Understanding iron flames by measuring their burning velocity
Mark Hulsbos defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Mechanical Engineering on December 19th.
The big difference between iron and fuel combustion is not only that burning iron is CO2-emission free, but also that the fundamental physics of both combustions differ. Many of these physical phenomena are captured in the flame property of the laminar burning velocity. This property tells how quickly the heat produced by a flame can ignite nearby fuel and that way it shows how fast energy is released from the flame. Measuring the laminar burning velocity of iron-methane-air-flames is a first step to gain more knowledge about the complex nature of iron combustion.
Comparing results with computer simulations
Within his research measured the burning velocity on flat flames without any curvature. The results are therefore particularly suitable for comparison with 1D computer simulations. This makes it possible to understand the computer simulations better and see whether they predict the correct behavior of iron flames, which in it turn can be used to further investigate these flames.
Validation of the burning velocity of iron flames
In conventional hydrocarbon combustion, a flame propagates fastest when there is exactly enough oxygen for all the fuel to burn. This PhD research shows that this is not the case when you use iron as a fuel, because increasing or reducing the amount of iron powder barely changes the burning velocity of the flame. These results give proper handlebars for the design and development of large-scale power-plants, powered by CO2-free combustion of iron. This way, we can keep using combustion in our society and fuel our way to a more sustainable future.
Research School: JMBC (Fluid mechanics)
Title of PhD thesis:. Promotor: Prof. Philip de Goey and Dr. Rob Bastiaans. Co-promotor: Dr. .