Current Projects
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Biofuels
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Recently, there has been increased interest in reformulated
and alternative fuels to control emissions and provide energy independence.
Biodiesels are an alternative energy source derived from the
transesterification of vegetable oils, animal fats, or waste frying oils,
e.g., Palm Methyl Ester (PME), Canola Methyl Ester (CME), Soy Methyl Ester (SME). Biodiesels can be produced
domestically and are derived from renewable sources. In addition they are
completely miscible with petroleum diesel allowing the blending of this two fuels in any proportion. These fuels also have
properties similar to those of traditional diesel, so, they can be substituted
for diesel fuel with little or no engine modification.
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Combustion
Characteristics of Spray Flames of Biofuels and their blends with Jet A
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Spray flames of biofuels, specifically canola methyl ester
and soy methyl ester, and their blends with Jet A
are studied in a furnace lined with refractory fire brick. The liquid fuel
and air are injected into the furnace through a swirl atomizer. The global
emissions, in-flame radial temperature profiles, in-flame radial
concentration profiles, and the axial soot volume concentration profiles
are measured. The results can be used to understand the characteristics of
spray flames in gas turbines that experience re-radiative heat transfer
from the combustion chamber walls.
By Victor Tran
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Porous
Media Combustion of Biofuels and Petroleum Fuels
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Combustion with porous media burners is a relatively new
technique that has been developed mainly to reduce pollutant emissions
levels and increase power output in applications such as household and air
heating systems, and gas turbine combustion chambers. In this study, canola
methyl ester (CME), soy methyl ester (SME), commercial Jet-A fuel and
Jet-A/ethanol blends are tested in a porous media burner. The measured
combustion characteristics include flame extinction limits, NO and CO
emission indices, radiative fraction of heat release, and axial
temperature.
By Chodchanok Attaphong
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Combustion
Characteristics of Palm Methyl Ester/Diesel Blends in Spray Flames
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A partial swirl, air blast atomizer is
used to create sprays of diesel and PME blends that are burned at
atmospheric pressure in a coflow of hot air. The
droplet size and velocity distributions, soot volume fraction, in-flame
temperature, global emissions and in-flame gas concentration profiles are measured
at different equivalence
ratios.
By Michael Richichi
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Combustion
characteristics of spray flames of biofuels and their blends in a
refractory-lined furnace.
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The goal of this study is to analyze the combustion
characteristics of spray flames of canola methyl ester (CME) and soy methyl
ester (SME) and their blends with diesel fuel in a re-radiative
environment. The experiments are carried out in a furnace chamber that is
lined with refractory brick.
Measurements of in-flame temperature, concentration, soot volume
fraction, radiation and global emission are made to understand how spray
flames behave within applications such as diesel engines and liquid-fired
boilers.
By Cory Morton
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Flame
extinction limits of diesel fuel and propane.
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Flame extinction limits are a fundamental thermo-chemical
property of a fuel. In this study, the
flame extinction limits of propane and diesel fuel are measured using a
counter-flow burner configuration. The fuel/air mixture is injected from
the bottom burner and air or air/additive mixture is injected from the top
burner. Once a flat flame is obtained,
the flow rates in the top and bottom burners are increased to increase the
stretch rate until the flame is extinguished.
By Mathew Smeltzer
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Comparison
of the ignition of biofuels and petroleum fuels
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The ignition
characteristics of biofuels (canola and soy methyl ester) are compared with
those of petroleum fuels (gasoline and Jet A). Vaporized fuel is mixed with
hot air in a combustion chamber in which an electrically-heated nichrome
wire is present. The current and voltage through the wire are varied until
ignition of the fuel-air mixture occurs. The input electrical power and
temperature in the chamber are compared for petroleum fuels and biofuels.
By Jonathan Oliver
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Combustion
characteristics of laminar premixed flames of palm methyl ester and its
blends with diesel
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In
this study, the combustion properties of pre-vaporized palm methyl ester/diesel
blends are documented at different exit equivalence ratios. In order to
understand the effects of fuel chemistry, a laminar flame configuration is
used. The global emissions, flame radiation, in-flame temperature profiles
and in-flame concentration profiles are measured and compared with those of
a pure diesel flame at the same equivalence ratio.
By Diego Romero
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200 Felgar St., Engineering Laboratory E8 |
Norman, OK, 73019 | Phone: (405) 325-7016
Updated 11/20/2012 by Michael Richichi and Arun Balakrishnan
Combustion and Flame Dynamics Laboratory,
University of Oklahoma, 2012
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