Review and analysis of spray combustion as related to alternative fuels

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5548272· OSTI ID:5548272

Black, C. H.; Chiu, H. H.; Fischer, J.; Clinch, J. M.

A review of the literature on spray combustion was conducted, with particular emphasis on theoretical and experimental work on droplet and spray combustion relevant to the use of alternate fuels (mainly liquid fuels derived from coal and shale). Principal differences between coal-derived liquid fuel and petroleum have been identified. Coal liquids have a lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratio, higher aromatic compound content, greater tendency to form soot, and burn with a more luminous flame. Coal liquids pose potential carcinogenic hazards in handling the fuel and from soot resulting from their combustion. Coal liquids are less stable than petroleum, contain considerably more organic nitrogen, produce more NO/sub x/ when burned, and contain less sulfur. They also contain a broader range of volatiles, and spray droplets of coal liquids undergo swelling, disruptive boiling, microexplosions, liquid-phase pyrolysis, and have greater radiative effects. Although demonstration tests have shown that coal liquids can be burned in various combusting devices, such as gas turbines, diesel engines, utility boilers, and residential furnaces, these tests have identified problems that may be encountered: plugging and fouling of fuel nozzles, increased NO/sub x/ emissions, hot corrosion of turbine blades, cooling-hole plugging, irregular burning, higher combustor-wall temperatures, greater soot formation, and variability between coal-liquid samples. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the spray combustion processes of normal petroleum liquids, considerable research work is needed in the area of spray combustion of alternate fuels. Furthermore, the literature indicates that spray combustion of fuels similar to coal liquids is considerably more complex, and that a major research effort is required in anticipation of significant substitution of coal liquids for imported petroleum fuels.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5548272
• Report Number(s): ANL-79-77
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
014000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Combustion
02 PETROLEUM
025000 -- Petroleum-- Combustion
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040500 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Properties & Composition
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400800* -- Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry
AROMATICS
ATOMIZATION
CARCINOGENS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL LIQUIDS
COMBUSTION
DIESEL ENGINES
DOCUMENT TYPES
DROPLETS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL OILS
FUELS
GAS TURBINES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
MACHINERY
MINERAL OILS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
REVIEWS
SHALE OIL
SPRAYS
STABILITY
SULFUR
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY