Configuration effects of liquid fuel flameless combustion characteristics in a forward flow laboratory-scale furnace

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental results of a cylindrical combustor under flameless combustion with liquid fuel (LF) for three different configurations. The three flow field configurations constituted varying combinations of tangential air inlet ports and a central atomizing fuel injection nozzle to examine their effects on the FC characteristics of LF. They include optimal configuration (case 1) and two other configurations (case 2 and 3). The results for the three configurations are compared based on temperature distribution visual observation, and emissions. The combustor operated with ethanol in the range of thermal inputs of 21 to 11.3 kW with constant air (5.66 g/s) at ambient conditions. Low NOx and CO emissions, better temperature uniformity, and invisible flame have been observed in the flameless mode for the three configurations compared to the conventional flame. Whereas case 1 recorded lower NOx and CO emissions and higher temperature uniformity over the entire volume of the combustor as compared to the other two cases and referred to an optimal configuration for the present combustor.