The development of an ultra-low-emission gas-fired cyclonic combustor

A gas-fired cyclonic combustor has been developed for relatively low-temperature direct-air heating applications that require ultra-low pollutant emissions. High-lean premixed combustion with a flame stabilizer is adopted to achieve ultra-low emissions and high turndown operation. On the basis of analytical studies and cold modeling, a 350-kW test combustor was designed and successfully tested. Experimental results obtained using natural gas and ambient air demonstrated that the test combustor can operate steadily at high excess air up to 80% to 100% over a large turndown range up to 40:1. At design operating conditions, NO{sub x} emissions as low as 0.6 vppm and CO and total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions below 3 vppm were achieved. Over the full operating range, NO{sub x} emissions from 0.3 to 1.0 vppm and CO and THC emissions below 4 vppm were demonstrated. In all tests, concentrations of NO{sub 2} were less than 40% of the total NO{sub x} emissions -- lower than the level of NO{sub 2} emissions from combustion processes required for good indoor air quality (0.5 vppm). This paper presents the concept of high-lean premixed ultra-low-emission cyclonic combustion, design specifications for the combustion system, and the major experimental results, including flame stability, emissions, and turndown performance.more » 13 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.« less