Combustion Science and Advanced Technologies for Clean Energy from Low-Calorific Alternative Fuels

我的研究计划主要是为先进的燃烧室概念开发预测性设计工具，以实现燃烧替代燃料时的高效率和低排放。不断上涨的能源成本以及对二氧化碳和其他污染物排放的担忧是社会面临的两个关键挑战，可以通过在高效低排放的分布式发电机中使用低成本、可再生的生物质衍生燃料发电来部分解决这些挑战。该提案针对的是两种地区性和民用规模的发电技术：燃气轮机发动机(GTE)和斯特林发动机发电机。沼气和稀释合成气是低净碳，相对低价值的生物能源，可以补充或取代清洁的预混燃烧发电机中的天然气；然而，这些低热量燃料中的高稀释剂水平导致低反应性和火焰稳定问题。对于住宅规模的发电，我们将开发用于斯特林发动机发电机(SEG)的新型热循环燃烧器(HRB)的设计工具，并建立该技术的示范单元。这些燃烧器允许在一定的燃烧速率或气体成分范围内稳定燃烧，并承诺提高效率和减少废气排放。HRB/SEG系统能够利用现有生物质廉价而清洁地发电，从而对农村社区产生重大影响。对于地区性规模的发电，我的团队正在与劳斯莱斯加拿大公司(RRC)合作，为GTE开发替代燃料。干式低排放(DLE)GTE是RRC开发的一种新的燃烧室概念，它使用稀薄预混燃烧来实现较低的火焰温度和相关的NOx排放减少；然而，这再次降低了燃烧室的稳定性。我们将研究天然气-沼气/合成气混合气在高压和低火焰温度下的预混燃烧，以便在RRC发动机上使用它们，并将通过使用新的等离子体辅助燃烧(PAC)技术来提高稀薄预混条件下的燃烧室性能，以提高混合气的反应性。我们的目标是开发对GTE行业产生革命性影响的高压PAC技术。

My research program broadly aims to develop predictive design tools for advanced combustor concepts to achieve high efficiency and low emissions when burning alternative fuels. Rising energy costs and concerns over CO2, and other, pollutant emissions are two key challenges facing society that can be partially addressed by producing electrical power from low-cost, renewable, biomass-derived fuels in high-efficiency and low-emissions distributed generators. This proposal targets two technologies for regional- and residential-scale power generation: gas-turbine-engine (GTE) and Stirling-engine generators. Biogas and diluted syngas are low-net-carbon and, relatively, low-value bio-energy resources that can supplement, or replace, natural gas (NG) in clean, premixed-combustion generators; however, the high-diluent levels in these low-calorific fuels lead to low reactivity and flame stabilization problems. For residential-scale generation, we will develop design tools for novel heat-recirculating burners (HRB) for Stirling engine generators (SEG) and build a demonstration unit of this technology. These burners allow stable combustion for a range of firing rates or gas compositions, and promise improved efficiency and reduced exhaust emissions. HRB/SEG systems could have a major impact on rural communities by enabling cheap and clean power generation from available biomass. For regional-scale generation, my group is working with Rolls-Royce Canada (RRC) on alternative fuels for GTE. The Dry Low Emissions (DLE) GTE is a new combustor concept developed by RRC that uses lean-premixed combustion to achieve low flame temperatures and an associated decrease in NOx emissions; however, this again reduces combustor stability. We will study premixed combustion of NG-biogas/syngas blends at high pressures and low flame temperatures to enable their use in RRC engines, and will improve combustor performance under lean-premixed conditions by using novel Plasma-Assisted Combustion (PAC) technologies to increase the mixture reactivity. We aim to develop high-pressure PAC technologies that have a transformative impact on the GTE industry.