Jaime A. Erazo JR., Ramkumar Parthasarathy, Subramanyam Gollahalli
Jaime A. Erazo JR., Ramkumar Parthasarathy, Subramanyam Gollahalli
Jaime A. Erazo JR., Ramkumar Parthasarathy, Subramanyam Gollahalli
Fuel
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fuel
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 14 July 2009
Received in revised form 10 June 2010
Accepted 15 July 2010
Available online 25 July 2010
Keywords:
Biofuel
Combustion
Spray
Emission
Drops
a b s t r a c t
The spray atomization and combustion characteristics of canola methyl ester (CME) biofuel are compared
to those of petroleum based No. 2 diesel fuel in this paper. The spray ame was contained in an optically
accessible combustor which was operated at atmospheric pressure with a co-ow of heated air. Fuel was
delivered through a swirl-type air-blast atomizer with an injector orice diameter of 300 lm. A two-component phase Doppler particle analyzer was used to measure the spray droplet size, axial velocity, and
radial velocity distributions. Radial and axial distributions of NO, CO, CO2 and O2 concentrations were also
obtained. Axial and radial distributions of ame temperature were recorded with a PtPt/13%Rh (type R)
thermocouple. The volumetric ow rates of fuel, atomization air and co-ow air were kept constant for
both fuels. The droplet Sauter mean diameter (SMD) at the nozzle exit for CME biofuel spray was smaller
than that of the No. 2 diesel fuel spray, implying faster vaporization rates for the former. The ame temperature decreased more rapidly for the CME biofuel spray ame than for the No. 2 diesel fuel spray ame
in both axial and radial directions. CME biofuel spray ames produced lower in-ame NO and CO peak
concentrations than No. 2 diesel fuel spray ames.
2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Because of the uncertain petroleum prices and the impetus to
develop renewable energy sources, biofuels are emerging as alternatives to petroleum fuels with practical applicability to diesel engines, gas turbines, and industrial continuous combustors.
Biodiesel fuel has many important advantages over conventional
petroleum based fuels. Biodiesel is renewable, carbon-neutral from
an environment standpoint, and is sulfur-free. However, one drawback in the use of biodiesel fuels seems to be the increase in NO by
114% that has been reported from biodiesel fuelled compression
ignition engines [13]. A variety of reasons have been cited for this
increase in NO emissions. Increasing iodine number has been correlated with increasing NO emissions from biodiesel fuelled engines [1,4]. Another recent study attributed the increased NO
emissions to the increased presence of double bonds in biodiesel
fuels [4]. It has also been suggested that the bulk modulus difference between biodiesel and No. 2 diesel fuel causes an advance
in the fuel injection when using biodiesel [46], resulting in higher
temperatures and higher NO. However, the results of experiments
with continuous combustion systems such as gas turbine combustors and oil furnaces show the opposite effect: NOx seems to be
lowered when certain biofuels are substituted for petroleum fuels,
either in the pure form or as blends [79].
The laser imaging studies by Dec [10] have revealed that the
mechanisms and processes in the combustion of a fuel spray in a
diesel engine signicantly differ from the earlier model proposed
by Faeth [11] that was also applicable to continuous spray combustors. Therefore, the NO emission increases observed in biodiesel
fuelled engines may not occur in continuous combustors such as
gas turbines. To understand this discrepancy, studies on ame
structure of sprays, in a more controlled environment than the
complex thermo-chemical environment existing in engines are
needed; this idea formed the basis of the present study.
In this paper, combustion characteristics of canola methyl ester
(CME) biodiesel were documented in a continuous combustor setup. In a companion project, biodiesel combustion in a laminar
ame was studied to isolate fuel chemistry effects [12], the results
of which provide baseline data for comparison. The specic goal of
this paper was to investigate the differences in the combustion and
emission characteristics between No. 2 diesel and CME spray
ames. Parameters, such as air-preheat temperature, atomization
air, and global equivalence ratio, were controlled to provide direct
comparison. In-ame temperature, in-ame concentrations of NO,
CO, CO2 and O2, and spray droplet size and mean droplet axial/radial velocities were measured.
2. Experimental apparatus
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (J.A. Erazo Jr.), [email protected]
(R. Parthasarathy), [email protected] (S. Gollahalli).
0016-2361/$ - see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2010.07.022
3736
1 Fuel Inlet
2 Air Inlet
3 Settling Chamber
with Marbles
4 Screen
5 Air Co- Flow Inlet
6 Flame Chamber
7 Injector
8 Set Screw
10
1 Air Filter and
Rotameter
2 Co Flow Air Heater
3 Fuel Rotameter
4 Air Rotameter
5 Settling Chamber
6 Flame Chamber
7 Fuel Tank
8 Nitrogen Tank
9 Steel Chamber
10 Exhaust Vent
51.8 cm
7
Not to Scale
Not to Scale
20.3 cm
to deliver combustion air obtained from the lab supply line. Heating was accomplished using a 10 kW electrical resistance heater in
conjunction with a temperature controller. A settling chamber was
used to provide a uniform ow of air surrounding the spray. The
ame was contained in a stainless steel test unit with Vycor glass
windows for optical accessibility.
The fuel tank was pressurized with nitrogen, while the atomization air was supplied from an air cylinder. An air-blast atomizer
with an injector diameter of 300 lm was used to produce the
spray. A schematic diagram of the air/fuel tubing is presented in
Fig. 2.
The spray droplet size and velocity distributions were measured
using a 2-channel phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA) [13,14].
The source of light was an argon-ion laser operated at 225 mW,
which was split into the green (514 nm) and blue (488 nm) light.
Bragg cells were used to frequency shift one beam of each color
to facilitate the measurement of reversed ows. The receiving optics was set-up in the off-axis (30) forward-scatter mode. The
diameter-measurement system was calibrated with a mono-disperse droplet generator. In general, approximately 10,000 data
points were collected at each measurement location in the spray
ame and averaged. At certain locations in the spray ame, such
as at the edges and far downstream of the injector, it was not possible to collect such a high number of data points within a reasonable amount of time. On an average, approximately 120 s were
needed to collect the data points at a given location. The PDPA
transmitting and receiving optics were mounted on three-way traverses to move the measuring volume to different locations in the
spray ame. The ame was almost symmetric about the vertical
axis, therefore, only half-width proles are presented.
Species concentration proles of CO, CO2, NO, and O2 were measured using a portable gas analyzer. CO and CO2 concentrations
3737
Molecular formula
Density (kg/m3)
Viscosity (cSt)
Iodine number
C16H34
C19H36O2
850
881
150350
340405
2.63 at 40 C
4.37 at 40 C
42.6
37.4
8.6
115
Table 2
Fuel and air ow rates and temperature settings.
6.32
6.32
58
58
100
232
4.6
4.6
60
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
3.5 cm
40
20
80
80
0.5
1
1.5
Radial Position (cm)
CME Fuel
Vf = 4.6 ml/min
Vaa = 6.32 l/min
Vcf = 58 l/min
Tcf = 232 C
60
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
40
20
0.5
1
1.5
Radial Position (cm)
Fig. 3. Sauter mean diameter proles for No. 2 diesel fuel and CME fuel spray ames.
18
15
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
3.5 cm
12
9
6
3
0
0
18
Mean Droplet Axial Velocity (m/s)
3738
15
CME Fuel
Vf = 4.6 ml/min
Vaa = 6.32 l/min
Vcf = 58 l/min
Tcf = 232 C
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
12
9
6
3
0
0
Fig. 4. Mean droplet axial velocity proles for No. 2 diesel fuel and CME fuel spray ames.
4
3
2
1
0
Axial Distances Downstream of Nozzle
-1
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
3.5 cm
-2
-3
0
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
CME Fuel
Vf = 4.6 ml/min
Vaa = 6.32 l/min
Vcf = 58 l/min
Tcf = 232 C
-3
0
0.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
Fig. 5. Mean radial droplet velocity proles for No. 2 diesel fuel and CME fuel spray ames.
2000
1800
1600
No. 2 Diesel Fuel
Vf = 4.6 ml/min
Vaa = 6.32 l/min
Vcf = 58 l/min
Tcf = 100 C
1400
1200
2200
2200
0.5
1
1.5
Radial Position (cm)
2000
1800
1600
CME Fuel
Vf = 4.6 ml/min
Vaa = 6.32 l/min
Vcf = 58 l/min
Tcf = 232 C
1400
1200
0.5
1
1.5
Radial Position (cm)
Fig. 6. In-ame temperature proles for No.2 diesel fuel and CME fuel spray ames.
uate the signicance of NO production by the Zeldovich mechanism, which is closely correlated with ame temperature. In the
diesel spray ame, the concentrations of CO, CO2 and NO peaked
at 0.75 cm in the radial direction, while the O2 concentration
was at a minimum at this location. The in-ame temperature prole also correlated well with the in-ame concentration proles of
NO, with proles having peaks at this same location. This behavior
3739
Fig. 7. In-ame concentration proles of CO, CO2, O2 and NO of No. 2 diesel fuel spray ame.
reaction front was not observed in the CME spray ame. At 25%
ame height, the CO concentration peaked at approximately
1.25 cm in the radial direction. The O2 concentration reached a
minimum at the centerline and increased in the radial direction,
whereas the CO2 concentration peaked at the centerline and decreased in the radial direction. The NO and in-ame temperature
proles did not display any correlation. At all ame heights, the
CME spray ame produced less NO than the No. 2 diesel fuel spray
ame. This behavior was seen at other ame heights, but in a less
pronounced fashion.
From these measurements, distinctly different combustion processes can be discerned in the two spray ames. The No. 2 diesel
fuel burned in a heterogeneous combustion environment, where
fuel droplets of varying size were evaporating and burning. Soot
formation and oxidation was evident from the luminous, yellow
ame produced. This combustion mode resulted in an increase
in-ame temperature and NO formation, as seen in the in-ame
measurements. In contrast, increased droplet evaporation, less
luminosity, and reduced in-ame temperatures in the CME spray
ame are all indicative of signicant homogenous gas phase reactions. The difference is due to the fuel-bound oxygen present in the
ester functional group of the CME fuel molecule, which aids the
oxidation process and suppresses soot precursors [24].
The lower NO concentrations in the CME spray ame are opposite to the observations of increased NO emissions in biodiesel
fuelled, intermittent combustion, compressionignition engines
reported in various studies [13]; however, recent spray ame
studies under continuous combustion conditions similar to those
simulated in this paper, have reported decreases in NOx emissions
[79] in agreement with our work.
This disagreement between the compressionignition engine
and other spray ame studies, at a rst glance, may be attributed
to the large differences in variability of pressure, temperature,
and residence time between compressionignition engines and
continuous combustors. According to the long-accepted Faeths
model [11] for spray combustion, both spray ames (intermittent
or continuous) exhibit similar behavior; therefore, it was initially
difcult to rationalize these observations. Besides, we were sur-
3740
Fig. 8. In-ame concentration proles of CO, CO2, O2 and NO of CME fuel spray ame.
prised to see that NOx emissions were higher for biofuels than for
the diesel fuel when their vapors were burned in gas-ame burners
[12], in agreement with the observations made in CI engines. A
much closer examination of the more recent, laser-diagnostics
based combustion model of Dec [10], reveals that most of the fuel
injected into a compressionignition engine burns in the homogeneous gas-ame mode, and hence accounts for the congruence of
observations between the gas burners and CI engines, and variance
from those in continuous spray combustors.
4. Summary and conclusions
Spray ames of No. 2 diesel fuel and CME fuel were studied under conditions simulating continuous combustors. Droplet size,
velocity, in-ame temperature, and in-ame species concentration
proles were obtained for the two ames. The CME spray ame
displayed higher rates of droplet evaporation compared to the
No. 2 diesel spray. The No. 2 diesel fuel spray produced larger droplets. The smaller drops in the CME spray ame had higher mean axial velocities and lower radial velocities in the far-injector region.
The CME spray ame produced less NO at all ame heights compared to the No. 2 diesel ame. Also, the CME spray ame was
up to 200 K cooler than the No. 2 diesel spray ame in the far-burner region. Overall, the No. 2 diesel spray ame operated mostly in
the heterogeneous combustion mode, in contrast to more homogenous, gas phase combustion demonstrated by the CME fuel spray
ame. The CME spray ame behavior was in agreement with other
biodiesel spray ame studies under similar continuous combustion
conditions. Also, the variation between CI engine and continues
spray combustion in the NOx production of biofuels compared to
petroleum fuel can be explained by the differences of the dominant
combustion mode.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center. The rst author would also like to thank the US
Department of Education for funding received through a GAANN
fellowship.
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