Stabilizing Ammonia-Hydrogen-Air Premixed Flames Using Porous Medium Based Combustor

Abstract

Extended AbstractThe extensive use of fossil fuels has caused serious problems to environment and human welfare. As the problems became noticeably unpleasant, the search for carbon-free alternative fuels gained significant global concern. With its high hydrogen density and already existing production/distribution/storage infrastructure, ammonia (NH3) is believed to be an excellent green fuel that can be used in energy generation and transportation systems [1]. Combustion of ammonia has certain challenges (associated with its low flame speed and fuel bond NOx emissions) that need to be thoroughly investigated before its widespread use in practical applications. To address one of the major challenges, an experimental study has been conducted focusing on flame stability of ammonia-hydrogen-air mixtures.At standard temperature and pressure conditions experiments were carried out for ammonia mixture fractions of 60-90%, equivalence ratios of 0.9-1.5, and mixture inlet velocities of 4-18 m/s (Reynolds number Re = 4500-25000). An inert silicon-carbide (SiC) porous medium based combustor has been designed and used in the experiments. Based on the mixture ratio and flow rate capability of the system, the heating value input of the burner can be as high as 30 kW. A schematic of the setup is presented in Fig. 1.