Investigation of fuel lean reburning process in a 1.5 MW boiler

This paper examines a detailed study of fuel lean reburning process applied to a 1.5 MW gas-fired boiler. Experimental and numerical studies were carried out to investigate the effect of the fuel lean reburning process on the NO_X reduction and CO emission. Natural gas (CH₄) was used as the reburn as well as the main fuel. The amount of the reburn fuel, injection location and thermal load of boiler were considered as experimental parameters. The flue gas data revealed that the fuel lean reburning process led to NO_X reduction up to 43%, while CO emission was limited to less than 30 ppm for the 100% thermal load condition. The commercial computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT 6.3, which included turbulence, chemical reaction, radiation and NO modeling, was used to predict the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics under various operational conditions in the boiler. Subsequently, predicted results were validated with available measured data such as gas temperature distributions and local mean NO_X concentrations. The detailed numerical results showed that the recirculation flow developed inside the boiler was found to play an important role in improving the effectiveness of fuel lean reburning process.     

Numerical Investigation of Reburning Flow in a Carbon Monoxide Boiler

This study investigates the combustion and fluid flow in a carbon monoxide boiler from the Formosa Petrochemical Corporation in Taiwan, with emphasis on the effect of reburning on NOx reduction. It is found that NOx reduction occurs mainly behind the DeNOx section where recirculation is strong. A smaller reburn hole yields better NOx reduction while a larger reburn hole yields worse NOx reduction and a localized high temperature region near the reburn hole. NOx reduction is better for a lower primary/reburn fuel ratio and a higher inlet/reburn air ratio. A single-reburn-hole arrangement yields lower NOx concentration and temperature than does a three-reburn-hole arrangement.     

Numerical study of hydrogen‐enriched methane–air combustion under ultra‐lean conditions

The demand for gas turbines that accept a variety of fuels has continuously increased over the last decade. Understanding the effects of varying fuel compositions on combustion characteristics and emissions is critical to designing fuel‐flexible combustors. In this study, the combustion characteristics and emissions of methane and hydrogen‐enriched methane were both experimentally and numerically investigated under ultra‐lean conditions (Ø ≤ 0.5). This study was performed using global mechanisms with a one‐step mechanism by Westbrook and Dryer and a two‐step mechanism with an irreversible and reversible CO/CO₂ step (2sCM1 and 2sCM2). Results show that the 2sCM2 mechanism under‐predicted the temperature, major species, and NO_x by more than 100% under ultra‐lean conditions; thus, we proposed a modified‐2sCM2 mechanism to better simulate the combustion characteristics. The mechanisms of Westbrook, 2sCM1, and modified 2sCM2 predicted the temperature and the CO₂ emission with an average deviation of about 5% from the experimental values. Westbrook and 2sCM1, however, over‐predicted the NO_x emission by approximately 81% and 152%, respectively, as compared with an average under‐prediction of 11% by the modified‐2sCM2 mechanism. The numerical results using the proposed modified‐2sCM2 mechanism shows that the presence of hydrogen in the fuel mixture inhibits the oxidation of methane that led to the formation of unburned hydrocarbons in the flame. We also showed that for any given fuel compositions of H₂/CH₄, there is an optimum equivalence ratio at which the pollutant emissions (CO and NO_x) from the combustor are minimal. Zero CO and 5 ppm NO_x emissions were observed at the optimal equivalence ratio of 0.45 for a fuel mixture containing 30% H₂. The present study provides a basis for ultra‐lean combustion toward achieving zero emissions from a fuel‐flexible combustor. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical study of further NOx emission reduction for coal MILD combustion by combining fuel‐rich/lean technology

This paper numerically examines the feasibility of further reducing NO_x emission from a semi‐industrial scale coal MILD (moderate and intense low‐oxygen dilution) combustion furnace by adopting fuel‐rich/lean technology. The implementation is achieved by separating the original fuel jet into two parallel jets which will be used as rich and lean streams. An effort has been made to develop a 13‐step reaction mechanism and NO_x evolution UDFs (user defined functions) for better understanding the interactions between MILD combustion and fuel‐rich/lean technology. The experiment of the reference case (Combustion and Flame 156.9 (2009): 1771‐1784) is well reproduced by the present numerical simulation, indicating high reliability of developed models. The validity of the further reduction of NO_x emission is assessed by the comparison among inner‐fuel‐rich (IFR), outer‐fuel‐rich (OFR), and reference cases resulting from the adjustment of the fuel supply through the two fuel‐rich/lean jets. The results show that both IFR and OFR configurations succeed in achieving further reduction of NO_x emission as compared with the reference case, which stems from both thermal and fuel paths. Specifically, the decrease of thermal‐NO emission originates from the contraction of high‐temperature regions (>1800 K), where nearly 94% reduction occurs within the temperature range of 1800 K and 1950 K while only 6% within 1950 K and 2030 K despite their high temperature sensitivity. The reduction of the fuel‐NO emission is mainly attributed to the promoted NO reduction on char surface and neutralization with HCN and NH₃. Generally, the NO_x emission can be minimized by enlarging the equivalence ratio difference between rich and lean jets, and the OFR configuration exhibits a higher potential than the IFR counterparts. However, since a relatively high temperature (1623 K) secondary air was used in the experiment, the maximum NO_x reduction potential was limited to only 2.5%.     

The economics of reburning with cattle manure-based biomass in existing coal-fired power plants for NOx and CO2 emissions control

Coal plants that reburn with catttle biomass (CB) can reduce CO₂ emissions and save on coal purchasing costs while reducing NO_x emissions by 60–90% beyond levels achieved by primary NO_x controllers. Reductions from reburning coal with CB are comparable to those obtained by other secondary NO_x technologies such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The objective of this study is to model potential emission and economic savings from reburning coal with CB and compare those savings against competing technologies. A spreadsheet computer program was developed to model capital, operation, and maintenance costs for CB reburning, SCR, and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). A base case run of the economics model, showed that a CB reburn system retrofitted on an existing 500 MW_e coal plant would have a net present worth of −$80.8 million. Comparatively, an SCR system under the same base case input parameters would have a net present worth of +$3.87 million. The greatest increase in overall cost for CB reburning was found to come from biomass drying and processing operations. The profitability of a CB reburning system retrofit on an existing coal-fired plant improved with higher coal prices and higher valued NO_x emission credits. Future CO₂ taxes of $25 tonne⁻¹ could make CB reburning as economically feasible as SCR. Biomass transport distances and the unavailability of suitable, low-ash CB may require future research to concentrate on smaller capacity coal-fired units between 50 and 300 MW_e.     

Detailed modeling of hybrid reburn/SNCR processes for NOX reduction in coal-fired furnaces

Mechanism reduction has made the detailed kinetic modeling of combustion problems much easier; it also offers potential improvement of modeling accuracy and flexibility in comparison to global mechanisms. The present work applies mechanism reduction in conjunction with the CHEMKIN library and develops an automatic reduction program code. Regarding the hybrid re-burn/selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) (“advanced re-burning”) conditions in coal-fired furnaces and based on a full mechanism “GADM98,” a skeletal mechanism with 39 species, 105 reactions, and further a 10-step/14-species reduced mechanism were established. The reduced mechanism was implemented into a 3D-combustion computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The eddy-dissipation-concept model was used to describe the influence of turbulence on the combustion chemistry. A large number of simulations for reburning and hybrid reburn/SNCR processes in a coal-fired reactor were executed; the predicted results were compared with experimental measurements. The reduced mechanism and the comprehensive modeling give quite satisfactory results over a wide range of mole ratios for β = [NH₃]/[NO] and air/fuel equivalence ratios λ₂ in the reburn zone. From the modeling results, it was found that adding ammonia premixed with reburn fuel (CH₄) effects no further reduction of NO_x or even impairs the reduction efficiency compared to pure reburning, and in contrast, staged addition of ammonia downstream of the CH₄ injection in the reburn zone provokes a significant further reduction of NO_x over a wide range of parameters. According to the predictions, NO_x-reduction rates of 50-60% and of 70-80% can be achieved through pure reburning and hybrid reburn/SNCR approaches, respectively, at λ₂ = 0.95 and β = 1.5. Concerning the computational procedure, essential measures were taken to optimize convergence and computing time. The computing time with the present reduced mechanism is ∼2.5 times that with the traditional global mechanism for the same iteration number. Tabulation of the rate constants reduced the computing time of the reaction kinetics by ∼50%.     

Effects of ash fouling on heat transfer during combustion of cattle biomass in a small‐scale boiler burner facility under unsteady transition conditions

Combustion of cattle biomass (CB) as a supplementary fuel has been proposed for reducing emissions of NO_x, Hg, SO₂, and nonrenewable CO₂ in large coal‐fired power plants; however, its high ash content resulted in fouling and slagging problems when the CB was co‐fired with coals during small‐ and pilot‐scale tests. Ash depositions during combustion of the CB as a reburn fuel were investigated using a 30 kW_t (100 000 Btu h^?1) boiler burner facility with water‐cooled heat exchangers (HEXs) under unsteady transition conditions and short‐term operations. Two parameters were used to characterize the effects of the ash deposition: (1) Overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and (2) Burnt fraction (BF). A methodology was presented and empirically demonstrated for the effects of ash deposition on heat transfer under unsteady transition conditions. Experiments involving ash deposition during reburning the CB with coals were compared with experiments involving only ash‐less natural gas. It was found that the growth of the ash layer during reburning the CB and coals lowered the heat transfer rate to water in the HEXs. In low‐temperature regions, the thin layer of the ash deposition promoted radiation effects, while the thick layer of the ash deposition promoted the thermal resistance of the ash layer. A chemical analysis of the heavy ash indicated that the BF increased when a larger fraction of the CB was used in the reburn fuels, indicating better performance compared with coal combustion alone. However, the results of ash fusion temperature indicated the ash deposited during combustion of the CB and coals was more difficult to remove than the ash deposited during coal combustion alone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simplified fuel‐NOx model based on regression analysis

The mechanism of detailed chemical reactions in combustion is very complicated, especially when the formation of a pollutant such as NO_x is considered. Based on regression analysis, a simplified fuel–NO_x model is developed for premixed flame. The new model is available for a wider range of temeperature and fuel–air ratios compared with De Soete's (1975) fuel NO model. The reduction CHi species on NO is considered so that the model can be used in both fuel‐lean and fuel‐rich combustion systems. After a great simulation of a one‐dimensional premixed flame system using Miller and Bowman's (1989, Prog. Energy Combust. Sci., 15, 287) detailed elementary reaction model, the calculation of all the reaction rates is presented based on regression analysis. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental‐ and numerical‐simulation research on the inner–secondary‐air ratio in a 600‐MWe down‐fired boiler

Using a phase Doppler‐anemometer measurement system, the cold gas/particle‐airflow behavior in a 1:40 scale‐model furnace was assessed to study the influences of adjusting the inner–secondary‐air ratio in a 600‐MW_e multi‐injection and multistaging down‐fired boiler. Numerical simulations were also conducted to verify the results of the modeling trials and to provide heat‐state information. The results demonstrate that reducing the inner–secondary‐air ratio from 19.66% to 7.66% gradually enhances the downward velocity decay of the gas/particle airflow, while the inner secondary‐air downward‐entraining effect on the fuel‐rich flow is weakened. Lowering the inner–secondary‐air ratio greatly inhibits the decay of the near burner–particle volume flux. In addition, the fuel rich–flow ignition distance is reduced, from 1.02 to 0.87 m. A lower inner–secondary‐air ratio is harmful to restrain early NO_x formation. Reducing the ratio also causes the fuel‐rich flow to turn upwards ahead, while the penetration depth of this flow gradually decreases and the maximum temperature in the hopper region falls from 1900 to 1800 K. On the basis of these data, an optimal inner–secondary‐air ratio of 13.66% is recommended.     

Modelling NOx emissions during staged combustion

Staged combustion has been accepted as an effective way to reduce NO_x emission. Based on the comparison of calculated results using Miller and Bowman's (1989, Progr. Energy Combust. Sci. 15 , 287) detailed elementary reaction model with experimental data, it is found effective to apply this model in the simulation of NO formation and destruction during staged combustion. Sensitivity analysis shows that C, CH, CH₂ and HCCO play an important role in NO destruction and reduction under fuel staging. NO generated in the primary zone can be reduced greatly by staged combustion. Besides the air–fuel ratio in the primary combustion zone, the combustion temperature in the reburning zone and the mass factor of the reburning fuel in the overall fuel, the main factors which affect NO destruction and reduction are the position where reburning is introduced and the types of reburning fuel. It is found that reburning cannot be introduced too close to the primary combustion zone. The reburning fuels that can effectively stimulate NO to HCN are H₂ and C₂H₄. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical study on reduction of NOx and unburned carbon in micronized coal reburning

Three dimensional numerical simulation of bituminous coal reburning in a full-scale tangentially fired boiler was conducted with CFD method to study the effects of reburn zone length, the height of reburn nozzles, the stoichiometric ratio in reburn zone, the reburn fuel fraction and the reburn coal fineness on NOx reduction efficiency and unburned carbon in fly ash. The results indicate that the NOx reduction efficiency reaches the largest value when the relative height of reburn nozzles is about 0.21 and the stoichiometric ratio is between 0.8 and 0.9 in reburn zone; NOx reduction efficiency increases with reburn zone length, reburn fuel fraction and the decrease of reburn coal particle size; the smaller the coal particle size is, the better the burnout performance of coal is.     

Biomass as a reburning fuel: a specialized cofiring application

Reaction Engineering International has performed a series of combustion tests to evaluate the potential for utilizing wood biomass as a reburn fuel for nitrogen oxides (NO_x) control. Reburning is an effective NO_x reduction technology that utilizes fuel injection above the main burner zone. Studies with other hydrocarbon fuels such as coal and natural gas as reburn fuels have shown that NO_x emissions can be reduced by more than 50–60% with about 15% of the heat input coming from the reburn fuel. Two different biomasses, a hardwood and softwood, were evaluated as reburning fuels and compared to coal and natural gas. The use of wood to reduce NO_x is attractive for several reasons. First, wood contains little nitrogen, as compared with coal which is also used as a reburning fuel. This results in lower NO_x production from fuel nitrogen species for wood. In addition, wood contains virtually no sulfur, so sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions are reduced in direct proportion to the coal replacement. Wood is a regenerable biofuel; when a fossil fuel is replaced by a biofuel, there is a net reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Finally, since the reburning fuel is normally 10–20% of the total heat input, large quantities of wood are not necessary. Experimental results showed NO_x reductions of as high as 70% were obtained with approximately 10–15% wood heat input. The stoichiometric ratio in the reburn zone was the single most important variable affecting NO_x reduction. The highest reductions were found at a reburn stoichiometric ratio of 0.85. NO_x reduction fell to about 40–50% at slightly higher stoichiometric ratios (0.9x reduction was strongly dependent on initial NO_x concentration and only slightly dependent upon temperature, where increased temperature increased NO_x reduction. Finally, the experimental results suggest that wood is as effective as natural gas or coal as a reburning fuel. In addition, REI has completed computer simulations of a full-scale boiler to evaluate the conditions that maximize the NO_x reduction efficiency using biomass as the reburn fuel. Computer modeling of the TVA Allen Station Unit 3, a 265 MW_e cyclone-fired boiler, showed that NO_x reductions as high as 50–60% could be achieved within the constraints set by the boiler and operations. The most important parameters affecting final NO_x emissions are the cyclone barrel stoichiometry, residence time in the reburn zone, and mixing in both the reburn and overfire air zones. The combination of computer simulations and experimental programs has provided the engineers with the tools needed to optimize biomass as a reburn fuel to maximize NO_x reduction.     

Hydrogen as burner fuel: modelling of hydrogen–hydrocarbon composite fuel combustion and NOx formation in a small burner

The objective of this work is to investigate numerically the turbulent non‐premixed hydrogen (H₂) and hydrogen–hydrocarbon flames in a small burner. Numerical studies using Fluent code were carried out for air‐staged and non‐staged cases. The effects of fuel composition from pure hydrogen to natural gas (100%H₂, 70%H₂+30%CH₄, 10%H₂+90%CH₄, and 100%CH₄) were also investigated. The predictions are validated and compared against the experimental results previously obtained and results from the literature. Turbulent diffusion flames are investigated numerically using a finite volume method for the solution of the conservation equations and reaction equations governing the problem. Although, three different turbulence models were tested, the standard k–ε model was used for the modelling of the turbulence phenomena in the burner. The temperature and major pollutant concentrations (CO and NO_x) distributions are in good agreement with the existing experimental results. Air staging causes rich and lean combustion regions thus lower NO_x emissions through the combustor exit. Blending hydrogen with methane causes considerable reduction in temperature levels and thus NO emissions. Increasing the mixture ratio from stoichiometric to leaner mixtures also decreases the temperature and thus NO emissions. Hydrogen may be considered a good alternative fuel for burners, as its use reduces the emission of pollutants, and as it is a renewable synthetic fuel. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CFD simulations on a coal–coal reburning test facility

Fuel staging or fuel reburning is a possible primary measure for the reduction of NO_x emissions from fossil-fired steam generators. It is intended to investigate if this primary measure can be applied efficiently to coal-fired combustion systems where pulverized coal is also used as a reburning fuel: coal reburning over a coal fire. This technology has to be tested accordingly. The company ENEL SpA is at present evaluating, together with ANSALDO Energia SpA, the option of demonstrating and extending the use of this technology in its coal-fired utility steam generators. Both companies have decided to erect a boiler simulation facility (5 MWth) at ENEL's experimental area Santa Gilla (Cagliari). This facility is intended to replicate the time/temperature profiles of real boilers. One tool to support the design of firing systems is CFD simulation. Consequently, CFD simulation was applied to perform a ‘proof of concept’. Most important for the design of firing systems for the furnaces of utility steam generators or test facilities is the distribution of temperature inside the combustion chamber and the furnace exit temperature—especially the radiation transport responsible for the amount of energy transferred from the gaseous environment of the hot furnace to the furnace walls. Subsequently, this determines the mean furnace exit temperature. This is why the accuracy of temperature calculations depends directly on the radiation transport model, the gas emissivity approximations, the particle emissivity and the radiative properties of the furnace enclosure. The results of several combustion simulations of the coal reburning test facility are shown and discussed. Estimates of the possible effect of different wall temperatures on the combustion process itself and on the gas temperature inside the furnace are presented. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of EGR fraction on diesel engine performance considering heat loss and temperature‐dependent properties of the working fluid

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to reduce feed gas NO_x emission is common practice in modern diesel engines. Dilution of the intake air with cooled recirculated exhaust gas limits the production of in‐cylinder NO_x due to a lowering of the adiabatic flame temperature and a reduction in oxygen content of the intake mixture. EGR also reduces the mixture‐averaged ratio of specific heats (γ) of the combustion charge leading to a reduction in the thermodynamic cycle efficiency. This trade‐off between minimizing NO_x production and maximizing cycle efficiency is of critical importance when calibrating EGR control schemes. Modeling tools that allow a quantitative analysis of this trade‐off can be very beneficial in tuning EGR systems over a range of operating conditions. In this study, the systematic development of a model that allows an assessment of the impact of EGR on three parameters, namely (a) the thermodynamic cycle efficiency, (b) the mixture temperatures during the cycle and (c) the mixture‐averaged γ, is presented. This is accomplished through a numerical solution of the energy equation while considering the effects of heat loss and temporally varying mixture‐averaged values of γ. Results for a simple phenomenological model relating fuel‐burn rate with EGR fraction and the impact of EGR fraction on NO_x reduction are also included. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Experimental study on combustion of torrefied palm kernel shell (PKS) in oxy‐fuel environment

Oxy‐combustion of biomass can be a major candidate to achieve negative emission of CO₂ from a pulverized fuel (pf)‐firing power generation plants. Understanding combustion behavior of biomass fuels in oxy‐firing conditions is a key for design of oxy‐combustion retrofit of pulverized fuel power plant. This study aims to investigate a lab‐scale combustion behavior of torrefied palm kernel shell (PKS) in oxy‐combustion environments in comparison with the reference bituminous coal. A 20 kW_th‐scale, down‐firing furnace was used to conduct the experiments using both air (conventional) and O₂/CO₂ (30 vol% for O₂) as an oxidant. A bituminous coal (Sebuku coal) was also combusted in both air‐ and oxy‐firing condition with the same conditions of oxidizers and thermal heat inputs. Distributions of gas temperature, unburned carbon, and NO_x concentration were measured through sampling of gases and particles along axial directions. Moreover, the concentrations of SO_x and HCl were measured at the exit of the furnace. Experimental results showed that burnout rate was enhanced during oxy‐fuel combustion. The unburnt carbon in the flue gas was reduced considerably (~75%) during combustion of torrefied PKS in oxy‐fuel environment as compared with air‐firing condition. In addition, NO emission was reduced by 16.5% during combustion of PKS in oxy‐fuel environment as compared with air‐firing condition.     

Influence of advanced injection timing on the performance and emissions of CI engine fueled with ethanol‐blended diesel fuel

Ethanol has been considered as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. On the other hand, injection timing is a major parameter that sensitively affects the engine performance and emissions. Therefore, in this study, the influence of advanced injection timing on the engine performance and exhaust emissions of a single cylinder, naturally aspirated, four stroke, direct injection diesel engine has been experimentally investigated when using ethanol‐blended diesel fuel from 0 to 15% with an increment of 5%. The original injection timing of the engine is 27° crank angle (CA) before top dead center (BTDC). The tests were conducted at three different injection timings (27, 30 and 33° CA BTDC) for 30 Nm constant load at 1800 rpm. The experimental results showed that brake‐specific energy consumption (BSEC), brake‐specific fuel consumption (BSFC), NO_x and CO₂ emissions increased as brake‐thermal efficiency (BTE), smoke, CO and HC emissions decreased with increasing amount of ethanol in the fuel mixture. Comparing the results with those of original injection timing, NO_x emissions increased and smoke, HC and CO emissions decreased for all test fuels at the advanced injection timings. For BSEC, BSFC and BTE, advanced injection timings gave negative results for all test conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ammonia‐fed solid oxide fuel cells for power generation—A review

Ammonia has been identified as a promising sustainable fuel and hydrogen source for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). This paper aims to provide a literature review on ammonia‐fed SOFCs. Both experimental studies and mathematical modeling investigations on NH₃‐fed SOFC are included and discussed. It is found that NH₃ is a technically feasible fuel for direct use in SOFCs and the performance of NH₃‐fed SOFC is comparable with that of the H₂ fed SOFC. Experimental study in literature also demonstrates that both oxygen ion‐conducting electrolyte (SOFC‐O) and proton‐conducting electrolyte (SOFC‐H) can be used in NH₃‐fed SOFC, as the amount of NO_x generated in a SOFC‐O is negligible. Fabricating thin film electrolyte and developing more reactive electrode materials are important to improve the performance of NH₃‐fed SOFCs. Mathematical models are useful design tools for understanding the coupled transport and reaction phenomena and for optimizing the SOFC performance. Thermodynamic and pioneering 1D electrochemical models have been developed, validated and demonstrated to be reliable by the present author. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficiency improvement and NOx emission reduction potentials of two‐stage turbocharged Miller cycle for stationary natural gas engines

As a part of an engine research and development project in cooperation with industry, a V20 engine is designed with two‐stage high‐pressure turbocharging, and the potential of the Miller cycle is examined through calculations using computational models based on experimental as well as computational studies. The stationary gas engines must produce less than 250 mg Nm^?3 in 5% excess of O₂, additionally the amount of NO_x emissions and their dependence on engine operational and design conditions are investigated by using a zero‐dimensional reaction kinetic model. The results show an increase in efficiency, also the amount of NO_x emissions is kept under the constraint value of 250 mg Nm^?3 for stationary engines. The results obtained here promise a very high improvement potential for future emission regulations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.