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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 343 records · Page 19

Performance characteristics of a diesel engine using low- and medium-energy gases as a fuel supplement (fumigation)

The use of low- and medium-energy gases derived from solid waste is investigated. Gases that simulate those gases that could be derived from refuse were injected into the air inlet of a 298-kilowatt (400 horsepower) diesel engine as a fuel supplement. This process is called fumigation. Three different gases with thermal-energy contents of 6.11 MJ/cu m (164 Btu/cu ft), 18.1 MJ/cu m (485 Btu/cu ft), and 18.8 MJ/cu m (505 Btu/cu ft, respectively, were used at rates ranging as high as 20 percent of the normal fuel oil energy at four different engine load points. The test results indicated approximately 100 percent gas energy utilization with no observable deleterious effect on the engine.

Monford, L. G.↗

Pollutant formation in fuel lean recirculating flows

An opposed reacting jet combustor (ORJ) was tested at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. A premixed propane/air stream was stabilized by a counterflowing jet of the same reactants. The resulting intensely mixed zone of partially reacted combustion products produced stable combustion at equivalence ratios as low as 0.45. Measurements are presented for main stream velocities of 7.74 and 13.6 m/sec with an opposed jet velocity of 96 m/sec, inlet air temperatures from 300 to 600 K, and equivalence ratios from 0.45 to 0.625. Fuel lean premixed combustion was an effective method of achieving low NOx emissions and high combustion efficiencies simultaneously. Under conditions promoting lower flame temperature, NO2 constituted up to 100 percent of the total NOx. At higher temperatures this percentage decreased to a minimum of 50 percent.

Schefer, R. W.↗

Reverse-flow combustor for small gas turbines with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors

A reverse flow combustor suitable for a small gas turbine (2 to 3 kg/s mass flow) was used to evalute the effect of pressure atomizing fuel injectors on combustor performance. In these tests an experimental combustor was designed to operate with 18 simplex pressure atomizing fuel injectors at sea level takeoff conditions. To improve performance at low power conditions, fuel was redistributed so that only every other injector was operational. Combustor performance, emissions, and liner temperature were compared over a range of pressure and inlet air temperatures corresponding to simulated idle, cruise, and takeoff conditions typical of a 16 to 1 pressure ratio turbine engine.

Norgren, C. T.↗

Recommendations of the panels: Panel on ozone destruction techniques

Catalyst materials to reduce weight, size, and cost of the ozone removal device were developed. Catalyst bed lifetime, competitive reactivity contaminants in the inlet air on the catalyst bed efficiency for ozone removal, and the kinetics and mechanism by which ozone is destroyed on selected catalysts were studied.

Wydeven, T.↗

Effect of fuel sprays on emissions

A research gas turbine combustor was operated under realistic conditions such that the influence of individual variables (in particular, fuel spray characteristics) on emissions could be determined. The special combustor allows independent control over drop size, fuel-air ratio, air inlet temperature, pressure, reference velocity, and residence time. Also, it lends itself to theoretical modeling and turbulent intensity measurements through use of laser velocimetry. Emission results for a range of operations are presented. A number of graphs show which show the variations of emissions levels with one variable at a time are included. In every case, the fuel is jet A, the pressure is atmospheric, and combustion is limited to a primary zone.

Nicholls, J. A.↗

Autoignition of fuels

An autoignition test section and a premixing fuel injector developed to determine the autoignition characteristics of a variety of aircraft fuels are described. Parametric tests to map the ignition delay characteristics of Jet-A fuel were conducted at pressures of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 atm, inlet air temperatures up to 900K and fuel-air equivalence ratios of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0. Residence times in the range of 1 to 50 msec were obtained by interchanging spool pieces to create six different mixer/vaporizer lengths (6, 23, 53, 84, 99, and 130 cm) and by testing at two different airflow rates (0.5 and 1.0 kg/sec). The resulting free-stream velocities were in the range 20 to 100 m/sec. As expected, the results indicate that the ignition delay times decrease with increasing air temperature and pressure. Also, the data show that, for lean mixtures, ignition delay times decrease with increasing equivalence ratios.

Spadaccini, L. J.↗

Effect of fuel/air nonuniformity on nitric oxide emissions

A flame tube combustor holding jet A fuel was used in experiments performed at a pressure of .3 Mpa and a reference velocity of 25 meters/second for three inlet air temperatures of 600, 700, and 800 K. The gas sample measurements were taken at locations 18 cm and 48 cm downstream of the perforated plate flameholder. Nonuniform fuel/air profiles were produced using a fuel injector by separately fueling the inner five fuel tubes and the outer ring of twelve fuel tubes. Six fuel/air profiles were produced for nominal overall equivalence ratios of .5 and .6. An example of three of three of these profiles and their resultant nitric oxide NOx emissions are presented. The uniform fuel/air profile cases produced uniform and relatively low profile levels. When the profiles were either center-peaked or edge-peaked, the overall mass-weighted nitric oxide levels increased.

Lyons, V. J.↗

Hydrogen enrichment for low-emission jet combustion

Simultaneous gaseous pollutant emission indexes (g pollutant/kg fuel) for a research combustor with inlet air at 120,900 N/sq m (11.9 atm) pressure and 727 K (849 F) temperature are as low as 1.0 for NOx and CO and 0.5 for unburned HC. Emissions data are presented for hydrogen/jet fuel (JP-5) mixes and for jet fuel only for premixed equivalence ratios from lean blowout to 0.65. Minimized emissions were achieved at an equivalence ratio of 0.38 using 10-12 mass percent hydrogen in the total fuel to depress the lean blowout limit. They were not achievable with jet fuel alone because of the onset of lean blowout at an equivalence ratio too high to reduce the NOx emission sufficiently.

Clayton, R. M.↗

The effect of fuel sprays on emissions from a gas turbine combustor

A research gas turbine combustor which allows for independent control of drop size, fuel/air ratio, air inlet temperature, pressure, reference velocity, and residence time has been used to study the influence of fuel spray characteristics on primary zone emissions. Local concentrations of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons at various locations in the flow, local gas temperature, gas velocity, and the turbulence intensity (measured with laser velocimetry) are obtained. A comprehensive data analysis program to compute the local fuel/air ratio and the sum of the mole fractions of the species present confirms the validity of the emissions data. Increasing drop size is correlated with an increase in unburned hydrocarbons, while increasing residence time is associated with sharp decreases in hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and an increase in oxides of nitrogen.

Nicholls, J. A.↗

Emission characteristics of a premix combustor fueled with a simulated partial-oxidation product gas

A two-stage gas turbine combustor concept employing a very fuel-rich partial oxidation stage is being explored for broadening the combustion margin between ultralow emissions and the lean stability limit. Combustion and emission results are presented for a series of experiments where a simulated partial oxidation product gas was used in a premix combustor operated with inlet air state conditions typical of cruise power for high-performance aviation engines (12 atm and 850 F). Ultralow NOx, CO, and HC emissions and an extended lean burning limit were achieved simultaneously.

Clayton, R. M.↗

Gas phase oxidation downstream of a catalytic combustor

Effect of the length available for gas-phase reactions downstream of the catalytic reactor on the emission of CO and unburned hydrocarbons was investigated. A premixed, prevaporized propane/air feed to a 12/cm/diameter catalytic/reactor test section was used. The catalytic reactor was made of four 2.5 cm long monolithic catalyst elements. Four water cooled gas sampling probes were located at positions between 0 and 22 cm downstream of the catalytic reactor. Measurements of unburned hydrocarbon, CO, and CO2 were made. Tests were performed with an inlet air temperature of 800 K, a reference velocity of 10 m/s, pressures of 3 and 600,000 Pa, and fuel air equivalence ratios of 0.14 to 0.24. For very lean mixtures, hydrocarbon emissions were high and CO continued to be formed downstream of the catalytic reactor. At the highest equivalence ratios tested, hydrocarbon levels were much lower and CO was oxidized to CO2 in the gas phase downstream. To achieve acceptable emissions, a downstream region several times longer than the catalytic reactor could be required.

Tien, J. S.↗

Two-stage combustion for reducing pollutant emissions from gas turbine combustors

Combustion and emission results are presented for a premix combustor fueled with admixtures of JP5 with neat H2 and of JP5 with simulated partial-oxidation product gas. The combustor was operated with inlet-air state conditions typical of cruise power for high performance aviation engines. Ultralow NOx, CO and HC emissions and extended lean burning limits were achieved simultaneously. Laboratory scale studies of the non-catalyzed rich-burning characteristics of several paraffin-series hydrocarbon fuels and of JP5 showed sooting limits at equivalence ratios of about 2.0 and that in order to achieve very rich sootless burning it is necessary to premix the reactants thoroughly and to use high levels of air preheat. The application of two-stage combustion for the reduction of fuel NOx was reviewed. An experimental combustor designed and constructed for two-stage combustion experiments is described.

Clayton, R. M.↗

Autoignition characteristics of no. 2 diesel fuel

Parametric tests to map the ignition delay characteristics were conducted at pressures of 3, 4, and 5 atm, inlet air temperatures up to 1150 K and fuel air equivalence ratios ranging from 0.2 to 1.0. Ignition delay times in the range of 6 msec to 60 msec at freestream flow velocities ranging from 10 m/sec to 40 m/sec were obtained. The ignition delay times appeared to correlate with the inverse of pressure and the inverse exponent of temperature.

Tevelde, J. A.↗

Fuel/air nonuniformity - Effect on nitric oxide emissions

An analytical and experimental study was performed to determine the effect of inlet fuel/air profile nonuniformity on NO(x) emissions. The theoretical NO(x) levels were verified in a flame-tube rig at inlet air temperatures of 600, 700, and 800 K, 0.3 MPa rig pressure, 25 m/sec reference velocity, overall equivalence ratio of 0.6 and residence time near 0.002 sec. The theory predicts an increase in NO(x) emissions for increased fuel/air nonuniformity for average equivalence ratios less than 0.7, while for average equivalence ratios near stoichiometric, increasing the nonuniformity will decrease NO(x) emissions. The results can be used to predict the degree of uniformity of fuel/air profiles necessary to achieve NO(x) emissions goals for actual engines that use lean premixed, prevaporized combustion systems.

Lyons, V. J.↗

Amplified wind turbine apparatus

An invention related to the utilization of wind energy and increasing the effects thereof for power generation is described. Amplified wind turbine apparatus is disclosed wherein ambient inlet air is prerotated in a first air rotation chamber having a high pressure profile increasing the turbulence and Reynolds number thereof. A second rotation chamber adjacent and downstream of the turbine has a low pressure core profile whereby flow across the turbine is accelerated and thereafter exits the turbine apparatus through a draft anti-interference device. Interference with ambient winds at the outlet of the turbine apparatus is thus eliminated. Pivotable vanes controlled in response to prevailing wind direction admit air to the chambers and aid in imparting rotation. A central core may be utilized for creating the desired pressure profile in the chamber.

Hein, L. A.↗

Low-drag ground vehicle particularly suited for use in safely transporting livestock

A low-drag truck consisting of a tractor-trailer rig characterized by a rounded forebody and a protective fairing for the gap conventionally found to exist between the tractor and the trailer is described. The fairing particularly suited for establishing an attached flow of ambient air along its surfaces. The truck is also comprised of a forward facing, ram air inlet and duct and a plurality of submerged inlets and outflow ports communicating with the trailer for continuously flushing heated gases from the trailer as the rig is propelled at highway speeds.

Saltzman, E. J.↗

Flame Radiation Measurements

Spectral and total flame radiation measurements exhibited: (1) that radiant heat flux increases with vision combustor inlet air pressure; (2) the effect of fuel atomization characteristics on radiant heat flux; and (3) that a reduction in fuel hydrogen content produces a significant increase in radiant heat flux primarily at low combustor pressures.

Claus, R. W.↗

Experimental gas-fired pulse-combustion studies

Experimental studies conducted at Argonne National Laboratory on a gas-fired, water-cooled, Helmholtz-type pulse combustion burner are discussed. In addition to the experimental work, information is presented on the evolution of pulse combustion, the types of pulse combustion burners and their applications, and the types of fuels used. Also included is a survey of other pertinent studies of gas-fired pulse combustion. The burner used in the Argonne research effort was equipped with adjustable air and gas flapper valves and was operated stably over a heat-input range of 30,000 to 200,000 Btu/h. The burner's overall heat transfer in the pulsating mode was 22 to 31% higher than when the unit was operated in the steady mode. Important phenomena discussed include (1) effects on performance produced by inserting a corebustor to change tailpipe diameter, (2) effects observed following addition of an air-inlet decoupling chamber to the unit, and (3) occurrence of carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas.

Blomquist, C. A.↗