In the present study, the combustion characteristics of LPG gaseous fuel diffusion flame at elevated air temperatures were experimentally investigated. An experimental test rig was manufactured to examine a wide range of operating conditions. The investigated parameters are the air temperatures of 300, 350, 400, 450, and 500 K with constant percentage of nitrogen addition in combustion air stream of 5 % to give low oxygen concentration of 18.3 % by mass at constant air swirl number, air to fuel mass ratio, and thermal load of 1.5, 30, and 23 kW, respectively. The gaseous combustion characteristics were represented as axial and radial temperatures distributions, temperatures gradient, visible flame length and species concentrations. The results indicated that as the air temperature increased, the chemical reaction rate increased and flame volume decreased, the combustion time reduced leading to a reduction in flame length. The NO concentration reaches its maximum values near the location of the maximum centerline axial temperature. Increasing the combustion air temperature by 200 K, the NO consequently O2 concentrations are increased by about % 355 and 20 % respectively, while CO2 and CO concentrations are decreased by about % 21 and 99 % respectively, at the combustor end.
Numerical study of flame structure in the mild combustion regime
