Study of the Effects of Ambient Conditions Upon the Performance of Fan Powered, Infrared, Natural Gas Burners

Technical Report · Mon Mar 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/3823· OSTI ID:3823

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is a simple, fast, reliable and nondestructive analytical method. By using the method developed in Clark Atlanta University, consistent and reliable infrared spectral results can be obtained. An accurate radiant energy can be calculated from these infrared spectra by using a blackbody as the calibration standards. By means of the specially-designed-and-lab-made sampling inlet and the Horiba gas analyzers, the compositions of CO{sub 2}, CO, UCH, NOx and O{sub 2} etc. from the combustion exhaust gases have been on-line accurately analyzed. The commercial natural gas IR burner performed differently in the different conditions. For the methane-air combustion, at the equivalence ratio {Phi} = 1, the IR burner produced its maximum radiation efficiency, {approximately}31.4%, and the concentration of CO{sub 2} reached its maximum value, {approximately}10.7%. In the fuel-lean region, the O{sub 2} concentration in the emission gas decreased proportionally as {Phi} increased, but the concentrations of CO and UHC were kept in a couple of hundred ppm ranges. In the fuel-rich region, the O{sub 2} concentration was kept as a constant, {approximately}0.2%, but the CO and UHC concentrations were quickly jumped to thousands ppm or more as {Phi} further increased. The NOx formation was mainly dependent on the combustion temperature, and reached its maximum, {approximately}8 ppm, at {Phi}= {approximately}1. Because of the uniform temperature distribution, the IR burner produced lower NOx than traditional gas burners. Nitrogen is a non-combustible gas. It worked only as diluent for the combustion, reducing the radiant efficiency. Propane has a higher molar combustion enthalpy. It produced a higher combustion temperature and NOx, while maintaining similar radiant efficiency. Hydrogen has a lower combustion activation energy. It enhanced the radiant efficiency, and did not significantly affect the production of NOx, CO{sub 2} and CO.

• Research Organization: Federal Energy Technology Center, Morgantown, WV (US); Federal Energy Technology Center, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-94MT94011
• OSTI ID: 3823
• Report Number(s): DE--FG22-94MT94011--11
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
ACTIVATION ENERGY
BLOWERS
BURNERS
CALIBRATION STANDARDS
EXHAUST GASES
GAS BURNERS
INFRARED SPECTRA
NATURAL GAS
PERFORMANCE
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION