flexFLOX: Flameless combustion conditions and efficiency improvement of single- and multi-burner-FLOX furnaces in relation to changes in fuel and oxidizer composition (10428)

Flameless combustion is a clean combustion concept leading to strongly reduced pollutant emissions compared to traditional combustion processes. To reach the flameless combustion regime the air (and/or fuel) streams are diluted with hot combustion products with a temperature sufficiently high for the combustion process to be stable and occurring in a distributed reaction zone.

In furnace applications it leads to a higher efficiency because of the more extensive use of air preheat, and is called High Efficiency Combustion (HEC).

To widen the range of applicability of the HEC technology, the impact of changes in fuel and oxidizer composition on the combustion process in a furnace operated using flameless combustion will be investigated. Natural gas being the base-line fuel, also the combustion of biogas and several low calorific gas mixtures of relevance for the iron and steel making and the petrochemical industry, will be investigated. By combining detailed measurements and modeling, in single- and multiburner furnaces insight will be gained in the flame structure, heat transfer enhancement and the emission reduction.