Abstract
The objective of this research project was to identify and determine the effect of jet burner operating variables that influence combustion of low-BTU gases. This was done by simulating the combustion of a low-BTU fuel in a jet flame and predicting the thermal NOx formation and combustion temperatures from the combustion products as a function of the percent excess air, the Reynolds number, and air preheating. The study was generated utilizing the FLUENT computational fluid dynamics computer software to simulate the primary combustion zone of a turbulent combustor. The simulation considered the principles of conservation of mass, energy, momentum, and chemical species to solve the differential equations used to generate the data for temperature, fuel and air mass fractions, and NOx formation. The results showed that the excess air, the Reynolds number, and preheating the inlet air significantly affected the primary zone temperatures and NOx produced. The results obtained from the simulations verify the ability to control combustion temperatures while reducing the amount of NOx formed to an acceptable level as stated by the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations on pollution production.
Carney, Christopher Mark (1995). An analytical investigation of primary zone combustion temperatures and NOx production for turbulent jet flames using low-BTU fuels. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1995 -THESIS -C3754.