Development of an industrial burner: Heat release enhancement through intensified turbulent premixed combustion

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Canada has about 290 remote areas with an approximate population of 194000. These areas require efficient**and stand-alone power generator units for addressing their energy needs. Etalim Inc. is an energy-related**company that develops small scale (1-5 kW) natural gas-fueled electric power-generators for the Canadian**remote areas. Key to operation of the generators is combustion of natural gas and air mixture inside a burner.**The existing Etalim burner utilizes a detached and laminar premixed flame configuration that causes two**issues. First, the detached flame configuration allows for escape of unburnt fuel to the burner exhaust, leading**to unburnt natural gas emission. Second, the laminar flame configuration of the burner limits the electric power**output from the generator. This is because the power output is directly related to the combustion heat release,**and that the laminar premixed flames feature significantly smaller heat release compared to that of the turbulent**flames. The primary objective of the proposed project is to enhance the Etalim burner heat release power by**modifying the burner design.**The above objective will be addressed through three tasks. First, the combustion heat release power of the**existing burner will be measured using laser-based diagnostics as a benchmark for comparisons. Second, the**existing burner will be replaced with a Bunsen-type burner (that produces turbulent premixed flames) equipped**with a perforated plate-type turbulence generator. This generator will have modular features which allow for**changing the turbulent flow characteristics, and as a result the combustion heat release. In the third task, using**laser-based diagnostics, the combustion heat release will be measured for several turbulence generator**operating configurations and the results will be compared to those measured from the first task. The turbulence**generator configuration that leads to maximized heat release will be specified, and the modified burner design**along with the turbulence generator will be transferred to Etalim.