Development and performance characteristics of a family of gas-fired pulsed combustors

Two nominally 15, and 30 kW Helmholtz-type pulsed combustors were designed and constructed. These were bench mounted with the heat exchangers (i.e. combustion chamber and tailpipe) immersed in the water bath. Their design was based upon the design of a nominally 7.5 kW pulsed unit previously developed at Middlesex University. The design enabled the lengths of the combustion chambers to be varied so that various combustion chamber volumes could be achieved. This provided a new dimension to the study of pulsed combustors which is lacking in many reported works. It was found that the required input rates could be achieved by scaling up or down each combustion chamber dimensions linearly by a factor of 1.5, while maintaining the geometry identical. Tests showed that the present design of pulsed combustors can operate successfully at various input rates of mains natural gas (93 % methane) with a maximum turn-down ratio of 1.8:1. Results indicated that the three developed combustors would generally operate in the fuel-lean condition. Interestingly, these tests revealed that the amount of excess air reduced as the combustion chamber volume (CCV) was increased. Systematic investigation on the three developed combustors showed that the temperature within the combustor was principally controlled by the air-to-fuel ratio (A/F). Analysis of the average measured NOx concentrations at various operating conditions indicated that NOx emission in this type of pulsed combustor is principally controlled by combustion temperature with no significant influence of combustion chamber volume, tailpipe length or scale of the combustors except in so far as these influenced the A/F and hence the temperature within the combustor. The dominant role of temperature on NOx production from these combustors become more evident when nitrogen or argon was injected into the system resulting in reduced NOx emissions at a given A/F. Systematic analysis of data indicated that as the amount of diluent increased, the temperature within the combustor decreased. Almost all the NOx values recorded were in the form of NO which is believed to be as a result of the high flame temperature (typically above 1850K). The minimum recorded NOx value was 5 ppm at the upper limiting value of excess air ratio, λ ; importantly it was round that at these high A/F values there was no significant reduction in overall efficiency of the pulsed units, showing calculated values above 90%. Analysis of data indicated that combustion temperature is also a primary factor controlling CO emissions from the present design of pulsed combustors. CO concentrations exhibited U-shaped characteristics when plotted vs λ, showing maximum values at the lowest and highest λ values. By changing water bath temperature (WBT) and hence modifying heat losses to the combustion chamber wall, it was shown that the quenching of the combustion reactions and incomplete mixing of air and gas prior to combustion are contributing factors to CO formation in this type of pulsed combustor. The developed pulsed combustors were operated successfully with standard test gases. The composition and flame stability of these test gases were similar to the standard test gases G21 (incomplete combustion gas), G222 (light back gas) and G23 (flame lift gas). Analysis of the exhaust gas composition showed similar trends to those obtained when burning mains natural gas; as the heat input was increased, O2 levels decreased while CO2 and NOx emission levels increased. Similarly, CO concentrations showed U-shaped characteristics when plotted against firing rate. Measurements of peak pulsing pressure and frequency were used as a guide to operation and stability performance of the pulsed units. It was found that the operating frequency was a function of configuration of the combustors and temperature of the internal gases. Frequency of operation showed a reciprocal correlation with volume of combustion chamber and tailpipe length and increased as the heat input was increased. Pulsing pressure amplitude also was influenced by change of configuration of the combustors, increasing as the CCV and tailpipe length were decreased. Analysis of experimental data obtained at fixed configuration of the combustors showed that the peak pulsing pressure was a strong function of the heat release per cycle in the present design of pulsed combustors. A major drawback of the use of pulsating combustors is the high noise level which is associated with their operation. It was found that it is possible to reduce overall noise levels of the pulsed burners to acceptable values by configuring the system appropriately. This included the use of expansion chambers at the inlet and the exhaust outlet which reduced the overall noise levels to a minimum value of 65 dBA

A Study Using a Monte Carlo Method of the Optimal Configuration of a Distribution Network in Terms of Power Loss Sensing

Recently there have been many studies of power systems with a focus on “New and Renewable Energy” as part of “New Growth Engine Industry” promoted by the Korean government. “New And Renewable Energy”—especially focused on wind energy, solar energy and fuel cells that will replace conventional fossil fuels—is a part of the Power-IT Sector which is the basis of the SmartGrid. A SmartGrid is a form of highly-efficient intelligent electricity network that allows interactivity (two-way communications) between suppliers and consumers by utilizing information technology in electricity production, transmission, distribution and consumption. The New and Renewable Energy Program has been driven with a goal to develop and spread through intensive studies, by public or private institutions, new and renewable energy which, unlike conventional systems, have been operated through connections with various kinds of distributed power generation systems. Considerable research on smart grids has been pursued in the United States and Europe. In the United States, a variety of research activities on the smart power grid have been conducted within EPRI’s IntelliGrid research program. The European Union (EU), which represents Europe’s Smart Grid policy, has focused on an expansion of distributed generation (decentralized generation) and power trade between countries with improved environmental protection. Thus, there is current emphasis on a need for studies that assesses the economic efficiency of such distributed generation systems. In this paper, based on the cost of distributed power generation capacity, calculations of the best profits obtainable were made by a Monte Carlo simulation. Monte Carlo simulations that rely on repeated random sampling to compute their results take into account the cost of electricity production, daily loads and the cost of sales and generate a result faster than mathematical computations. In addition, we have suggested the optimal design, which considers the distribution loss associated with power distribution systems focus on sensing aspect and distributed power generation

Cloud computing for energy management in smart grid - an application survey

The smart grid is the emerging energy system wherein the application of information technology, tools and techniques that make the grid run more efficiently. It possesses demand response capacity to help balance electrical consumption with supply. The challenges and opportunities of emerging and future smart grids can be addressed by cloud computing. To focus on these requirements, we provide an in-depth survey on different cloud computing applications for energy management in the smart grid architecture. In this survey, we present an outline of the current state of research on smart grid development. We also propose a model of cloud based economic power dispatch for smart grid

Wind power in China - Dream or reality?

After tremendous growth of wind power generation capacity in recent years, China now has 44.7 GW of wind-derived power. Despite the recent growth rates and promises of a bright future, two important issues - the capability of the grid infrastructure and the availability of backup systems - must be critically discussed and tackled in the medium term. The study shows that only a relatively small share of investment goes towards improving and extending the electricity infrastructure which is a precondition for transmitting clean wind energy to the end users. In addition, the backup systems are either geographically too remote from the potential wind power sites or currently financially infeasible. Finally, the introduction of wind power to the coal-dominated energy production system is not problem-free. Frequent ramp ups and downs of coal-fired plants lead to lower energy efficiency and higher emissions, which are likely to negate some of the emission savings from wind power. The current power system is heavily reliant on independently acting but state-owned energy companies optimizing their part of the system, and this is partly incompatible with building a robust system supporting renewable energy technologies. Hence, strategic, top-down co-ordination and incentives to improve the overall electricity infrastructure is recommended

Development and performance characteristics of a family of gas-fired pulsed combustors

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