Combustion Research for Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction

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Combustion Research for Energy Efficiency and
Emissions Reduction
University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace
Studies Combustion Propulsion Group

• Ömer L. Gülder
• Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
• Energy Research Showcase
• June 19, 2008, Bahen Centre, U of T

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What is combustion?

• Complex interaction of
• Physical processes
• Fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer
• Chemical processes
• Thermodynamics, chemical kinetics
• Practical applications also involve
• Aerodynamics
• Fuel technology
• Mechanical/chemical engineering.

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What does it do?

• Key element of many of modern societys critical
  technologies
• Accounts for more than 80 percent of the worlds
  energy usage
• Vital to our current way of life
• Spacecraft and aircraft propulsion, electric
  power production, home heating, ground
  transportation, and materials processing all use
  combustion to convert chemical energy to thermal
  energy or propulsive force

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What does it do?

• CO2 emissions
• NOx emissions
• Particulate matter emissions
• CO
• HC
• Sulfur compounds

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Objectives of combustion research

• Improve energy efficiency
• Reduce CO2
• Reduce unburned HC and PM
• Reduce pollutant emissions
• NOX
• CO
• Sulfur compounds

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Combustion research at UTIAS

• Carbon/particulate matter formation in
  high-pressure combustion
• Lean-premixed and hydrogen-enriched combustion
• Combustion in zero-gravity
• Alternative jet fuels / biofuels
• Jet fuel thermal stability
• Laser-based combustion diagnostics development

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Carbon/particulate matter formation at
high-pressures
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Carbon/particulate matter formation at
high-pressures

• Why carbon/particulate matter forms in
  combustion?
• Influence of pressure
• Carbon formation could be prevented?
• Influence of fuel chemistry

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Lean-premixed and hydrogen-enriched combustion

• Energy efficiency can be improved by
  lean-premixed combustion in gas turbines
• Better control of NOx emissions
• No carbon/PM emission

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Alternative jet fuels / biofuels
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Alternative jet fuels / biofuels

• Bio-fuels were believed to reduce GHG emissions
  through CO2 sequestration by the growth of
  feedstock
• However, most recent findings imply that carbon
  savings depend on how bio-fuels are produced
• When land clearance is taken into account, all
  major bio-fuels cause massive increases in GHG
  emissions

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Alternative jet fuels / biofuels
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General criteria to assess alternative jet fuels

• Energy economics, production cost and
  availability
• Ground infrastructure, distribution
• Impact on aircraft (mass, aerodynamics, range,..)
• Fuel handling and thermal stability
• Combustion characteristics and emissions

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Economics, production cost and availability

• In US, Canada, and EU-15 countries between 30 to
  70 of current crop area should be devoted to
  bio-fuel production to replace 10 of their
  transport fuels
• Emissions of nitrous oxide, N2O, from nitrogen
  fertilizers negates all the carbon savings
  achieved by replacing fossil fuels

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Combustion at zero-gravity

• Benchmark measurements in flames are hindered by
  buoyancy due to gravity
• Buoyancy effects disappear at zero-gravity
• Flame stability and carbon formation can be
  investigated effectively

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Jet fuel thermal stability

• Fuel is used as a coolant before it reaches the
  injectors and burns in combustion chamber
• If fuel temperature exceeds a certain value, fuel
  starts thermally decomposing and forming deposits
• Deposits can plug the injector passages and cause
  undesirable carbon deposits
• Research focus Prevention of fuel thermal
  degradation

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Combustion research at UTIAS funded by

• NSERC
• CFI
• Auto 21 NCE
• Canadian Space Agency
• Pratt and Whitney Canada