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At least 523 records · Page 29

Comparison of Single-Element and Multi-Element Oxygen/RP-1 Oxidizer-Rich Staged-Combustion Injector Hot-Fire Test Results

As part of the Combustion Stability Tool Development project funded by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center designed, fabricated, assembled and hot-fire tested an oxygen/hydrocarbon propellant multi-element integrated test article that included an oxidizer-rich oxygen/hydrocarbon propellant preburner and a staged-combustion main injector. Also as part of this project, the Air Force Research Laboratory fabricated single-element main injectors of the same designs as used in the NASA multi-element injectors, and tested them in a staged-combustion integrated test article that used an oxidizer-rich oxygen/hydrogen propellant preburner. Final results of the multi-element and single-element staged-combustion main injector test programs are described in companion papers at this JANNAF meeting. The design, development, and preliminary test results of these main injectors have also been described in previous JANNAF papers. The main injector element designs were all based on relatively conventional gas-centered swirl coaxial injector element configurations such as used in Russian RD-170 and NK-33 engines, and planned for use in future U.S.-built experimental engine systems such as the Hydrocarbon Boost program demonstration engine. Four different elements were tested in both the multi-element and single-element main injectors, at similar combustion chamber pressures, chamber contraction ratios, and mixture ratios. Variations of the element features included recess depth, fuel gap width, and the presence of the sleeve separating the swirling fuel flow from the axial oxidizer flow. This paper compares the hydraulics, combustion performance, stability, and compatibility characteristics of the single-element and multi-element injectors operated at similar conditions. The single-element hardware is shown to have captured a significant level of the operability of the multi-element hardware.

Hulka, J. R.↗

Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) on the International Space Station (ISS)

Experimental studies of laminar, non-premixed flames of gaseous fuels are underway on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments(ACME) project. The research is primarily focused on improving practical terrestrial combustion through fundamental microgravity research, where a secondary objective is spacecraft fire safety. Example goals are to improve understanding of flame stability and extinction limits, soot control and reduction, oxygen-enriched combustion which could enable practical carbon sequestration, combustion at fuel lean conditions where both optimum performance and low emissions can be achieved, the use of electric fields for combustion control, cool flame chemical kinetics, and materials flammability. The microgravity environment avoids buoyancy-induced flicker and enables the creation of spherical flames, allowing numerical models to focus computational power on transport phenomena and chemical kinetics. Compared to normal gravity, microgravity also provides longer residence times and larger length scales, yielding a broad range of flame conditions which are beneficial for simplified analysis, e.g., of limit behavior where chemical kinetics are important. Using modular hardware, research for six independent investigations is being carried out within the station’s Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). While the ISS crew members set up the experimental hardware, the tests are remotely commanded with investigator input from the NASA Glenn Research Center. Over a thousand flames have been ignited since ACME operations began in Sept. 2017 and selected results from the first five experiments are summarized.

laminar flames↗

FUEL EFFECTS ON COMBUSTION WITH EGR DILUTION IN SPARK IGNITED ENGINES

The use of EGR as a diluent allows operation with an overall stoichiometric charge composition, and the addition of cooled EGR results in well-understood thermodynamic benefits for improved fuel consumption. This study investigates the effect of fuel on the combustion and emission response of EGR dilution in spark ignited engines. A 2.0 L GM Ecotec LNF engine equipped with the production side-mounted direct injection (DI) fueling system is used in this study. Ethanol, isooctane and certified gasoline are investigated with EGR from 0% to the EGR dilution tolerance. Constant BMEP at 2000 rpm was operated with varying CA50 from 8 CAD to 16 CAD aTDCf. The results show that ethanol gives the largest EGR tolerance at a given combustion phasing, engine load and speed. The improved EGR dilution tolerance with ethanol is attributed to a faster flame speed, which manifests itself as shorter combustion duration. Data shows that the combustion stability limit occurs at a critical combustion duration that is fuel independent. Due to different flame speeds, this critical combustion duration occurs at different EGR levels for the different fuels.

COV↗

Ducting arrangement with injector assemblies arranged in an expanding cross-sectional area of a downstream combustion stage in a gas turbine engine

A ducting arrangement (10) in a combustion stage downstream of a main combustion stage of a gas turbine engine is provided. A duct (18) is fluidly coupled to receive a cross-flow of combustion gases from the main combustion stage. Duct (18) includes a duct segment (23) with an expanding cross-sectional area (24) where one or more injector assemblies (26) are disposed. Injector assembly (26) includes one or more reactant-guiding structures (27) arranged to deliver a flow of reactants into the downstream combustion stage to be mixed with the cross-flow of combustion gases. Disclosed injector assemblies are arranged in expanding cross-sectional area (24) to reduce total pressure loss while providing an effective level of mixing of the injected reactants with the passing cross-flow. Respective duct components or the entire ducting arrangement may be formed as a unitized structure, such as a single piece using a rapid manufacturing technology, such as 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

"COMBUSTION DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH EFFICIENCY DIESEL MICRO PILOT NATURAL GAS ENGINE."

Dual fuel engine operation with premixed natural gas as the main fuel and diesel pilot ignition has been gaining interest among research and industry as natural gas is among the most promising existing alternative fuels. The dual fuel engine performance has been shown to equal and sometimes, depending on operating conditions, better the performance and efficiency of the diesel engine. Along with its advantages on the combustion high efficiency, diesel-like performance, and emissions of NOx and particulate matter reduction, some disadvantages are brought by the application of such operation. At light load conditions, there is an increase in CO and HC emissions, low fuel efficiency and combustion stability. While operating at higher loads, the dual fuel engine performance showed to be limited by combustion knock. This effectively reduces the maximum break mean effective pressure (BMEP) the engine can output when compared to a diesel engine. Although combustion knock is well defined in SI and diesel engines, dual fuel knock characterization still needs more investigation. This project centers on developing a fuel system for a diesel engine conversion to dual fuel to deliver high load and high efficiency. The selected engine has been converted to the dual fuel operation and dual fuel combustion has been demonstrated. After achieving the project goal of a high load and high efficiency dual fuel engine, the combustion knock in dual fuel operation will be characterized and a method for detection and intensity calculation will be modeled. The characterization will also be compared to spark ignition (SI) and reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) operating engines.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Segmented annular combustion system with axial fuel staging

A segmented annular combustion system includes an alternating arrangement of fuel nozzles and integrated combustor nozzles. The fuel nozzles deliver fuel to the primary combustion zones. The integrated combustor nozzles include an inner liner segment, an outer liner segment, and a fuel injection panel extending between the liner segments. The fuel injection panel includes injection outlets on one or both side walls to deliver a combustible mixture to the secondary combustion zones. Each fuel injection panel, which provides a boundary between adjacent primary and secondary combustion zones, includes an aft end that defines a turbine nozzle. The segmented annular combustion system is part of a gas turbine.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Effect of Combustion Products on Detonation Velocities

Pressure gain combustion has received increased interest in recent years because of the potential for increased thermodynamic efficiencies in propulsion and power generation applications. In pressure gain devices, mixing of fuel and oxidizer with combustion products can occur in the combustion chamber as the reactants are injected and the exhaust products are purged. Most research, however, considers only fresh reactants. This is significant because mixing can result in decreased detonation velocities. Laminar flame speed calculations show that dilution with combustion products can reduce the flame speed as a consequence of both dilution and chemistry effects. The objective of this study is to identify the effects of dilution with combustion products on detonation velocities, expanding on the results for laminar flame speed calculations. Experiments were performed using a pulse detonation engine instrumented with photodiodes to measure detonation velocities. Sonic orifices were used to meter mass flow rates of fuel (C 3 H 8 ), oxidizer (N 2 O), and combustion products (CO 2 ) or inert diluents (N 2 ). The experiments were performed such that the sensible enthalpy of the diluents was matched, thus observed velocity sensitivities indicate a chemical kinetic effect. The data indicates that non-inert diluents demonstrate a suppression in detonation velocities resulting from chemical kinetic effects. Specifically, testing with CO 2 showed a significant velocity deficit when compared to inert N 2 .

Bean, Derek↗

FLEX-FUEL MIXING CONTROLLED COMBUSTION ENABLED BY PRECHAMBER IGNITION

There is an imminent need to displace fossil diesel fuel with cleaner burning, domestically produced, renewable fuels for use in heavy-duty engines. Bioethanol is a prime candidate as it widely adopted in the U.S. as a gasoline additive ranging in volume percentage from 10% (E10) up to 85% (E85). Direct substitution of market available ethanol-gasoline blends for diesel fuel is not plausible as the stark reactivity differences would not constitute the same ignition quality nor achieve auto-ignition at all. This work focuses on the development of prechamber enabled mixing-controlled combustion (PC-MCC) as an advanced combustion strategy to facilitate reliable ignition and diffusion style combustion ethanol-gasoline fuel blends. PC-MCC involves integration of an actively fueled prechamber (PC) into a conventional compression ignition combustion system. When ignited, the PC ejects hot turbulent jets into the main combustion chamber that then interact with the direct injected fuel, prompting immediate ignition. The PC jet flames provide a robust thermal ignition source that allows the engine to operate agnostic of fuel composition, or flex-fuel. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was used to assess critical design features of the PC while garnering insights into the ignition strategies that facilitate robust performance. A key finding was the ignition performance benefits of fuel-rich PC operation which yield exothermic jets. Based on the numerical findings, a prototype igniter was tested experimentally on both single and multi-cylinder engine platforms at a variety of operating conditions. The experimental results indicate flex-fuel PC-MCC is well capable of diesel-like combustion processes by demonstrating matched or improved gross thermal efficiencies and load variability within 2%. Fuel grade ethanol (E98) exhibited consistently lower NOx and immeasurable soot across the load space. E98 also demonstrated a significant improvement in thermal efficiency at light loads.

Zeman, Jared↗

Data-assisted combustion simulations with dynamic submodel assignment using random forests

This investigation outlines a data-assisted approach that employs random forest classifiers for local and dynamic submodel assignment in turbulent-combustion simulations. This method is demonstrated in simulations of a single-element GOX/GCH4 rocket combustor; a priori as well as a posteriori assessments are conducted to (i) evaluate the accuracy and adjustability of the classifier for targeting different quantities of interest (QoIs), and (ii) assess improvements, resulting from the data-assisted combustion model assignment, in predicting target QoIs during simulation runtime. Results from the a priori study show that random forests, trained with local flow properties as input variables and combustion model errors as training labels, assign three different combustion models – finite-rate chemistry (FRC), flamelet progress variable (FPV) model, and inert mixing (IM) – with reasonable classification performance even when targeting multiple QoIs. Applications in a posteriori studies demonstrate improved predictions from data-assisted simulations, in temperature and CO mass fraction, when compared with monolithic FPV calculations. An additional a posteriori data-assisted simulation of a modified configuration demonstrates that the present approach can be successfully applied to different configurations, as long as thermophysical behavior can be represented by the training data. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that this data-driven framework holds promise for dynamic combustion submodel assignments in reacting flow simulations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Simulations of flaming combustion and flaming-to-smoldering transition in wildland fire spread at flame scale

Our objective in the present study is to provide basic insights into the coupling between external-gas and solid biomass vegetation processes that control the dynamics of flame spread in wildland fire problems. Here we focus on a modeling approach that resolves processes occurring at vegetation and flame scales, i.e., the formation of flammable vapors due to the thermal degradation of the solid biomass, the subsequent combustion in ambient air, the thermal feedback to the biomass through radiative and convective heat transfer, and the possible transition from flaming combustion (taking place outside of the solid biomass) to smoldering combustion (taking place inside the solid biomass). The capability uses a multiphase combustion framework and treats external-gas processes through a Large Eddy Simulation solver and solid biomass processes through a discrete particle model. The discrete particle model adopts a one-dimensional porous medium formulation, includes descriptions of drying, thermal pyrolysis, oxidative pyrolysis, and char oxidation, as well as a description of the external-gas-to-solid-biomass diffusion of oxygen mass; the discrete particle model thereby provides a treatment of in-depth oxidative processes and allows the simulation of smoldering combustion. The modeling capability is applied to the simulation of fire spread across a surrogate biomass vegetation bed corresponding to a discrete array of cylindrical-shaped, vertically-oriented, pine wood sticks, characterized by a monomodal size distribution, in horizontal flat terrain and under wind-aided conditions. The numerical results demonstrate that the model can simulate successful flaming-to-smoldering transition followed by complete biomass consumption.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Combustion chemistry of alkenes and alkadienes

Alkenes formed, during the refining of crude oil, by cracking the heavier fractions are present in transportation fuels in significant amounts, up to as much as 15–20% in gasoline. Moreover, alkenes are also the major intermediate products of the oxidation of alkanes, which play a significant role in autoignition chemistry. This review has assessed the recent progress in gas-phase detailed kinetic model development for species with C=C double bond, mostly C2–C10 alkenes and 1,3-butadiene. The compiled knowledge on alkene combustion chemistry enabled a better understanding of the influence of the number and the position of the C=C double bond on the chemical kinetics and hence combustion behavior of alkenes in engines. At first, the article gives an extensive overview of fundamental combustion experiments by considering studies of C2–C10 alkenes and 1,3-butadiene in shock tubes, rapid compression machines, laminar flames, and jet-stirred and flow reactors. The value of the data from such experiments is critically discussed. Secondly, this article highlights the important reaction classes involved in alkene oxidation over low-, intermediate- and high-temperature ranges. Combustion chemistry covering C2 to C10 alkenes, with a special emphasis on C2 to C7 isomers is discussed by presenting a large body of experimental and modeling investigations. Detailed chemistry differences between alkene isomers and also between alkenes and alkanes are also addressed. Thirdly, the article presents important reaction pathways for PAH precursor formation in different alkenes. Finally, a summary of the distinguishing features of alkene combustion chemistry and an outlook towards future research in this area are presented. In conclusion, this review is focused on linear and branched chain alkenes, and the chemistry of cyclo-alkenes is not included.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Historical releases of mercury to air, land, and water from coal combustion

Coal combustion is one of the largest contemporary sources of anthropogenic mercury (Hg). It releases geologically sequestered Hg to the atmosphere, and fly ash can contaminate terrestrial and aquatic systems. We estimate that coal combustion has released a cumulative total of 38.0 (14.8–98.9, 80% C.I.) Gg (gigagrams, 10 9 g or thousand tonnes) of Hg to air, land, and water up to the year 2010, most of which (97%) has occurred since 1850. The rate of release has grown by two orders of magnitude from 0.01 Gg yr -1 in 1850 to 1 Gg yr -1 in 2010. Geographically, Asia and Europe each account for 32% of cumulative releases and an additional 18% is from North America. About 26.3 (10.2–68.3) Gg, 71% of the total, were directly emitted to the atmosphere, mostly from the industrial (45%) and power generation (36%) sectors, while the remainder was disposed of to land and water bodies. While Europe and North America were the major contributing regions until 1950, Asia has surpassed both in recent decades. By 2010, Asia was responsible for 69% of the total releases of Hg from coal combustion to the environment. Control technologies installed on major emitting sources capture mainly particulate and divalent Hg, and therefore the fraction of elemental Hg in emissions from coal combustion has increased over time from 0.46 in 1850 to 0.61 in 2010. About 11.8 (4.6–30.6) Gg of Hg, 31% of the total, have been transferred to land and water bodies through the disposal or utilization of Hg-containing combustion waste and collected fly ash/FGD waste; approximately 8.8 Gg of this Hg have simply been discarded to waste piles or ash ponds or rivers.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Technology Solutions Case Study: Combustion Safety for Appliances Using Indoor Air

This case study describes how to assess and carry out the combustion safety procedures for appliances and heating equipment that uses indoor air for combustion in low-rise residential buildings. Only appliances installed in the living space, or in an area freely communicating with the living space, vented alone or in tandem with another appliance are considered here. This document is for inspectors, auditors, and technicians working in homes where energy upgrades are being conducted whether or not air infiltration control is included in the package of measures being applied. In the indoor combustion air case, guidelines summarized here are based on language provided in several of the codes to establish minimum requirements for the space using simplified prescriptive measures. In addition, building performance testing procedures are provided by testing agencies. The codes in combination with the test procedures offer comprehensive combustion safety coverage to address safety concerns, allowing inexperienced residential energy retrofit inspectors to effectively address combustion safety issues and allow energy retrofits to proceed.

Building America↗

Experimental Determination of Combustion Characteristics for Commercial Biodiesel and 0# Diesel

In this project, we have experimentally studied the combustion characteristics of commercial refined biodiesel and 0# diesel. Combustion of these two types of flammable liquids was carried out in a calorimeter to measure their heat release rate. The results showed that the heat release rate, which is one of the most significant properties in studying combustion, varies significantly depending on the samples and the dimensions of the circular burner. With the aim of evaluating the combustion characteristics, we also determined and analyzed other key properties of the fuels such as flash point, total heat release, and mass loss rate, which reflect the fire hazard. The results provide an experimental basis for developing fire protection measures during use, storage, and distribution of biodiesel. The flash point of biodiesel is higher than for 0# diesel, while the heat release rate, the experimental total heat release, the average combustion temperature and the radiation of biodiesel are lower than for 0# diesel.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Experimental study and demonstration of pilot-scale oxy-coal combustion at elevated temperatures and pressures

High pressure oxy-fuel firing is a promising next-generation combustion technology for electricity generation, allowing net efficiency improvement compared to traditional oxy-fuel firing systems. Oxy-coal combustion has been extensively investigated at ambient pressure, but limited experimental data is available regarding this combustion method at elevated pressures at pilot or full scale. The study presented here investigates the operational performance of a high pressure, high temperature pilot-scale oxy-fuel combustor. Pulverized Utah bituminous coal in form of coal-water slurry was combusted at pressures up to 14 bar, temperatures up to 1600 °C and firing rates up to 300 kW. Eight different runs were selected for presentation and the measurements include flue gas composition (CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , SO 2 , O 2 ), carbon and sulfur content of fly ash, combustor temperature profile and flame radiation profile. The flame radiation measurements were carried out with a novel narrow beam radiometer which measures local radiant heat flux at a specific location in the combustor. The radiation ranged from 108 to 279 kW/m 2 depending mainly on combustor temperature. Additionally, the temperature significantly impacted the carbon content of fly ash: 2.66% was measured near 1600 °C, while the concentration increased to 36.7% when the temperature was decreased to 1300°C. Furthermore, the successful experimental demonstrations showed that increasing pressure is a viable combustion method and a step towards enhancing the efficiency in oxy-fuel firing based power plants.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

A survey study on arsenic speciation in coal fly ash and insights into the role of coal combustion conditions

Coal fly ashes (CFAs) are the low-density byproducts of the coal combustion process. Improper or uncontrolled CFA disposal poses significant environmental and health concerns due to the potential leaching of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic (As). Previous studies have investigated the content and speciation of As in different CFA samples, yet systematic information on As speciation in CFA with representative coal source and combustion conditions is still missing. Based on a recent survey study on the typical coal sources and combustion conditions across the U.S., this study selected 19 representative CFA samples to systematically investigate As speciation and potential correlations with these parameters. The composition, morphology, mineralogy, and As speciation of these CFA samples were characterized by complementary analytical, microscopic, and spectroscopic techniques. Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy and microscopy analyses revealed the dominant As oxidation state to be As(V) and with strong associations to Ca, with the exception of 3 samples that had 19–51% As(III), likely due to the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process. Principal component analysis was conducted to identify potential correlations of As concentration and oxidation state with parameters such as major element content, loss on ignition (LOI), average particle size, coal source, and combustion condition. Al 2 O 3 and FeO content were found to capture a majority of the variability. Further, results from this study provide fundamental basis for understanding the correlations between coal source, combustion conditions, CFA characteristics, and As speciation, and providing insights for downstream beneficial utilization or disposal management.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Toward a tunable fabrication of multifunctional iron-aluminum spinels via solution combustion synthesis: The effects of fuel, heating mode, and Fe:Al precursor ratio

The solid solutions of iron and aluminum spinels (hercynite, maghemite, magnetite, and γ-alumina) are promising materials for emerging technologies such as solar thermochemical fuel production and clean dehydrogenation of fossil fuels. Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) is an attractive technique for the fabrication of these materials as it has been used for synthesis of many nanoscale oxides. However, the design space of SCS is large with many synthesis parameters affecting the properties of the combustion products. To optimize the SCS of these materials, it is important to determine which parameters yield the best properties. In the present work, FeAlO x nanocomposites were obtained by SCS using iron nitrate and aluminum nitrate as precursors and oxidizers. Two fuels (citric acid and glycine), three Fe:Al molar ratios (1:2, 1:1, and 2:1) in the precursors, and three heating modes (hotplate, muffle furnace, and microwave oven) were compared. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, and laser diffraction particle size analysis. The fuel used had the largest impact on the combustion behavior and hence the material properties. The high combustion temperature of glycine allowed for the formation of an FeAl 2 O 4 /Fe 3 O 4 solid solution, while the lower-temperature combustion of citric acid yielded Al-substituted γ-Fe 2 O 3 with high amorphous content. With citric acid, the specific surface area as high as 200 m 2 /g was achieved. The effect of Fe:Al precursor ratio was clearly seen in variations of the lattice parameter, which demonstrated the ability to tune the phase composition. The heating mode had minor effects on material properties, but some differences were observed. As a result, all products obtained by SCS in a microwave oven had low specific surface areas compared to those obtained with a hotplate and a muffle furnace.

Alumina↗

Viewing internal bubbling and microexplosions in combusting metal particles via x-ray phase contrast imaging

The combustion performance of metal particles for explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics, and bio-agent defeat can be optimized by controlling the chemistry, size, and coatings of the particles. Many pure and composite metal fuels used in these applications have been observed to microexplode during combustion. This causes particles to fragment, revealing fresh surfaces, which may enhance burn rates and efficiencies. Despite these potential benefits, few have attempted to control the bubbling and the microexplosion of metal powders as they combust in molten states. Here, we choose Al:Zr composite powders as a representative system to study bubbling and microexplosions and to identify active mechanisms. Using synchrotron x-rays and phase contrast imaging, we observe molten metal particles of various sizes as they burn in air at temperatures ranging from 2700 to 3500 K. We characterize bubble nucleation and growth in the interior of the particles during the combustion process, and we identify heterogeneous nucleation, slow growth and coalescence of bubbles, as well as rapid bubble growth leading to microexplosions. Bubble growth rates and Laplace pressures are calculated, and we find that during slow expansion growth rates are similar to classical predictions of bubble growth in superheated liquids. For rapid expansions we find that a critical growth rate of ~0.5m s –1 , independent of the initial particle size, is necessary to enable microexplosions. We calculate the rate of gas generation that is needed to enable this growth and we conclude that nitrogen is the gas most likely driving rapid bubble growth and fragmentation. Furthermore these results provide the first in situ observations of the mechanisms that control bubbling and microexplosions during the combustion of metal particles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗