Influence of Burner Geometry on Flame Characteristics of Propane-Air Mixture: Experimental and Numerical Studies

摘要

This work describes an experimental and numerical study to determine the corresponding detailed thermal and fluid dynamic fields developed in a burner element for domestic water heaters. A three-dimensional burner element was designed in real scale and numerical studies using Fluent code were carried out in steady-state conditions to allow continuous observations and measurements of the influence of burner element geometry and fuel-air velocity on flame characteristics, namely colour, length and stability. Air has been used as a fluid. The computational results, specifically the velocity and flame characteristics were verified with experimental data obtained in order to ensure a stable flame. In order to evaluate the power generated and the emissions of CO_2 and CO associated to different burner element geometries, some experiments were performed using single burner elements with a stainless steel prismatic tank covered with thermal insulation to minimize heat losses.