Heterogeneous Combustion Research Articles

Self-sustained stable combustion of off-gas from Solid Oxide Fuel Cell in a cone-shaped porous burner with preheaters

A divergent porous medium burner with three embedded preheaters has been numerically studied in this paper. The burner can be used to recover heat from Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for burning extremely low calorific off-gas. The developed burner consists of a conical section filled with porous media in the upper part and three preheaters located downstream through which the fresh mixture recovers heat from exhaust gas. A coupled solution method is used to study the structure of the preheater, and the feasibility of the method is verified. The results show that the burner can use the heat recovered from the exhaust gas to burn mixtures without the need for any external heating. The burner is capable of dealing with extremely low calorific off-gas, it can stabilize the combustion of a mixture with a heating value of 0.908 MJ/kg. The results also show that the mass flow ratio has a great influence on the recovery efficiency. When the mass flow ratio is less than one, the recovery efficiency increases sharply with the increase of mass flow ratio. With the further increase of mass flow ratio, the recovery efficiency decreases. This study provides the guidance for the treatment of low-grade off-gas without additional energy consumption.

Experimental and numerical study of lean combustion of propane in divergent porous media burners

Porous inert media burners for industrial applications demand the utilization of flame front stabilization methods, among which the convective or cross-section variation technique stands out. In this work, combustion of lean premixed propane-air mixtures in cylindrical and divergent alumina packed-bed porous inert media burners was numerically and experimentally conducted. Three burners of 0°, 15° and 30° of divergence were used to study the variation of equivalence ratio and inlet velocity. A bidimensional transient mathematical model was developed and solved numerically, whose results show good agreement with experimental measurements. The maximum temperature along the central axis is location dependent, with upstream augmentation of up to 86 %, meaning an increase of ∼ 815 K in the case of the 30° burner. Combustion front propagation velocity of upstream regime flames show acceleration in both divergent burners due to heat transfer and increment of thermal power in relation to cross-sectional areas when reaching the inlet. In comparison to cylindrical burner, a concave shape of the combustion front and a stretch of the maximum temperature zone was obtained, due to the diffusive nature of the velocity field. Stabilized flames on both divergent burners were achieved in the equivalence ratio range from 0.4 to 0.6. Residence time of product gases is greatly prolonged with burner wall angle and the decrease in overall temperature towards the outlet.

Study of the N2O formation mechanism in NOx-assisted heterogeneous catalytic combustion of soot in CeO2-based catalytic microchannel reactor

A CeO2-based catalytic microchannel reactor fixed-bed experiment was carried out to investigate the N2O formation in NOx-assisted catalytic combustion with fresh and hydrothermally aging catalysts during NOx-assisted heterogeneous catalytic combustion of soot. An evolved NOx-assisted soot catalytic combustion reaction mechanism was built to investigate N2O formation and key reaction pathways based on in situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) diagnostics and destiny functional theory (DFT) computations. It was found that the temperature range of N2O formation was the same as the initiation temperature of soot catalytic combustion, while the significant catalytic activity of CeO2 catalyst induced a decrease in the temperature range of N2O formation. The CeO2 catalyst inhibited N2O formations from NOx-assisted soot catalytic combustion, while its inhibition effect was gradually weakened with the decrease of catalyst activities. The inhibitory effect of CeO2 on N2O was revealed in the reduction of CN formation rate in high temperatures. Fresh CeO2 catalyst increased the dominance in the CN formation reaction, reduced the CN production rate, and contributed to the decrease in the reaction rate of CNO oxidation by NO and NO2. The increase in the ratio of NOx to soot (β) was more sensitive to N2O formation than the ratio α (NO2 to NOx) and γ (O2 to NOx), led to a stronger inhibition of N2O formation.

Pore-scale flame oscillations and patterns of upstream combustion wave propagation in a one-layer porous burner

Upstream propagation of filtration combustion wave in a one-layer porous burner is studied experimentally using thermal imaging and high-speed filming. The burner is the one-layer packed bed of spheres modeling porous media and providing optical access to the flame. This design allowed us to study macroscopic propagation of the combustion wave as well as non-stationary flame behavior at the pore scale. Experimental results demonstrate that upstream propagating combustion wave forms non-uniform porous medium temperature distribution in transverse direction which consists of hot areas separated by low-temperature regions. Macroscopic flame propagation can be accompanied by oscillations of some flame fragments at the pore scale. The mechanism of these pulsations is identical to the flames with repetitive extinction and ignition in narrow channels with external heating. Experimental results suggest that large scale evolution of the thermal wave affects the non-stationary behavior of the flame fragments at the pore scale and vice versa. The interplay between pore-scale and macro-scale processes manifests itself in the multiple repetitions of some patterns of the combustion wave propagation. Two most typical and common patterns are described and discussed. These patterns are step-wise transition of the flame fragment into the upstream pore and transition through the series of flame oscillations with repetitive extinction and ignition. It is shown that highly simplified one-dimensional model describes flame propagation in externally heated variable cross-section channel with heat conducting walls is capable to describe main features of these two patterns. Parametric study allows to predict the effect of problem parameters on the regions of existing of one or another pattern of upstream flame propagation.Novelty and Significance StatementThis paper presents new experimental data on temperature characteristics of upstream propagating filtration combustion wave in a one-layer porous burner. For the first time the patterns of combustion wave propagation uniting macro-scale processes of the thermal wave propagation and oscillations of the flame fragments at the pore scale are described on the basis of experimental data and numerical modeling. Results obtained for the one-layer burner can apparently be generalized to the case of combustion in three-dimensional porous media and packed beds. These results are significant because extend fundamental knowledge on porous media combustion by information on pore- and macro- scale flame dynamics as well as on the interplay of these scales. Experimental results can also be useful for validation of pore-resolved numerical simulations actively developed in the last decade.

A quantitative theory for heterogeneous combustion of nonvolatile metal particles in the diffusion-limited regime

The paper presents an analytical theory quantitatively describing the heterogeneous combustion of nonvolatile (metal) particles in the diffusion-limited regime. It is assumed that the particle is suspended in an unconfined, isobaric, quiescent gaseous mixture and the chemisorption of the oxygen takes place evenly on the particle surface. The analytical solution of the particle burn time is derived from the conservation equations of the gas-phase described in a spherical coordinate system with the utilization of constant thermophysical properties, evaluated at a reference film layer. This solution inherently takes the Stefan flow into account. The approximate expression of the time-dependent particle temperature is solved from the conservation of the particle enthalpy by neglecting the higher order terms in the Taylor expansion of the product of the transient particle density and diameter squared. Coupling the solutions for the burn time and time-dependent particle temperature provides quantitative results when initial and boundary conditions are specified. The theory is employed to predict the burn time and temperature of 10–100 μm iron particles, which are then compared with measurements, as the first validation case. The theoretical burn time agrees with the experiments almost perfectly at both low and high oxygen levels. The calculated particle temperature matches the measurements fairly well at relatively low oxygen mole fractions, whereas the theory overpredict the particle peak temperature due to the neglect of evaporation and the possible transition of the combustion regime.Novelty and significance statementFor the first time, we present a comprehensive and quantitative analytical theory elucidating the heterogeneous combustion of nonvolatile (metal) particles in the diffusion-limited regime. This novel theoretical model exhibits a remarkable capacity for quantitative prediction, obviating the need for supplementary information from numerical simulations or experimental data. The derivation process of analytical solutions for burn time and time-dependent particle temperature from conservation equations is elaborated, offering transparency and insight into the model’s foundations. To demonstrate the practical utility of the theory, we apply it to analyze the combustion of iron particles, providing valuable mathematical perspectives on the underlying processes. The model’s predictions for burn time and temperature align closely with experimental results, offering a partial validation of the theory within the realm of its applicable assumptions. This pioneering work contributes a robust and versatile analytical framework, advancing our understanding of diffusion-limited combustion phenomena of nonvolatile particles.

Optimizing micro power generation with blended fuels and porous media for H2-fueled combustion

To enhance the combustion stability and thermal performance of micro-thermophotovoltaic system, a combustor inserted porous media and varying channel heights for premixed H2/CH4/Air burning is proposed. The experimental and numerical methods are conducted to investigate the effects of CH4 addition, equivalence ratio, porous media, and chamber setting on combustion characteristics, heat transfer, and flame stability. The results indicate that a small fraction of CH4 addition and porous media insertion both enhance heat release and transfer of H2-fueled combustion, and the optimal CH4 blending ratio is influenced by chemical energy input. Appropriately increasing the equivalence ratio under high flow rates contributes to stabilize the flame and improve the combustor thermal performance. Furthermore, porous media effectively promotes flame stability and heat transfer efficiency, with longer porous media enhancing heat conduction and convection processes, thereby increasing the radiation temperature. Besides, increasing the channel height of the porous media combustor appropriately enhances the electrical power output of the power system. Besides, the maximum electrical output of 9.7 W is obtained in the porous media combustor with a channel height of 11 mm at mc = 20 %, Ф = 1.0 and mf = 9.448 × 10−5 kg/s, which is 7.2 W higher than the free flame combustor with h = 7 mm.

Preparation of silicon carbide reticulated porous ceramics with enhanced thermal shock resistance and high combustion efficiency

As the most prospective media material for porous media burners, silicon carbide reticulated porous ceramic (SiC RPC) is required to possess a high porosity to fulfill efficient combustion, as well as exceptional thermal shock resistance to withstand the thermal stress generated during the start-up and shutdown processes. To achieve the strengthening and toughening of highly porous SiC RPC, three-layered struts were constructed, and in-situ whiskers were formed in SiC RPC through vacuum infiltration and sintering under a nitrogen atmosphere in this work. The results indicated that the three-layered struts were formed after the preform was conducted with vacuum infiltration, encompassing a mullite coating, a silicon carbide layer and a mullite inner layer. When Si powder and flake graphite were incorporated into the SiC slurry, numerous SiC whiskers were formed in situ within the SiC skeleton. The formation of SiC whiskers was attributed to the enhancement of SiC RPC, resulting in an increase in CCS from 0.22 MPa to 0.55 MPa. Additionally, the residual strength retention rate after water quenching at 1100 °C was elevated from 41.6 % to 70.2 %. Moreover, the SiC RPC containing SiC whiskers exhibited an impressively high porosity of 83 %, leading to a surface temperature of 688 °C and a heating efficiency of 16.4 °C/min during the combustion process.

Towards detailed combustor wall kinetics: An experimental and kinetic modeling study of hydrogen oxidation on Inconel

Gas-phase hydrogen combustion is ubiquitous in industrial processes, and the associated surface kinetics on heat-resistant alloys plays a crucial role in designing efficient low-carbon technologies. We conducted new temperature programmed reduction experiments to determine the reducibility of materials following an oxidation cycle. These experiments were modeled using a thermoconsistent multi-site microkinetic model for H2 heterogeneous oxidation on Inconels, which was validated against literature experiments. This competitive adsorption model considers iron bulk content, hydrogen spillover and subsurface oxygen migration on hydrogen surface oxidation kinetics. New X-ray diffraction experiments confirmed the postulated crystallographic structures in the Inconel samples, suggesting their presence on the surface scale. The phenomenological model was coupled with several state-of-the-art gas-phase oxidation mechanisms to assess gas/surface reactions interaction as a function of material and temperature. The results reveal a complex interaction in which surface removes H radicals from the gas-phase, while the Bradford (H2+OH) reaction converts OH into H2O, promoting water adsorption on Inconel. This interaction was found to give rise to gas-phase thermokinetic oscillations. The model predicts a non-monotonous effect of reactor area-to-volume ratio on reactivity and emphasizes the impact of Inconel composition on product selectivity. Overall, the multi-site model provides new insight into the contrasting reactivities among active sites, bridging the gap between material science and heterogeneous combustion modeling.

Numerical Study of the Combustion Characteristics of an 800-1200 kW High-Power Porous Media Combustor at Atmospheric Pressure.

Porous media combustion has the advantages of high combustion efficiency and low pollutant emissions. However, there are few studies on the combustion characteristics and pollutant emissions of high-power porous media combustion chambers and fire tubes. Based on the computational fluid dynamics method, the stable combustion characteristics and pollutant emission rules of methane-air were explored in a high-power porous media combustion chamber of 800-1200 kW. The results show that the combustion of the porous media combustor is stabilized at an inlet velocity of 0.8-1.6 m/s with an equivalence ratio of Φ = 0.5-0.9. The high-power porous medium combustor has the highest limiting temperature at Φ = 0.7. Temperature increases gradually with increasing porosity within the -2.5 to 1 m axial center interval. The outlet radial temperature distribution tends to be uniform with the increase of porosity, and the outlet temperature is highest for porous media with a thickness of 400 mm. NO emission was lowest at an inlet velocity of 1.2 m/s. A significant reduction in NO emissions was observed with increasing equivalence ratio. NO generation increases with increasing porosity at porosities between 0.75 and 0.85. NO generation increases with the thickness of the porous media and increases sharply at 600 mm. The results above can provide guidelines for the design of a high-efficiency high-power porous combustor.

Applying fischer tropsch and its pentanol blends into an aviation compression ignition engine for PM emissions control

The aviation industry is recovering from COVID-19 to regain rapid growth at an increasing rate of over 5 % annually. Aviation compression ignition (CI) engines attributed to their economic fuel consumption and adorable reliability, have been widely utilized in the general aviation (GA) industry. To fill in the knowledge gap of the compatibility of Fischer Tropsch (FT) blended with long-chain oxygenated fuel applied into the aviation engines, this research focuses on analyzing the combustion performance and particle matter (PM) emissions of an aviation CI engine by burning FT alternative fuel and its pentanol blends (FT80P20 - 80 % FT + 20 % pentanol), in comparison with baseline diesel/pentanol-diesel blends (D80P20 - 80 % diesel + 20 % pentanol). It was found that FT80P20 significantly increases the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) by 6.5 %, and remarkably decreases the indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) by 12 % in contrast to neat diesel at high load (8.5 bar IMEP), which is due to better homogeneous charge that alternates heterogeneous combustion. Moreover, the PM size-resolved number distributions of emissions were characterized. It was observed that the integrated PM emissions from diesel were predominant (∼1.4 × 1014 #/kg∙fuel), while those from FT80P20 were significantly reduced by nearly 85 % (∼0.2 × 1014 #/kg∙fuel). Concurrently, the particulate geometric mean diameter (GMD) were decreased apparently from 80 nm to 35 nm correspondingly. The research findings reveal that “main diffusion combustion” was predominant as burning diesel, while “main premixed combustion” was prominent as using FT80P20, which has a promising impact on effective engine-work promotion with superior PM mitigation.

Transition to oscillatory instability of lean methane–air flames in microchannels

Micro-flow reactors and porous media burners are prone to instability in the form of flame with repetitive extinction and ignition (FREI) near the region of a temperature gradient. Although significant progress has been made in this field, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the nature of such stable-to-unstable transition. Some studies reported a smooth and continuous instability transition in microchannels, interpreting this phenomenon as a supercritical bifurcation. Meanwhile, others have observed that the transition is subcritical, with rapid, stepwise evolution of the stable flame to FREI. This study aims to rigorously determine the transition character theoretically and numerically using a two-dimensional model with a precise resolution of the bifurcation parameter (flow velocity) near the critical point and gradual wall temperature ramp. The results indicate that the transition is a subcritical bifurcation with strong hysteresis. However, the amplitude of the limit cycle born in the bifurcation point could be small compared to FREI-like oscillations. Moreover, further development of the instability depends significantly on the channel width. In relatively wide channels, the stable regime transforms immediately into the extinction/ignition one with rapid growth in amplitude. In moderate channels, complex transitional dynamics were observed with an evident pulsating regime, which evolved into FREI through mixed-mode oscillations. In narrow channels, the amplitude of transitional pulsating flame becomes comparable to the fully-developed extinction/ignition cycles, and the bifurcation diagram has a continuous character with no significant jumps or discontinuities. Such qualitative variation of transition character provides a possible explanation for contradictory interpretations presented in the literature.Novelty and Significance StatementCurrently, there is no consensus about the character of transition between the stable and extinction/ignition regimes in microchannels. Some studies have reported a continuous instability transition with an evident pulsating regime, interpreting it as a supercritical bifurcation, while others have observed subcritical bifurcation with a rapid transition. The novelty of this research lies in the rigorous determination of the bifurcation type and further instability development in microchannels of different widths based on an accurate simulation of flame dynamics near the critical point with very small steps of the flow velocity variation, along with the bifurcation theory. The study contributes to understanding the instability transition nature and may explain the different interpretations of the transitional phenomenon found in the literature. The results offer valuable insights for designing micro-scale and porous media combustion devices.

Preparation of novel reticulated porous ceramics with textured structures enabled by in situ generated interlocking Al2O3 platelets

Al2O3 reticulated porous ceramics (ARPCs) are extensively employed in high-temperature catalytic support, molten metal filtration, and porous media combustion because of their high specific surface area and heat resistance. The high specific surface area is usually maintained by high apparent porosity, but unfortunately, the accompanying poor mechanical properties severely compromise the durability of ARPCs. To synergistically improve the mechanical properties and apparent porosity, a new strategy was proposed to prepare ARPCs with textured structures of in situ interlocking Al2O3 platelet integration using vacuum impregnation Na3AlF6–SiC–Al2O3 slurry technique. The obtained textural structure had a significant strengthening effect on ARPCs, attributed to the increased contact area among non-equiaxed grains, and the compact growth of Al2O3 platelets with high aspect ratios provided the high apparent porosity and specific surface area of ARPCs, resulting in compressive strength as high as 3.93 MPa at an apparent porosity of 85.31 %, as well as the degradation of Congo red up to 75.35 % due to the Al2O3 platelets facilitating the loading of TiO2.

Lean-rich combustion characteristics of methane and ammonia in the combined porous structures for carbon reduction and alternative fuel development

Ammonia as a carbon-free alternative fuel has received much attention with the consumption of fossil fuels. In order to explore the mixed combustion of methane and ammonia, a combined porous media burner was designed with pellets embedded in annular ceramic foam. And the effects of operating parameters on combustion characteristics were investigated. The results showed that the ammonia addition increased the combustion temperature and reduced carbon dioxide emissions at the equivalence ratio of <1. And the ammonia promoted the conversion of CO2 to CO for an equivalence ratio of >1. With the increasing of the ammonia ratio, the CO selectivity increased but the CO2 selectivity decreased. In addition, the mixed combustion of ammonia and methane improved the hydrogen production. The fuel ratio of methane to ammonia (0.80: 0.20) resulted in higher syngas production and lower CO2 mole fraction. The flame propagated faster in ceramic foam with lower pore densities (20 PPI) so the preheating time was greatly reduced. Moreover, the 40 PPI ceramic foam was conducive to the stability of the flame position in the upstream zone, and the H2 mole fraction achieved 10.60 % at the inlet velocity of 14 cm/s.

Investigation of the Combustion Properties of Ethylene in Porous Materials Using Numerical Simulations

As industrial modernization advances rapidly, the need for energy becomes increasingly urgent. This paper aims to enhance the current burner design by optimizing the combustion calorific value, minimizing pollutant emissions, and validating the accuracy of the burner model using experimental data from previous studies. The enhanced porous medium burner model is used to investigate the burner’s combustion and pollutant emission characteristics at various flow rates, equivalence ratios, combustion orifice sizes, and porosity of porous media. In comparison with the previous model, the combustion traits during ethylene combustion and the emission properties of pollutants under various operational circumstances have been enhanced with the enhanced porous medium burner model. The maximum temperature of ethylene combustion in the enhanced model is 174 k higher than that before the improvement, and the CO emissions are reduced by 31.9%. It is believed that the findings will serve as a guide for the practical implementation of porous media combustion devices.

A numerical analysis of multi-dimensional iron flame propagation using boundary-layer resolved simulations

Iron combustion is emerging as a topic of immediate interest, given the need for the decarbonization of heat and power generation. Opposite to other solid fuels, iron particles burn predominantly in a non-volatile, heterogeneous combustion mode. For iron dust flames, two modes of flame propagation have been observed i.e. the discrete mode, when the heat transfer time scale is larger than the particle burn-time, and the continuous mode, when the heat transfer timescale is smaller than the burn-time of a single particle. The flame speed of such a flame primarily depends on the heat and mass transfer which is characterized by the distance between the particles for a dispersed mixture. Depending on the variation in particle distance and local distribution, planar or curved flames can form and propagate. The characteristics of flame propagation motivate this study and for the first time, three-dimensional particle boundary layer resolved simulations are used to analyse the effect of curvature and variable particle distances on iron–air flame propagation. Simulations are carried out for (1) planar flame propagation with constant particle spacing in the direction of propagation, and (2) curved flame propagation with varying particle spacing in the direction of propagation. The analysis of the flame speed for the planar flame propagation later guides the analysis of curved flames propagating through 900 boundary-layer resolved particles distributed in a 30 by 30 grid. The curved flame propagates with a uniform but decreased flame speed compared to the planar flame propagation with equivalent particle spacing. It is shown that positive curvature decreases the heat transfer from the burnt to the unburnt side while a variable spatial arrangement of particles allows for a local re-distribution of oxygen which causes some regions to burn richer or leaner than the corresponding planar flames with similar particle spacing.

Performance Evaluation of Low-Concentration Methane Combustion in a Four-Layer Gradually-Varied Porous Burner

ABSTRACT Porous media combustion (PMC) has made a comeback as a practical technology for the utilization of low-concentration methane (LCM) from coal mining. However, the conventional direct-fired PM burner still suffers from the rampart of flame stability and combustion efficiency not addressing industrial demands. Herein, a four-layer gradually-varied porous burner was innovatively developed for LCM combustion to investigate combustion performance under lean combustion conditions (CH4 volume fraction below 5%). The methane conversion, pollutant emissions, and flue gas temperature were also evaluated in detail. The results indicated that the burner offered a favorable combustion resistance due to the gradually-varied PM arrangement to heighten combustion stability with subtle temperature fluctuation and flame migration. The flammability limit of LCM was extended to the lowest equivalence ratio of 0.43 with stationary combustion at 240°C for 120 min. The energy efficiencies of the LCM combustion under lean combustion conditions were greatly boosted with the highest combustion and thermal efficiencies attained at 99.52% and 70.05%, respectively. The maximum 99.93% CH4 conversion was acquired at an equivalence ratio of 0.45 and a flow rate of 80 L/min. LCM combustion in the burner achieved extremely low pollutant emission levels and the overall CO and NOx emissions were 58.04 ppm and below 23 ppm respectively under the experimental conditions. In addition, the high-quality flue gas with an average temperature of more than 516°C was detected in the operating process, which allowed the available heat utilization at the coal mine scenes or in other industries.

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Combustion Characteristics of Premixed Methane/Air in Porous Media Burner

ABSTRACT The porous media burner is considered as the promising alternative for residential water heaters. In this work, a two-layer porous media burner was designed and the maximum NOx emission was 48.7 mg/m3 under the firing rate of 666 kW/m2. A two-dimensional model was established; the effect of the pore parameters on the flame stability limit and NOx emission was investigated. The flashback, blow-off and flame instability were observed in the experimental and numerical investigations. Through the numerical optimization, the preferred pore parameters were 0.8 mm & 0.4 (preheating zone) and 1.6 mm & 0.7 (combustion zone); the predicted NOx emission was 32.9 mg/m3. The preferred porous media were produced and studied experimentally. Under the same condition, NOx emission was 28.7 mg/m3, which was less than 35 mg/m3 (the standard requirement, GB 18,111-2021) and reduced by 41% compared with that of the initial burner (48.7 mg/m3). The flash back limit was increased and the flame was stable at φ = 0.71.

Transient Combustion Characteristics of Methane-Hydrogen Mixtures in Porous Media Burner.

The combustion of conventional methane-hydrogen mixtures is associated with challenges such as combustion instability and excessive pollutant emissions. This study explores the advantages of porous media, which include a wide operating range, enhanced combustion stability, high combustion efficiency, and reduced pollutant emissions. We conducted numerical transient simulations to investigate methane-hydrogen combustion within a porous media, focusing on a cylindrical double-layer porous burner geometry. The research analyzes the temperature, combustion rate, and diffusion characteristics of the methane-hydrogen-precipitated gas flame within the porous media. Additionally, it examines variations in the position and width of the high-temperature region along with changes in carbon and nitrogen emissions. The computations were carried out for different hydrogen blending ratios over the time interval of 0-0.4 s. The results unveil the transient combustion characteristics of hydrogen-enriched methane within a porous media, offering valuable insights for the subsequent optimization of porous media burners (PMB). This study provides a theoretical foundation for enhancing the efficiency and environmental performance of combustion processes involving methane-hydrogen mixtures.

The enhanced strength and radiation efficiency of alumina reticulated porous ceramics via coal gangue addition

Al2O3 reticulated porous ceramics (ARPC) are widely selected for high-temperature porous media burners due to their excellent thermal stability. However, the relatively low mechanical property and infrared emissivity of ARPC led to a low lifespan and radiation efficiency of the burner, limiting its application in high-temperature porous burners. In this work, a novel strategy was proposed to synergistically improve mechanical and radiation properties of ARPC and recycle of coal gangue. ARPC with three-layered struts, including microporous alumina-mullite coating, alumina skeleton and filling layer, were prepared by polymer replica technique and vacuum infiltration method. The addition of coal gangue could obviously strengthen ARPC, because coal gangue was attributed to form mullite, as well as the generation of residual compressive stress in the coating of three-layered struts. The decomposition of organic compounds within coal gangue enhanced the degree of microporosity on the coating, thereby increasing infrared emissivity by 21.8%, which increased the surface temperature of porous burner from 857.4°C to 905.7°C.

Fire behavior of furfurylated paulownia wood

ABSTRACT Wood is an aesthetically pleasing, sustainable material for various uses. All materials, including wood, are intended to be long-lasting, maintaining their original appearance. The effects of furfurylation on the fire characteristics of wood are still unclear, even though it significantly increases the dimensional stability, hardness, and biodegradation resistance of wood. This study aimed to evaluate the fire characteristics of furfurylated wood. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the time required for the infiltration of furfuryl alcohol into the samples significantly exceeded the values commonly reported in the literature. The results obtained by measurements on a cone calorimeter indicate that furfurylation significantly increases peak values of heat release rate, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and smoke production in the phase immediately after the initiation. On the contrary, carbon-monoxide (CO) production decreased in the phase of heterogeneous combustion of carbonaceous residue.