The Application of Flame Tomography to Improve Combustion Systems

C. Ellul, M. Pourkashanian, M. Wang and A .Williams.

SPEME, Leeds University, Leeds, LS2 9JT, Email: a.williams@leeds.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

There are considerable pressures at the present time to increase the efficiency of natural gas fired plant whilst at the same time reducing the environmental impact, particularly the emission of nitrogen oxides. A new generation of burners has been developed which uses high temperature combustion air resulting from the recuperation or regeneration of high temperature flue gases. At the extreme this has resulted in the development of flameless burners where the flame is not visible, but there are a number of important industrial flame systems that are in the region between conventional and flameless. These burners present a number of challenges in flame diagnostics and the object of this paper is to report the application of sensitive electrical capacitance tomography measurements to such flames. This involves natural gas and propane/butane flames being used over a range of combustion conditions. Details will be given on the types of information that can be elucidated from such combustion systems, particularly relating to combustion efficiency and NO reduction. The advantages in using tomographic information coupled with CFD flame modelling will be outlined.

Keywords Gas combustion, electrical capacitance tomography.