Engineering Commons^™

Performance Measurements Of Direct Air Injection In A Cavity-Based Flameholder For A Supersonic Combustor, Scott G. Edens

Theses and Dissertations

For several years the Air Force Research Lab Propulsion Directorate has been studying the difficulties in fueling supersonic combustion ramjet engines with hydrocarbon based fuels. Recent investigations have focused on the use of direct air injection into a directly-fueled cavity-based flameholder. Direct air injection has been shown qualitatively to be a valuable tool for improving cavity combustion. Little quantitative data is available that characterizes the performance of cavity-based flameholders. The objective of this research was to quantitatively determine the specific advantages and disadvantages of the direct air injection scheme. This was accomplished via intrusive probing into a supersonic free stream …

Effects Of Pressure On Coal Pyrolysis At High Heating Rates And Char Combustion, Dong Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

Clean coal technologies are now becoming popular because of their high efficiencies and minimal environmental impact. Higher operating pressures have been applied to clean coal technologies. The effect of pressure on coal pyrolysis and char combustion has been extensively studied but still remains to be further explored. The objective of this project was to characterize high pressure, high heating rate coal pyrolysis and char combustion, with emphasis on improving coal/char high pressure combustion models. A flat-flame burner was used in a high pressure laminar flow facility to conduct high temperature, high heating rate pyrolysis and combustion experiments for four coals. …

Effects Of Fuel Molecular Structure And Composition On Soot Formation In Direct-Injection Spray Flames, Kenth Ingemar Svensson

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous investigations have been conducted to determine the effect of fuel composition and molecular structure on particulate emissions using exhaust gas analysis, but relatively few measurements have been obtained in-cylinder or under conditions where fuel effects can be isolated from other variables. In this work, dimethoxymethane was used as the base fuel to produce a non-sooting flame in a constant volume combustion vessel at 1000 K, and a density of 16.6 kg/m3. A second fuel was then added incrementally to determine an incipient soot limit. Line-of-sight extinction measurements were used as the primary diagnostic tool to determine if a correlation …

Comprehensive Black Liquor Droplet Combustion Studies, Leong-Teng Ip

Theses and Dissertations

Black liquor, a byproduct from pulp production, is burned in a recovery boiler to generate electricity and recover inorganic materials. Black-liquor-droplet combustion is fundamental to understanding and potentially improving recovery boiler performance. This investigation reports comprehensive experimental data collected for a suite of five liquors. All the data were collected with newly-designed laboratory equipment, several aspects of which are unique. Single droplets were suspended on a thermocouple and heated in a furnace. Simultaneous diameter (size and shape), internal and surface temperatures, surface emissivity, and mass were measured under various furnace temperatures and gas compositions. The images recorded by the cameras …

An Investigation Of The Autoignition Of Power Generation Gas Turbine Fuel Blends Using A Design Of Experiments Approach, Jaap De Vries

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural gas has grown in popularity as a fuel for power generation gas turbines. However, changes in fuel composition are a topic of concern since fuel variability can have a great impact on the reliability and performance of the burner design. In particular, autoignition of the premixed fuel and air prior to entering the main burner is a potential concern when using exotic fuel blends. To obtain much-needed data in this area, autoignition experiments for a wide range of likely fuel blends containing CH4 mixed with combinations of C2H6, C3H8, C4H10, C5H12, and H2 were performed in a high-pressure shock …

Study Of The Effects Of Magnetic Field On The Properties Of Combustion Synthesized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles, Nagaraju Komuravelli

LSU Master's Theses

Nanosized chain-like aggregates were developed in an iron pentacarbonyl-carbon monoxide (Fe(CO) 5 ¨C CO) air diffusion flame system. Magnetic field was applied around the diffusion flame using an electromagnet with an intensity of 0.4 Tesla. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis was performed to observe the behavior of the chains formed and to study the effect of magnetic field on these chains. These chain aggregates consist mainly of Fe2O3, which play a vital role in magnetic storage devices. Diffraction pattern analysis and X-ray Photon Spectroscopy (XPS) were carried out to confirm that the chain aggregates consist of mainly ¦Ã-Fe2O3. The effect …

Combustion Of Aerosolized Spherical Aluminum Powders And Flakes In Air, Binu Zacharia Eapen

Theses

Combustion rates and completeness of aerosolized spherical aluminum powders and flakes are compared using constant volume explosion experiments. The comparison of particles and flake sizes was made based on their specific surface areas determined using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method and respective "BET diameters". It is observed that the rates of pressure rise and rates of flame propagation were higher for aluminum powders with BET diameters of about 2 to 5 μm compared to aluminum flakes for which the BET diameters were under 1 μm In agreement with the flame propagation rates, the overall completeness of combustion was also higher for …

A Five-Zone Model For Direct Injection Diesel Combustion, Rich Asay

Theses and Dissertations

Recent imaging studies have provided a new conceptual model of the internal structure of direct injection diesel fuel jets as well as empirical correlations predicting jet development and structure. This information was used to create a diesel cycle simulation model using C language including compression, fuel injection and combustion, and expansion processes. Empirical relationships were used to create a new mixing-limited zero-dimensional model of the diesel combustion process. During fuel injection five zones were created to model the reacting fuel jet: 1) liquid phase fuel 2) vapor phase fuel 3) rich premixed products 4) diffusion flame sheath 5) surrounding bulk …

Two Dimensional Numerical Simulation Of Highly-Strained Hydrogen-Air Opposed Jet Laminar Diffusion Flames, Kyu C. Hwang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this study, a detailed 2-D numerical technique is utilized to investigate the structure, and flame extinction and restoration characteristics of laminar hydrogen-air opposed jet diffusion flames, using both plug (uniform) and parabolic inflow boundary conditions for 3 millimeter jet tubes, spaced 6 millimeters apart and imbedded in low velocity coflows.

First, by using the most recent of two chemical kinetic models, excellent agreement was obtained between calculated distributions of temperature and major species, and published UV laser Raman scattering measurements, for 50% and 100% hydrogen-air flames over a range of input strain rates. Agreement with measured OH profiles was …

Numerical Studies On Supersonic Mixing And Combustion Phenomena, Tarek M. Abdel-Salam

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A numerical study is conducted to investigate the mixing, combustion, and flow characteristics of different scramjet-combustor configurations. Three-dimensional models for the combustors have been used. Numerical results are obtained using a finite volume computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code with unstructured grids with sizes between 200,000 and 400,000 cells.

In the first part of the current study, the effects of the side angle of the fuel injectors in both mixing and combustion processes are investigated. Raised (compression) and relieved (expansion) wall-mounted ramps are used with side angles of 0 (unswept), 5, and 10 degrees. Results are obtained for nonreacting flows as …

Rotary Kiln Incineration Of Hazardous Wastes: Pilot-Scale Studies At Louisiana State University, John Sutherland Earle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies of incineration of surrogates for hazardous wastes are conducted in the pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator (RKI) at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The purpose of the research is to investigate methods of treating and destroying hazardous wastes in a cost-effective and environmentally sound way. The objective is to provide process data that will contribute to increased knowledge for RKI design and operation. The LSU facility is a College of Engineering Combustion Laboratory that is unique in its large size as a university laboratory. It is equipped with individual instruments for analysis of O₂, CO, …

Elementary, Pressure Dependent Model For Combustion Of C1, C2 And Nitrogen Containing Hydrocarbons : Operation Of A Pilot Scale Incinerator And Model Comparison, Chad Sheng

Dissertations

A 140000 BTU/hr pilot scale incinerator has been constructed, tested and run; and an online sampling train capable of taking in situ data has been established. The continuous on-line analytical instruments include a CO analyzer, an NO/NOx analyzer and an 02 analyzer. In addition, two gas chromatographs with flame ionization detector are used to determine CH4, C2H2 + C2H4 and total hydrocarbon concentrations. Typical operating conditions are at an average 02 concentration of 6 - 8 %. The NO concentration ranged from 100 - 200 ppm. Approximately I ppm of CH.4 is also present at steady state operations.

The kinetic …

Comparison Of Numerical And Experimental Results Of Four Liquid Spray Combustors, Dong Hu

LSU Master's Theses

Validation of CFD predictions for liquid spray combustion application is a challenging task due to difficulties in both modeling and experimental measurements. Validation is considered to be a key step for successful CFD predictions of combustion systems. The goals of this thesis are threefold: (1) validation of models used for spray combustion predictions, (2) using the validated predictions to explain steady flow and combustion physics, and (3) using the validated procedure to simulate conditions where unstable combustion behavior is observed experimentally, and to explore if such unstable behavior can be predicted correctly. The model validation is done with respect to …

Supersonic Combustion And Mixing Characteristics Of Hydrocarbon Fuels In Screamjet Engines, Ahmed A. Taha

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The combustion characteristics of gaseous propane in supersonic airflow using the rearward-facing step that is swept inward from both end sides is studied. The effect of sweeping the step on the flow field features of propane combustion is investigated.

The study of the supersonic combustion of ethylene is carried out using different combustor configurations, different main fuel equivalence ratios, and different pilot fuel equivalence ratios.

The swept step shows the ability to hold the propane flame in the supersonic air stream without extinction. It was found that the side sweeping of the combustor exhibits the high temperature and combustion products …

Parametric Study Of Heavy Metal Partitioning In A Pilot Scale Incinerator Burning Simulated Municipal Solid Waste, Sukrut S. Thipse

Dissertations

Incineration is a combustion process used to convert toxic waste to benign gases and residue in presence of excess air. The products of the incineration process are bottom ash, fly ash and the flue gas. Most of the metal-based phases formed in incineration are toxic and their emissions need to be strictly controlled. Therefore, behavior of metal species during incineration must be well understood. Such understanding is possible based on the experimental identification of the metal phases formed in the waste combustion and determination of their concentration in various incineration products.

A pilot-scale incinerator of 140,000 Btu/hr capacity was constructed, …

Radiative Interactions In Thermochemical Nonequilibrium Expanding Flows, Srikanth B. Pidugu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A numerical study is conducted to investigate radiative interactions in flows with thermal and chemical nonequilibrium. The two dimensional spatially elliptic Navier-Stokes equations have been used to numerically investigate different physical processes in the nozzle flow problem. The system of governing equations are solved using explicit, unsplit MacCormack predictor-corrector scheme. The chemistry source term is treated implicitly to alleviate stiffness associated with fast chemical reactions.

Different physical processes considered in this study are investigated in a systematic manner. Finite chemical processes in chemically reacting supersonic nozzle flows are studied. Five hydrogen-air combustion models have been employed to study the influence …

Studies Of Mixing Processes In Gases And Effects On Combustion And Stability, Frank Paul Kozusko Jr.

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

Three physical models of laminar mixing of initially separated gases are studied. Two models study the effects of the mixing dynamics on the chemical reactions between the gases. The third model studies the structure and stability of a laminar mixing layer in a binary gas. The three models are:

1. Two ideal and incompressible gases representing fuel and oxidizer are initially at rest and separated across an infinite linear interface in a two dimensional system. Combustion, expected as the gases mix, will lead to a rapid rise in temperature in a localized area, i.e. ignition. The mixing of the gases …

Studies On Nonequilibrium Phenomena In Supersonic Chemically Reacting Flows, Rajnish Chandrasekhar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study deals with a systematic investigation of nonequilibrium processes in supersonic combustion. The two-dimensional, elliptic Navier-Stokes equations are used to investigate supersonic flows with nonequilibrium chemistry and thermodynamics, coupled with radiation, for hydrogen-air systems. The explicit, unsplit MacCormack finite-difference scheme is used to advance the governing equations in time, until convergence is achieved.

For a basic understanding of the flow physics, premixed flows undergoing finite rate chemical reactions are investigated. Results obtained for specific conditions indicate that the radiative interactions vary substantially, depending on reactions involving HO$\sb2$ and NO species, and that this can have a noticeable influence on …

Entrance Effects For Short Catalytic Combustion Monoliths, Dong Dai

Theses

Catalytic combustion/incineration is becoming increasingly important in modern industrial processes. This thesis work investigates the importance of heat and mass transfer entrance effects in short catalytic combustion monoliths, and includes these effects in an engineering model. Consideration is limited to laminar-flow heat and mass transfer in a circular tube, in which Prandtl number is close to unity, as is the case for air. Thermal, mass and velocity boundary layer growths are considered with inlet conditions assumed uniform at a monolith bed entrance. Conservation equations are solved assuming laminar, steady-state flow, with constant wall temperature, and negligible axial diffusion of heat …