Comparison of Measurements and Predictions of Flame Structure and Thermal NO_x, in a Swirling, Natural Gas Diffusion Flame

ABSTRACT

A combined thermal and fuel NO_x submodel has recently been added to a generalized, 2-dimensional pulverized coal gasification and combustion model (PCGC-2). This model is applicable to reacting and non-reacting gaseous and particle-laden flows. The thermal NO model is based on the extended Zel'dovich mechanism. To perform an evaluation of the NO_x submodel, combuslion measurements of gas velocities, temperatures, and species concentrations were made in a laboratory-scale, experimental reactor with a 150 kW natural gas flame al an equivalence ratio of 1.05 and a secondary-air swirl number of 1.5. Combustion measurements of velocities and major species concentrations show generally good agreement with predicted values. Gas temperature measurements closely match predictions in the recovery region but fail to show predicted high temperature in the annular region. This study provides an evaluation of a comprehensive combustion model and the NO_x submodel which can be useful as a design tool to provide pollutant formation trends in applied systems as combustion parameters are varied

Key Words:

• Combustion measurements
• Combustion modeling
• Natural Gas
• NO_x
• ¹Currently at Westinghouse
• Idaho Nuclear Company
• Idaho Falls
• ID