Investigation of the Steam Injection Method Used to Reduce Emissions During Liquefied Petroleum Gas Combustion in an Atmospheric Burner

One of the effective methods for reducing harmful emissions from a burner device is by combusting fuel in a gas sprayer jet. This study aims to obtain new experimental data on the combustion characteristics of gaseous hydrocarbon fuels in a high-speed jet of superheated steam, as well as to identify distinctive features of this method when liquid fuels are combusted. The thermal and environmental properties of liquefied petroleum gas combustion were studied when it was injected into the base of a high-speed steam jet, and when heated air was used instead of steam. It was found that the combustion of gaseous fuel in a steam jet resulted in a reduction of CO and NOx content in the combustion products by a factor of 1.6 and 1.8, respectively, compared to a jet of heated air. This is achieved while a high level of fuel combustion completeness. The maximum values of average flame temperature for various sprayers differed by no more than 100 degrees. Analysis conducted in the burner gas generation chamber showed that these results are due to the steam reforming of gaseous hydrocarbon fuel. When switching to heated air, flow rate parameter of gas sprayer becomes the main factor influencing combustion. A comparison of the results obtained for gaseous and liquid fuels showed that the effect of superheated steam on the level of harmful emissions during the combustion of liquified petroleum gas was marginally lower than that of liquid fuel (Jet A). This suggested that the processes of atomization and vaporization of liquids through steam injection did not significantly contribute to reducing CO and NOx emissions. These results demonstrated the potential of using superheated steam injection for burning various fuels, which was essential in developing low-emission technologies and designing low-emitting burners that used both liquid and gaseous fuels.