Experimental study and numerical simulation of gas-particle flows with radial bias combustion and centrally fuel rich swirl burners

Numerical simulation is applied to gas-particle flows of the primary and the secondary air ducts and burner region, and of two kinds of swirl burners. The modeling results of Radial Bias Combustion (RBC) burner well agreed with the data from the three-dimensional Phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) experiment by Li, et al. The modeling test conducted in a 1025 t/h boiler was to study the quality of aerodynamics for a Central Fuel Rich (CFR) burner, and the Internal Recirculation Zone (IRZ) was measured. In addition, gas-particle flows with a CFR burner were investigated by numerical simulation, whose results accorded with the test data fundamentally. By analyzing the distribution of gas velocity and trajectories of particles respectively, it is found that the primary air’s rigidity of CFR burner is stronger than that of RBC burner, and the primary air mixes with the secondary air later. Furthermore, high concentration region of pulverized coal exists in the burner’s central zone whose atmosphere is reduced, and trajectories of particles in IRZ of CFR burner are longer than that of RBC burner. They are favorable to coal’s ignition and the reduction of NOx emission.

Numerical Simulation of Oxy-coal Combustion for a Swirl Burner with EDC Model

The characteristics of oxy-coal combustion for a swirl burner with a specially designed preheating chamber are studied numerically. In order to increase the accuracy in the prediction of flame temperature and igni- tion position, eddy dissipation concept （EDC） model with a skeletal chemical reaction mechanism was adopted to describe the combustion of volatile matter. Simulation was conducted under six oxidant stream conditions with dif- ferent OjN2/CO2 molar ratios： 21/79/0, 30/70/0, 50/50/0, 21/0/79, 30/0/70 and 50/0/50. Results showed that 02 en- richment in the primary oxidant stream is in favor of combustion stabilization, acceleration of ignition and increase of maximum flame temperature, while the full substitution of N2 by CO2 in the oxidant stream delays ignition and decreases the maximum flame temperature. However, the overall flow field and flame shapes in these cases are very similar at the same flow rate of the primary oxidant stream. Combustion characteristics of the air-coal is similar to that of the oxy-coal with 30% 02 and 70% CO2 in the oxidant stream, indicating that the rear condition is suitable for retrofitting an air-coal fired boiler to an oxy-coal one. The swirl burner with a specially designed preheating chamber can increase flame temperature, accelerate ignition and enhance burning intensity of pulverized coal under oxy-coal combustion. Also, qualitative experimental validation indicated the burner can reduce the overall NOx emission under certain 02 enrichment and oxy-coal combustion conditions against the air-coal combustion.

Measurements of Non-reacting and Reacting Flow Fields of a Liquid Swirl Flame Burner

The understanding of the liquid fuel spray and flow field characteristics inside a combustor is crucial for designing a fuel efficient and low emission device.Characterisation of the flow field of a model gas turbine liquid swirl burner is performed by using a2-D particle imaging velocimetry（PIV）system.The flow field pattern of an axial flow burner with a fixed swirl intensity is compared under confined and unconfined conditions,i.e.,with and without the combustor wall.The effect of temperature on the main swirling air flow is investigated under open and non-reacting conditions.The result shows that axial and radial velocities increase as a result of decreased flow density and increased flow volume.The flow field of the main swirling flow with liquid fuel spray injection is compared to non-spray swirling flow.Introduction of liquid fuel spray changes the swirl air flow field at the burner outlet,where the radial velocity components increase for both open and confined environment.Under reacting condition,the enclosure generates a corner recirculation zone that intensifies the strength of radial velocity.The reverse flow and corner recirculation zone assists in stabilizing the flame by preheating the reactants.The flow field data can be used as validation target for swirl combustion modelling.

Experimental Study on the Interactions for Bluff-body and Swirl in Stabilized Flame Process

This paper focuses on investigating the interaction effects for swirl and bluff-body in stabilized flame process. Particle image velocimetry was used to measure velocity fields in three burners. First, the comparison of flames in bluff-body stabilized burners with and without swirl is presented. The results of the experiments present the variations of bluff-body stabilized flame when swirl is added into burner: the maximum reverse flow velocity and the maximum mean average radial velocity decrease; the maximum radial rootmean squared fluctuating (rms) velocity increases; the values of the axial velocity peak on the side of nozzle axis are lower, and the distance between the peak and centerline is bigger; the location of the maximum radial rms velocity moves to the outlet of annular air-flow from central recirculation zone (CRZ). Then, the comparison of flames in swirl burners with and without bluff-body is provided. The results of the experiments show the changes of swirling flame when bluff-body is added into swirl burner: the air vortex in the CRZ moves to the burner; the peak values of axial mean and rms velocity decrease; the distance between centerline and the mean axial and rms velocity peak increase; the peak of mean radial velocity decreases, and the peak of rms raidial velocity increase. The data from this experiment can also be established as benchmarks for the development and validation of combustion numerical simulations.

Large eddy simulation of unconfined turbulent swirling flow

Large eddy simulations(LES) were performed to study the non-reacting flow fields of a Cambridge swirl burner. The dynamic Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model is used as the sub-grid scale turbulence model. Comparisons of experimental data show that the LES results are capable of predicting mean and root-mean-square velocity profiles. The LES results show that the annular swirling flow has a minor impact on the formation of the bluff-body recirculation zone. The vortex structures near the shear layers, visualized by the iso-surface of Q-criterion, display ring structures in non-swirling flow and helical structures in swirling flow near the burner exit. Spectral analysis was employed to predict the occurrence of flow oscillations induced by vortex shedding and precessing vortex core(PVC). In order to extract accurately the unsteady large-scale structures in swirling flow, a three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition(POD) method was developed to reconstruct turbulent fluctuating velocity fields. POD analysis reveals that flow fields contain co-existing helical and toroidal shaped coherent structures. The helical structure associated with the PVC is the most energetic dynamic flow structure. The latter toroidal structure associated with vortex shedding has lower energy content which indicates that it is a secondary structure.

Numerical investigation of gas-particle flow in the primary air pipe of a low NO_x swirl burner-The DEM-CFD method

The gas-particle flow in the primary air pipe （PAP） of a low NOx swirl burner was investigated using the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） coupled with the discrete element method （DEM）. The mathematical models were validated using the measured values obtained at the outlet of the primary pipe through a phase Doppler anemometer （PDA） system. Particles of different Stokes numbers in the primary air pipe （PAP） were investigated, and the effects of the structure of the primary air pipe and the particle-particle interaction on particle dispersion were analyzed. The results indicate that particles under the combined effects of the Venturi pipe and the spindle body are concentrated into a narrow band area and that the PAP structure can more efficiently concentrate particles with large Stokes numbers. The formed fuel rich/lean jet persists for a long distance out of the burner, thereby favoring of air-staged combustion and NOx reduction. The particle collision frequency and its fluctuation range increase as the particle Stokes number increases. The collisions among particles result in an increase of the spanwise dispersion of particles. Experimental results indicate that the models that take particle-particle collision into consideration are more able to predict particle concentration.

Influence of mass air flow ratio on gas-particle flow characteristics of a swirl burner in a 29 MW pulverized coal boiler

In a gas/particle two-phase test facility, a three-component particle-dynamics anemometer was used to measure the characteristics of gas/particle two-phase flows in a 29 megawatt (MW) pulverized coal industrial boiler equipped with a new type of swirling pulverized coal burner. The distributions of three-dimensional gas/particle velocity, particle volume flux, and particle size distribution were measured under different working conditions. The mean axial velocity and the particle volume flux in the central region of the burner outlet were found to be negative. This indicated that a central recirculation zone was formed in the center of the burner. In the central recirculation zone, the absolute value of the mean axial velocity and the particle volume flux increased when the external secondary air volume increased. The size of the central reflux zone remained stable when the air volume ratio changed. Along the direction of the jet, the peak value formed by the tertiary air gradually moved toward the center of the burner. This tertiary air was mixed with the peak value formed by the air in the adiabatic combustion chamber after the cross-section of x/d = 0.7. Large particles were concentrated near the wall area, and the particle size in the recirculation zone was small.

Numerical Simulation of Gas-particle Flows with Different Swirl Numbers in a Swirl Burner

Swirl burner design was optimized by simulating swirl gas\|particle flows with different swirl numbers at the exit of a small\|scale swirl burner for pulverized\|coal furnaces using the k\|ε\|k p model. The predicted two\|phase time\|averaged velocities and particle concentration distributions for several different cases were compared to improve the design. The effect of the swirl number on the two\|phase velocities and particle concentration was investigated. The results give the two\|phase axial and tangential time\|averaged and fluctuation velocities and particle concentrations, showing that large recirculation zones of gas and particles forms in the near\|axis region of the burner exit, but the particle concentration in the recirculating zone is very low.

Simulation of Combustion Flow of Methane Gas in a Premixed Low-Swirl Burner using a Partially Premixed Combustion Model

Because the rotational current stabilizes the flame by creating a recirculation zone,it may increase the risk of reversal.For this reason,low-spin combustion is used to stabilize the flame while preventing flashbacks.Therefore,in this study,the combustion flow of methane gas in a low-swirl burner is simulated using a partially premixed combustion model.Furthermore,the fuel flow rate is considered constant.The research parameters include swirl angle(θ=35°–47°),equivalence ratio(φ=0.6–0.9)and inlet axial flow radius(R=0.6–0.7)and effect of these parameters on temperature distribution,flame length,flame rise length,velocity field,and streamlines of the number of pollutant species are investigated.The contours of streamline,temperature distribution,and velocity distribution are also presented for analysis of flow physics.The results show that with increasing the fuel-air ratio,the strength of the axial flow decreases,and the position of the maximum flame temperature shifts toward the inlet of the reactants.The results also reveal that by increasing the swirl angle of the flow,the position of the minimum velocity value(opposite to the direction of the axis)tends towards the outlet.The results also indicate that the maximum temperature of the combustion chamber increases with increasing the swirl angle,and inθ=35°,the maximum temperature is 1711℃and inθ=41°,this value is 1812℃.Finally,by increasing the swirl angle toθ=47°,the maximum flame temperature position is found at a considerable distance from the inlet and is 1842℃.

Cold Gas-particle Flows in a New Swirl Pulverized-coal Burner by PDPA Measurement

A new type of swirl burner has been developed to stabilize pulverized\|coal combustion by burning different types of coal at different loads and to reduce NO x formation during combustion. The burner uses a device to concentrate the coal powder in the primary\|air tube that divides the primary coal\|air into two streams with different pulverized\|coal concentrations. This paper reports the measurement of gas\|particle flows at the exit of the different swirl burners using a 3\|D Phase Doppler Particle Anemometer (PDPA). The effect of different geometrical configurations on the two\|phase flow field is studied. The results that give the two\|phase flow fields and particle concentrations show the superiority of the new swirl burner.