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MME 241 Fuels and Combustion

Date: 17 December 2011 Lecture:26
August 2011 Term
Topic: Liquid and Gaseous Fuel Burners
Dr. H. M. Mamun Al Rashed
Department of MME
Web: http://teacher.buet.ac.bd/hrashed/
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka - 1000
Topic: Liquid and Gaseous Fuel Burners
OPG
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General Requirements of a Burner
For smooth and efficient burning, fuel should burn easily as it passes into the
combustion zone.
Even with load fluctuations
Radiation from flame and hot refractory surfaces, and convection from hot gases
should be enough for ignition of fresh fuel.
Ratio of fuel and primary air should be in the limit of inflammability.
Flame stability should be maintained to receive a constant heat release.
Burners should not be operated over or below the capacity range.
There should not be any sudden cold air blown into the burner.
Any factors contributing flame extinction should be avoided. Any factors contributing flame extinction should be avoided.
For high temperature combustion, adequate space should be allowed inside the
furnace.
Black smoke occurs from the carbon soot when flame comes in touch with cold
surface.
Brown colour of smoke may occur by unburnt combustibles.
Flame shape should match burner geometry.
Air supply should be controlled efficiently.
Air supply should be directed in such way to maintain close contact between fuel and
air.
Temperature of the flue gas should be highly maintained to ensure consistent ignition.
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Factors of Selection of Burner
Five characteristics
Flame Shape
Burner design is governed by the flame length and shape.
Good mixing produces a short flame.
Delayed mixing and low velocities result in a long flame.
Combustion Volume
The total area occupied by fuel and combustion products varies depending on burner
design, pressure and velocity.
Stability
Stable burner depends on burner design. Stable burner depends on burner design.
Furnace design can be modified to make it stable under pressure and cold condition.
Drive
This is related with the velocity of the product gas.
Modern furnaces allow pushing of gases with a greater velocity.
Turndown Ratio
It is the ratio of the maximum to minimum heat input rate for efficient operation of the
furnace.
Maximum rate is limited by flame blow off.
Minimum rate is limited by flash back.
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Liquid Fuel Burners
Oil can be burnt in two ways.
By vaporising before ignition not industrially attractive
By atomising widely used
Method of atomisation
Oil is heated to reduce viscosity
A rotating disc can be used to give a spray of oil
This means the combustion area should be large. This means the combustion area should be large.
Droplet size is 50 m.
Or, oil can be injected under high pressure through an orifice to get
a conical spray consisting of droplets.
Or, mixed with air or steam and passed into the burner; droplet size
varies.
Steam is preferred when coal tar fuels and residual fuel oils are used.
Steam acts as a source of heat to reduce the viscosity of the oil.
Moreover, steam is cheaper than high pressure air.
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Atomising Oil Burners
Atomisation of oil increases surface area per unit weight of fuel, which
helps in better combustion.
These burner as integrated facilities to atomisation of oils.
Three types
Pressure jet
Twin-fluid or blast
Rotary
Required Properties of Oil
Low viscosity and low surface tension
These allow ease of dispersion and formation of droplets.
Air gives resistance, friction and turbulence, which help in atomisation.
Air resistance becomes important when the jet surface is disturbed.
Local turbulence in air causes deformation and disruption of the drops.
The higher the liquid velocity, the greater the disturbance in the liquid,
Also, the greater the resistance, friction and turbulence of air.
These allow greater atomisation.
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Burners for Gaseous Fuel Firing
Two methods for burning gas
Gas and air are premixed and fired in the furnace.
Known as premix burner or inside mixing burner
Only a part of the air is mixed.
Rest of the air supplied as secondary air.
Example: Bunsen burner
Gas and air are flown separately into the furnace.
Known as outside mixing type burner or diffusion flame burner or nozzle
mix type burner mix type burner
Fig. 34.8 OPG
Premixing Type Burners
Atmospheric or Aerated Type
Kinetic energy of gas is used to induce flow of air from atm.
Secondary air is supplied separately into the head
Gas Aspiration Burner
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Fig. 34.9 OPG
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Atmospheric Gas Burner
Fig. 34.9 OPG
Has a fixed orifice for gas inlet
A controlled shutter for air supply
A mixing tube; narrow zone
A burner head with ports (holes) on it
Gas flow rate is controlled by a valve. Gas flow rate is controlled by a valve.
When gas is passed through the orifice,
Primary air is sucked into the chamber through shutter.
Air and gas get mixed inside the chamber.
Generally, the amount of primary air is not enough for
completing the combustion.
Hence, secondary air is introduced.
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Operational Characteristics of an Atmospheric Gas Burner
Heat input rate (or gas input rate or port area) vs primary air supply
Curve a sets the upper limit of input rate.
Defines blow-off
Upper limit varies inversely with primary air supply
Input rate should be increased for a large amount of secondary air supply.
Curve b gives the lower limit of primary air.
A low amount of primary air gives a long and yellow flame.
Soot and carbon monoxide form due to incomplete combustion.
For high gas input rate, flow of primary air needs to be controlled.
At this very high gas input rate region, burner efficiency is not satisfactory.
If gas flow rate is very high and level of primary air is not satisfactory,
Then, CO formation is favoured.
Fig. 34.16 OPG
Then, CO formation is favoured.
Curve d
There is a lower amount of gas supply, which must be maintained to prevent
flash back.
Curve c
Stable burner operation is possible in the middle region of curves a, b, c and
d.
So, we can say that a certain burner works only under a certain limit of gas
rate and primary air supply.
Maximum gas rate limited by blow-off, incomplete combustion
Minimum gas rate limited by flash back
The ratio of maximum to minimum gas rate is known as turndown ratio.
Desired 5: 1
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Causes of a Flash Back
Hot refractory
If the refractory lining a burner or furnace is hot enough to bring the
hydrocarbon/air mixture to the auto ignition temperature, rapid combustion
will start.
Flame
Flames from burners are the typical means of initiating combustion of a
hydrocarbon/air mixture. Nozzle mix burners (where the fuel mixes with the
combustion air within the furnace) have zones that are too lean or too rich for
combustion, so the flame must be positioned to heat a volume of well mixed
gas. Large pilot flames can overcome poor positioning of the pilot tip. gas. Large pilot flames can overcome poor positioning of the pilot tip.
Sparks
Sparks are used to ignite burners and also main burners in some cases.
Occasionally small sparks (static electricity) are capable of initiating
combustion, but the extra energy in a large spark helps insure light off.
Undesired sparks, such as those resulting from debris moving through steel
ducting or fans, can initiate combustion and require careful design to avoid.
Dust
Dust or very fine debris are generated while welding or cutting and this dust
when in contact with the nozzle causes a blockage resulting a loud sound and
the flame due to the pressurization results in the flame to fold back into the
nozzle.
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