Flameless combustion in a 2x100kWth furnace

Abstract

Flameless combustion is a proven technique for increasing the energy efficiency of hydrocarbon fueled furnaces while also reducing pollutants from being emitted. The increased industrial use of this technology has led to a demand for more information about the possible application for a wider range of appliances. The Delft University of Technology acquired an experimental multi-burner furnace for further research on flameless combustion to do so, in 2007. Prior research focussed on the effect of several parameters (e.g. cycle time, burner configuration and firing mode) on the performance of the furnace. Further investigation into the formation of a near burner zone gave rise to the construction of a new measurement probe, in order to investigate the species concentrations inside the furnace. Experiments have been conducted with the new measurement probe for a range of different furnace settings. Profiles have been made from the collected data, to show the species concentration along a line in the furnace perpendicular to the wall and along the symmetry axis of the burner. Three cases of CFD simulations have been compared with the experimental results, with moderate success due to differences between the setup and the CFD model. An introduction into the field of Design of Experiments was made. The technique is suggested to be used for improvement of the design generation for the experimental campaigns. This should be done using dedicated software programs. Lastly, several adaptations have been suggested to be made for the furnace and peripheral equipment e.g. installation of a static mixer for biogas fuel experiments and a new gas analyzer for increasing measurement accuracy.