 1.98, with inert/O₂ gas ratios from 1.38 to 5.89, pressures from 8.7 to 16.6 atm, and temperatures from 903 to 1020 K. The transition between the two regimes is discussed in the context of the mixture composition and experimental conditions. The analysis shows that the fuel mole fraction is a key parameter dictating the boundary between the modes of ignition. Below a critical mole fraction limit, volumetric ignition is observed; above the critical limit, reaction fronts are consistently present prior to volumetric ignition. The ignition delay times for both ignition regimes are well reproduced using a homogeneous simulation with detailed reaction chemistry, when the state conditions are modified to account for the presence of the reaction fronts. The results are discussed in terms of proposed reaction chemistry, ignition theory, and previous studies of iso-octane ignition.     

Numerical investigation on combustion characteristics of laminar premixed n-heptane/air flames at elevated initial temperature and pressure

Freely-propagating laminar premixed n-heptane/air flames were modeled using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) v3.1 n-heptane mechanism and the PREMIX code. Numerical calculations were conducted for unburned mixture temperature range of 298–423 K, at elevated pressures 1–10 atm and equivalent ratio 0.6–1.6, and the changes of laminar burning velocity (LBV), adiabatic flame temperature (AFT), heat release rate (HRR), and concentration profiles of important intermediate species were obtained. The results show that the overall results of LBVs of n-heptane at different elevated temperatures, pressures, and equivalence ratios are in good agreement with available experimental results. However, at the initial temperature 353 K, the calculated values of LBVs at pressure 1 atm and the 10 atm deviate significantly from the experimental results. The sensitivity analysis shows that, similar to many other hydrocarbon fuels, the most sensitive reaction in the oxidation of n-heptane responsible for the rise of flame temperature promoting heat release is R1 H + O₂<=>O + OH, and the reaction that has the greatest influence on heat release is R8 H₂O + M<=>H + OH + M. In addition, when the initial temperature is 353, 398 and 423 K, the mole fractions of H, OH, and O increase rapidly around the flame front, while the mole fractions of C₁C₃ dramatically decreases, reflecting the intense consumption of the intermediate products at the reaction zone.     

The heat flux research in hydrogen supersonic combustor at Mach number of 4

The work is devoted to the study of the intensity of heat transfer in a supersonic combustion chamber at a Mach number of 4 under conditions of ignition and transition to intense combustion, including the transition to choking the channel. The experiments were carried out on a combustion chamber model in the connected pipeline mode with flow parameters in the channel close to flight conditions at Mach numbers 6–8. The experimental model is a rectangular channel with a flame holder in the form of backward facing step (BFS). Fuel injection was carried out in front of BFS on the top and bottom walls of the model through 8 circular holes, which were situated under the angles of 45° or 90°. It has been revealed that the choice of the fuel injection scheme leads to an increase in the level and a change in the distribution of the heat flux along the length of the combustion chamber. A decrease in the angle of hydrogen injection makes it possible to significantly reduce the heat flux into the wall of the combustion chamber, while choking the channel is accompanied by a twofold increase in the heat flux.     

Experimental study on spark ignition of non-premixed hydrogen jets

The leaks of pressurized hydrogen can be ignited if an ignition source is within a certain distance from the source of the leaks, and jet fires or explosions may take place. In this paper, a high speed camera was used to investigate the ignition kernel development, ignition probability and flame propagation along the axis of hydrogen jets, which leaked from a 3-mm-internal-diameter nozzle and were ignited by an electric spark. Experimental results indicate that for successful ignition events, the ignition delay time increases with an increase of the distance between the nozzle and the electrode. Ignitable zone of the hydrogen jets is underestimated if using the predicted hydrogen concentration along the jets centerline. The average rate of downstream flame decreases but that of the upstream flame increases with the electrode going far from the nozzle.     

Diethyl ether as an ignition improver for biogas homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) operation - An experimental investigation

This paper deals with experimental investigations of a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine using biogas as a primary fuel and diethyl ether (DEE) as an ignition improver. The biogas is inducted and DEE is injected into a single-cylinder engine. For each load condition, best brake thermal efficiency DEE flow rate is determined. The results obtained in this study are also compared with those of the available biogas-diesel dual-fuel and biogas spark ignition (SI) modes. From the results, it is found that biogas-DEE HCCI mode shows wider operating load range and higher brake thermal efficiency (BTE) at all loads as compared to those of biogas-diesel dual-fuel and biogas SI modes. In HCCI mode, at 4.52 bar BMEP, as compared to dual-fuel and SI modes, BTE shows an improvement of about 3.48 and 9.21% respectively. Also, nitric oxide (NO) and smoke emissions are extremely low, and carbon monoxide (CO) emission is below 0.4% by volume at best brake thermal efficiency points. Also, in general, in HCCI mode, hydrocarbon (HC) emissions are lower than that of biogas SI mode. Therefore, it is beneficial to use biogas-DEE HCCI mode while using biogas in internal combustion engines.     

Large eddy simulation of spark ignition in a turbulent methane jet

Large eddy simulation (LES) is used to compute the spark ignition in a turbulent methane jet flowing into air. Full ignition sequences are calculated for a series of ignition locations using a one-step chemical scheme for methane combustion coupled with the thickened flame model. The spark ignition is modeled in the LES as an energy deposition term added to the energy equation. Flame kernel formation, the progress and topology of the flame propagating upstream, and stabilization as a tubular edge flame are analyzed in detail and compared to experimental data for a range of ignition parameters. In addition to ignition simulations, statistical analysis of nonreacting LES solutions is carried out to discuss the ignition probability map established experimentally.