Emissions reduction and pyrolysis gas destruction in an acoustically driven dump combustor

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 UTC 1998 · Combustion and Flame

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-2180(97)00172-7· OSTI ID:619602

Pont, G; Cadou, C P; Karagozian, A R; Smith, O I ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The research described here focuses on the enhancement of hazardous waste and pyrolysis gas surrogate destruction and the reduction in nitric oxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions in an acoustically resonant dump combustor. While several prior studies have focused on flowfield interrogation and hazardous waste surrogate destruction under conditions of natural acoustic excitation, the present study focuses on the device`s behavior under externally forced acoustic excitation. The effect of external forcing on hazardous waste surrogate destruction in the device was recently found to be significant, yielding destruction rates for the surrogate SF{sub 6} that increased by as much as four orders of magnitude with acoustic forcing at specific resonant modes. The present study also indicates a significant improvement in performance with external forcing at the same acoustic modes as those explored earlier. Emissions of NO are seen to decrease by nearly 60%, unburned hydrocarbons are seen to drop by over two orders of magnitude, and waste and pyrolysis gas surrogate destruction is seen to increase by nearly three orders of magnitude, all with external forcing at a specific acoustic mode of the device. The present observations further support the idea that acoustically resonant conditions can render the dump combustor device extremely efficient as well as highly controllable as a small-scale thermal treatment system.

• OSTI ID: 619602
• Journal Information: Combustion and Flame, Journal Name: Combustion and Flame Journal Issue: 1-2 Vol. 113; ISSN CBFMAO; ISSN 0010-2180
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
ACOUSTICS
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
COMBUSTION CONTROL
COMBUSTION KINETICS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INCINERATORS
NITRIC OXIDE
PYROLYTIC GASES