Electric Field Effects on Carbon Monoxide Release from Impinging Flames

摘要

Carbon monoxide results from incomplete combustion. In some syngas processes the carbon monoxide is desirable but usually it is a dangerous emission from forest fires, gas heaters, gas stoves or furnaces where the insufficient oxygen available in the core reaction does not fully oxidize the fuel to carbon dioxide and water. Electrical aspects of flames, specifically, the production of chemi-ions in hydrocarbon flames have been investigated in a wide range of applications. Despite this fairly comprehensive effort to study electrical aspects of combustion, relatively little research has focused on electrical phenomena near flame extinguishment. This research examines the use of electric fields as one mechanism for controlling combustion as flames are partially extinguished when impinging on nearby surfaces. In particular, it studies the use of the electrical properties of the flame to determine the combustion behavior and it then explores the use of the electric field driven ion wind to improve the burning in real time.