Moscow - Saba:
Fuel releases thermal energy when it burns, which helps power gas turbine engines. For fuel to burn properly, it must be in contact with air.
Heating helps this happen faster and more efficiently. However, current heating methods result in emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are harmful to human health and the environment in large quantities.
Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University studied the processes that occur when fuel gas is heated and found that it is best to do this in front of the engine's combustion chamber. This reduces the emission of harmful substances, such as carbon monoxide, by 24%.
Environmental problems are becoming increasingly urgent, and scientists and engineers are actively searching for ways to reduce harmful emissions from gas turbine engines.
One such area is the study of low-temperature lean combustion, a process in which fuel is burned at relatively low temperatures and with a large excess of air.
This reduces the release of harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides, which typically form at high temperatures.
However, at lower temperatures, combustion may be less stable and carbon monoxide emissions may increase.
Typically, the final fuel mixture is heated inside the engine's combustion chamber due to the flame temperature. Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University have discovered how heating the fuel gas before entering the combustion chamber affects the combustion process and emissions of harmful substances.
The scientists used an experimental setup to study the combustion characteristics of a lean mixture, where air and fuel are supplied.
Experimental studies have shown that preheating the combustion chamber reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 24% and slightly increases nitrogen oxide emissions (15%).
However, it is important to note that the level of toxic emissions is still significantly lower than during high-temperature combustion, which is used in conventional gas turbine engines, says Alina Shilova, senior lecturer in the Department of Rocket, Space Engineering and Power Systems at Perm Polytechnic University. Additionally, the researchers have developed modified semi-empirical expressions that more accurately predict carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions from low-temperature lean combustion.
The article was published in the BNIBU Bulletin, and the study was conducted as part of the Privyt 2030 Academic Strategic Leadership Program. It was reported by the Nauchnaya Rossiya portal.
| more of (International) |