Time-Resolved Temperature Profiling of Flames With Highly Preheated/Low Oxygen Concentration Air in an Industrial Size Furnace

Abstract

A high-speed video camera was combined with a newly developed optical system to measure time resolved two-dimensional (2D) temperature distribution in flames. This diagnostics has been applied to measure the temperature distribution in an industrial size regenerative test furnace facility using highly preheated combustion air and heavy fuel oil. The 2D distributions of continuum emission from soot particles in these flames have been simultaneously measured at two discrete wave bands at 125 frames/sec. This allowed us to determine the temperature from each image on the basis of two-color 2D thermometry, in which the ratio of the 2D emission intensity distribution at various spatial position in the flame was converted into the respective 2D temperature distribution with much higher spatial resolution as compared to that obtainable with thermocouples. This diagnostic method was applied to both premixed and diffusion flames with highly preheated low oxygen concentration combustion air using heavy fuel oil. The results show that higher temperature regions exist continuously in the premixed flame as compared to the diffusion flame. This provided clear indication of higher NO emission from the premixed flame as compared to diffusion flames during the combustion of heavy fuel oil under high-temperature air combustion conditions. This observation is contrary to that obtained with normal temperature combustion air wherein diffusion flames result in higher NOx emission levels.