Oxygen enrichment for open cycle magnetohydrodynamic power systems

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6650194· OSTI ID:6650194

Efficient coal fired, open cycle MHD power generation systems require a combustion flame temperature of approximately 4600 F to provide adequate electrical conductivity in the MHD gas. To achieve this high flame temperature, either highly preheated combustion air or oxygen enrichment of combustion air preheated to a lower temperature is required. Since directly and separately fired high temperature air preheaters are not sufficiently advanced in development to ensure their reliable operation in near term MHD systems, oxygen enrichment may be the practical alternative for obtaining required flame temperatures in the near future. The work presented is a preliminary evaluation of economic and performance effects due to oxygen enrichment of combustion air in open cycle MHD power systems. Studies were initiated with a literature search and a comprehensive review of previous studies of oxygen enrichment in MHD systems. Summaries of these studies and their conclusions are contained in Appendix A. Using selected references from the literature as a starting point, sets of ground rules and assumptions were established for conducting an updated study with subsonic MHD channels. A NASA-developed computer code for modeling of the combustion products and establishing plasma properties was utilized, with slight modification, to prepare a base of thermal properties. Assuming Montana Rosebud coal and combustion air enriched with oxygen from 0 to 50% (by mass), a series of Mollier diagrams was prepared for the complete range of oxygen enriched cases (Appendix B). (WHK)

• Research Organization: Gilbert/Commonwealth, Reading, PA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-77ET11058
• OSTI ID: 6650194
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/11058-T1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300101 -- MHD Generators-- Design & Development
300102* -- MHD Generators-- Performance & Testing
300103 -- MHD Generators-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
AIR HEATERS
COAL FINES
COAL-FIRED MHD GENERATORS
COMBINED-CYCLE POWER PLANTS
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
DATA
DIMENSIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ENRICHMENT
GRAPHS
HEATERS
INFORMATION
ION TEMPERATURE
LENGTH
MHD CHANNELS
MHD GENERATORS
MHD POWER PLANTS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPEN-CYCLE MHD GENERATORS
OXYGEN ENRICHMENT
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THEORETICAL DATA
THERMAL POWER PLANTS