Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Low-Emission, Fuel-Flexible Combustion
of Liquid Fuels
Ajay K. Agrawal
Abstract In this chapter, we will show that with proper fuel injector and com-
bustor designs, it is possible to cleanly combust different liquid fuels (diesel,
straight vegetable oil, and highly viscous glycerol) in the same combustion system
without requiring upstream processing and/or hardware modi
cations. The results
challenge the traditional combustor design approach relying upon strict fuel
property speci
cations. Instead, we illustrate that fuels with widely different
physical and chemical properties can be cleanly utilized in a combustion system
speci
flexibility. Wide-spread application of this
latter combustor design strategy can result in signi
cally designed to achieve fuel
fl
ts in the
emerging markets for the alternative fuels. The impetus of this study is to engineer
innovative liquid combustion systems to handle conventional and alternative fuels
while reducing harmful environmental impact from various emissions. We will
focus on continuous
cant economic bene
flow combustion systems, thereby precluding reciprocating
systems such as diesel engines from the scope of the present study.
fl
Keywords Liquid fuel combustion
Biofuel combustion
Fuel
fl
flexibility.
Low-
emission combustion
Straight vegetable oil (SVO)
1 Introduction
More than 80 % of the world
s energy supply presently requires combustion of
solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. In particular, liquids fuels are used almost exclu-
sively for vehicular transportation by automotive and aircraft engines. Liquid fuels
are also used in applications such as boilers, industrial and home furnaces, and
power generating gas turbines. Liquid fuel combustion systems of the next
generation must provide high system ef
'
ciency, low emissions, and fuel
fl
flexibility.
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