Numerical Investigation of Fuel Dilution Effects on the Performance of the Conventional and the Highly Preheated and Diluted Air Combustion Furnaces

Abstract

Abstract: This numerical study investigates the effects of using a diluted fuel(50% natural gas and 50% N₂)in an industrial furnace under several cases of conventional combustion(air with 21% O₂ at 300 and 1273 K)and the highly preheated and diluted air(1273 K with 10% O₂ and 90% N₂)combustion(HPDAC)conditions using an in-house computer program.It was found that by applying a combined diluted fuel and oxidant instead of their uncombined and/or undiluted states,the best condition is obtained for the establishment of HPDAC's main unique features.These features are low mean and maximum gas temperature and high radiation/total heat transfer to gas and tubes;as well as more uniformity of theirs distributions which results in decrease in NO_x pollutant formation and increase in furnace efficiency or energy saving.Moreover,a variety of chemical flame shape,the process fluid and tubes walls temperatures profiles,the required regenerator efficiency and finally the concentration and velocity patterns have been also qualitatively/quantitatively studied.

Key words: highly preheated and diluted air combustion furnace, numerical modeling, chemical flame, fuel dilution, NO_x formation, energy saving

摘要： This numerical study investigates the effects of using a diluted fuel(50% natural gas and 50% N₂)in an industrial furnace under several cases of conventional combustion(air with 21% O₂ at 300 and 1273 K)and the highly preheated and diluted air(1273 K with 10% O₂ and 90% N₂)combustion(HPDAC)conditions using an in-house computer program.It was found that by applying a combined diluted fuel and oxidant instead of their uncombined and/or undiluted states,the best condition is obtained for the establishment of HPDAC's main unique features.These features are low mean and maximum gas temperature and high radiation/total heat transfer to gas and tubes;as well as more uniformity of theirs distributions which results in decrease in NO_x pollutant formation and increase in furnace efficiency or energy saving.Moreover,a variety of chemical flame shape,the process fluid and tubes walls temperatures profiles,the required regenerator efficiency and finally the concentration and velocity patterns have been also qualitatively/quantitatively studied.

关键词: highly preheated and diluted air combustion furnace, numerical modeling, chemical flame, fuel dilution, NO_x formation, energy saving

Kiomars Abbasi Khazaei, Ali Asghar Hamidi, Masoud Rahimi. Numerical Investigation of Fuel Dilution Effects on the Performance of the Conventional and the Highly Preheated and Diluted Air Combustion Furnaces[J]. , 2009, 17(5): 711-726.

References

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