(37b) Blue Whirl Phenomenon- a Potential Fuel Flexible and Soot Free Combustion

Liquid fuel combustion technologies for power generation have difficulty operating beyond a narrow range of fuels without sacrificing combustion efficiency and increasing soot production. The blue whirl is a recently discovered fire whirl regime that burns soot free across a surprisingly broad range of fuels. In this study, we investigate the potential of harnessing the blue whirl phenomenon as the basis of a fuel-flexible and soot free combustion technology. A range of model fuel molecules representing biomass and petroleum derived fuels were combusted using a fixed frame apparatus that generates blue whirls from buoyancy driven flows. Combustion products of model fuels were monitored in exhaust gases using gas and particulate analyzers, from which completeness of combustion and sooting behavior was determined. In addition, the impact of fuel impurities on blue whirl combustion efficiency and soot particle emissions was examined. Finally, a comparison of chemiluminescence plots from blue whirl and fire whirl flames was made to determine their differences and similarities based on an estimate of local equivalence ratios.