Optimization of performance and emission characteristics of liquid fuel fired porous medium burner using RSM and desirability approach

ABSTRACT

The porous medium combustion (PMC) is an emerging area in liquid fuel combustion, which has the ability to reduce emission and increase the fuel economy. Various operational parameters will affect the performance of liquid fuel-fired Porous Medium Burner (PMB). So, this present work focuses on finding the effect of operational parameters on the performance of PMB and to optimize it. This study was conducted in a double-layered porous burner with self-aspirated pressurized stove. Three input factors were selected, namely, fuel pressure (bar), throttle angle (°), and type of burner (Conventional burner (CB), PMB). The three output responses selected are thermal efficiency (η_th), CO (ppm), and NO_X (ppm) emissions. The inscribed central composite design (ICCD) was used to design the experimental run. The response surface methodology (RSM) with desirability approach was used to optimize the multi-objective responses. The statistical analysis with ANOVA confirmed the significance of all the three input variables on the output responses. The regression model was developed with quadratic fit and it well predicts the burner performance and emission with R² value close to 1. The multi-objective optimum input settings are found by desirability approach, i.e. fuel pressure = 1.60 bar, throttle angle = 161.3°, and burner type = PMB. The corresponding optimized responses are found as η_th = 58.39%, CO = 201. 49 ppm, and NO_X = 6.43 ppm. The above optimum settings and responses are confirmed with experimental confirmation test, which is in the satisfactory level.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Porous medium combustion
• porous medium burner
• liquid fuel
• Sauter mean diameter
• response surface methodology
• optimization

Highlights

• The Porous Medium Burner exhibits higher performance than conventional one.

• Fuel pressure and throttle angle significantly affect the performance this burner.

• Increase in fuel pressure directly increases its efficiency due to well atomization.

• Higher fuel flow rate reduces the efficiency of burner due to incomplete combustion.

• Optimized the multi-objective parameter with RSM and desirability approach.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Madhan and Chandru from Bharat Chemicals, Coimbatore, India, for supplying the ceramic porous material for this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. Adhisegar

C. Adhisegar is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Puducherry Technological University, Puducherry, India. He received his M.E in Internal Combustion Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, India in the year 2020. Currently his area of research is parametric study of porous medium combustion.

M. Pugazhvadivu

M. Pugazhvadivu is currently working as professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Puducherry Technological University, Puducherry, India. She has received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, India in the year 2005. She has a teaching experience of more than 30 years. She also has more than 30 international publications. Her area of research includes thermal engineering, IC Engines, alternative fuels, biodiesel and biomass pyrolysis.

B. Prabu

B. Prabu is currently working as professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Puducherry Technological University, Puducherry, India. He has received his Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from Pondicherry Central University, Puducherry, India in the year 2007. He has a teaching experience of more than 30 years and industrial experience of about 3 years. He also has more than 60 international publications. His area of research includes engineering design, FEA, DoE and optimization, metal matrix composites, rubber composites and heat sink analysis.