The Effect of Equivalence Ratio and Fuel Composition at Variable Swirl Intensity on Temperature Distribution of a Dual Fuel Burner

The continuous consumption of fossil fuels has increasingly become a threat to the environment. This is mainly because of the harmful emissions released during their combustion and thus the need for finding applicable solutions. Among these, the use of H-2 blended CH4 fuels has proved promising however, there are some drawbacks due to the difference in their combustion characteristics; necessitating the need for further research to obtain a clear understanding of their combustion behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to experimentally examine the effect of equivalence ratios (0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3) and fuel composition (0-10%) H-2 enrichment to CH4 on temperature distribution near the combustor walls while varying the swirl intensities (30 degrees, 60 degrees). Three K-type thermocouples stationed at a height of 91, 196 and 277 mm along the vertical axis of the combustion chamber and extending 3 mm from the inner walls are used to measure the temperatures. Results show a similar trend at both intensities of temperatures increasing with decrease in equivalence ratio but slightly higher at a swirl intensity of 60 degrees than at 30 degrees. Furthermore, temperatures decrease with height towards the combustor exit. For fuel composition, temperatures at 10% H-2 addition are higher than that at 0% H-2 and the trends obtained are different. At 10%, temperatures rapidly decrease with an increase in height for both intensities while at 0% temperatures at 91 and 196 mm are nearly constant but rapidly decrease towards the combustor exit which can be attributed to the different flame shapes attained.