Experimental investigation of syngas combustion using a novel two-stage combustor

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PhD; 2022; Mechanical engineering

In recent years, syngas has gained research interest as the focus shifts from fossil to renewable fuels. Syngas generated from biomass such as wood, agricultural residue, and paper is a promising fuel to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. It is mainly composed of CO, H2 and diluents such as CO2 and N2. The combustion characteristics of biomass-derived syngas significantly differ from the well-studied fuels in terms of calorific value, stoichiometric fuel-to-air ratio, ignition delay, and flammability limits. In the present study, a combination of catalytic and swirl combustion is explored using a two-stage combustor to achieve low emissions without losing combustion stability. The first stage is the catalytic stage, and the second stage is the swirl stage. A preheated and premixed syngas-air mixture (Фfirst = 4) is supplied to the first stage, where syngas is consumed partially. The remaining unburnt fuel is combusted using an oxidizer in the second stage.