ECERC Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction in Combustion - Implementing Agreement

1. IEA Energy Conservation and
Emissions Reduction in Combustion
(E.C.E.R.C.) I. A.
Belgian Contributions

2. Presentation of ECERC
Studies at UCL
Studies at UMons
Studies at ULg
Conclusions and Perspectives

3. IEA "Energy Conservation and Emissions
Reduction in Combustion" I. A.
Tasks shared and not costs shared I.A.
12 participant countries : BEL, CAN, CHE, DEU, FIN, GBR, ITA, JPN,
KOR, NOR, SWE and USA
Executive Committee (ExCo) : 1 delegate and 1 alternate per
participant country
Chair and vice-chair of the ExCo are elected (each year) by rotating
procedure
3 Meetings per year:
March 2012: Strategy group (USA)
April 2012: ExCo in Paris (France)
October 2012: Task Leaders Meeting (TLM) + ExCo (Republic of Korea)
I.A.'s public web site : http://ieacombustion.net/default/aspx

4. Active Research Activities (March 2011)
Annex 1: Individual Contributor Tasks
Annex 2: Sprays in Combustion (Collaborative Task): CHE, FIN, JPN
Annex 3: Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition
(Collaborative Task): CAN, JPN, KOR, SWE
Annex 4: Advanced Hydrogen Fueled Internal Combustion
Engines (Collaborative Task): CAN, JPN, KOR, USA
Annex 5: Alternative Fuels (Collaborative Tasks): BEL, CHE, FIN,
KOR, SWE
Annex 6: Nanoparticles Diagnostics (Collaborative Tasks): CAN, ITA
Annex 7: Hydrogen Enriched Lean Premixed Combustion for Ultra-
Low Emission Gas Turbine Combustors (Collaborative
Task): CHE, NOR, SWE
Annex 8: Supporting Activities

5. Annex 1: Individual Contributor Tasks
Area 1 : Advanced Piston Engine Technology
Area 2 : Advanced Furnace Technology
Subarea 2.1 : Burner Phenomena (UMons, ULg)
Subarea 2.2 : Gas Flows
Subarea 2.3 : Fuel/air Mixing
Subarea 2.4 : Flame processes (UCL)
Subarea 2.5 : Postflame process
Area 3 : Fundamentals (development of diagnostics tool
and simulation codes)
Area 4 : Advanced Gas Turbine Technology

6. Belgian activities
(Advanced Furnace Technology : Area 2)
Subtask 2.1H : INVESTIGATION ON COMBUSTION IN OIL BURNER
FLAMES
Contributor : Université de Liège
Thermodynamics Laboratory – Thermotechnics
Subtask 2.1I : STUDY OF COMBUSTION AND HEAT TRANSFER
PHENOMENA IN INDUSTRIAL FURNACES FIRED WITH GAS BURNERS
USING PREHEATED AIR
Contributor : Faculté Polytechnique de l’Université de Mons
Thermal Engineering and Combustion Unit
Subtask 2.4F : CHEMICAL KINETICS STUDIES OF FLAMES AND SOOT
FORMATION
Contributor : Université catholique de Louvain
Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering

7. Presentation of ECERC
Studies at UCL
Studies at UMons
Studies at ULg
Conclusions and Perspectives

8. SUBTASK 2.4.F
Chemical Kinetics Studies of Flames and Soot
Formation
Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering
Pôle TFL – Thermodynamics and Fluid mechanics
Université catholique de Louvain
Véronique Dias and Hervé Jeanmart
Veronique.Dias@uclouvain.be and Herve.Jeanmart@uclouvain.be

9. Chemical Kinetics Studies of Flames and
Soot Formation
Experimental studies of hydrocarbons and/or oxygenated species, by
analysis flame structures at low pressure
Elaboration of kinetic model to understand emission formation:
conversion of reactants, formation of pollutants, effects of
additives…
Reduction of the kinetic model according to initial conditions
Use of reduced mechanisms in industrial processes
(engines, furnaces, boilers, …)

10. Experimental studies
1.2E-01 2.00E+03
1.80E+03
1.0E-01 1.60E+03
Premixed flat flames stabilized on a 1.40E+03
Temperature (K)
8.0E-02
burner at low pressure, analyzed
Mole fraction
1.20E+03
6.0E-02 1.00E+03
by: 8.00E+02
X-CO2
4.0E-02
-mass spectrometry (MS) X-TOLUENE
X-C6H6
6.00E+02
4.00E+02
-or by gas chromatography (GC). 2.0E-02 Temperature
2.00E+02
0.0E+00 0.00E+00
0.00 0.33 0.65 0.96 1.28 1.61 1.93
Height Above the Burner (cm)

11. Modelisation
Elaboration of kinetic model
Predict the evolution for concentrations of present species in
the flame (from fresh gases to burned gases)
Interest
Obtain valuable informations: degree of conversion rate of
reactants, formation rate of pollutants, effects of additives on
the soot formation,…
Integration of these kinetic mechanisms in CFD simulation
models of industrial processes (engines, boilers, furnaces...)

12. Elaboration of « UCL » kinetic model
The kinetic model includes the detailed formation and consumption
reactions of species from C1 to C10. It contains 568 reactions and
107 chemical species.
This reaction mechanism has been extended and validated using
flat flames experiments:
-Methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6)
-Ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C2H2), isobutene (iC4H8)
-Benzene (C6H6)
-Dimethoxymethane (C3H8O2), diethoxymethane (C5H12O2), ethanol (C2H5OH)
-Formaldehyde (CH2O), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO)
http://veroniquedias.github.com/UCLouvain-Mechanism/

13. Flames with additives
Objectives of experiments φ
C2H4 /O2 /Ar with C3H8O2 or C5H12O2 (φ = 2.5)
Observe and measure the reduction of 4.5E-02
concentrations for the soot precursors (with 4.0E-02
φ constant) with additives C3H8O2 (DMM) et
3.5E-02
C5H12O2 (DEM).
Fraction molaire
3.0E-02
By keeping the equivalence ratio
constant,(φ), the ratio C/O decrease : 2.5E-02
→ Reduction of mole fractions for 2.0E-02
hydrocarbons produced in the rich ethylene 1.5E-02
flame. - 19,8 % with DMM
1.0E-02
- 16,4 % with DEM
Objectives of modelisation 5.0E-03
0.0E+00
Elaborate a kinetic model able to predict 0 10 20 30
the concentration of species present in these Distance au brûleur (mm)
flames
C2H2
Understand the effect of the additives on
the reduction of soot precursors formation

14. Flames of methylal (DMM)
OH H CH3OCH2OCH3 H OH
OH O OH O
CH3OêHOCH3 (DMM2) CH3OCH2OêH2 (DMM1)
CH3OCHO CH3OêH2
H
OH
CH3OêO O2
Rich flame of DMM
M
Lean flame of DMM
H
CH3O• CH2O
O H OH
OH O
M OH
HêO CO CO2
O2

15. Conclusions and perspectives
Elaboration of the reaction mechanism, named « UCL »:
Past studies: Methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6)
Ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C2H2), isobutene (iC4H8)
Benzene (C6H6)
Dimethoxymethane (C3H8O2), diethoxymethane (C5H12O2)
Ethanol (C2H5OH)
Formaldehyde (CH2O), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO)
Present studies: Acetic acid (CH3COOH)
Future experimental and modeling studies of flame structure:
Triacetine (C9H14O6)
Methyl valerate or methyl pentanoate (CH3CH2CH2CH2COOCH3)
=> Use of the mechanism in industrial processes
(engines, furnaces, boilers, …)

16. Conclusions and perspectives
Application of the
mechanism of ethyl
acetate and ethanol in an
HCCI engine

17. Publications
2008-2011: 17 articles ( ≈ 30 posters / oral presentations)
V. Dias, J. Vandooren, Comb. and Flame 158 (2011) 848-859 ;
V. Detilleux, J. Vandooren, Proc. Comb. Inst. 33 (2011) 217-224 ;
X. Lories, J. Vandooren, D. Peeters, Int. J. Quant. Chem. DOI:10.1002/qua.23035 (2011) ;
N. Leplat, P. Dagaut, C. Togbé, J. Vandooren, Comb. and Flame 158 (2011) 705-725 ;
X. Lories, J. Vandooren, D. Peeters, Int. J. Quant. Chem. DOI:10.1002/qua.23142 (2011) ;
X. Lories, J. Vandooren, D. Peeters, Computional and Theoretical Chemistry 966 (2011) 244-249 ;
V. Dias, J. Vandooren, Fuel 89 (2010) 2633-2639 ;
V. Dias, X. Lories, J. Vandooren, Combust. Sci. And Tech. 182 (2010) 350-364.
N. Leplat, J. Vandooren, Combust. Sci. and Tech. 182 (2010) 436-448 ;
X. Lories, J. Vandooren, D. Peeters, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 12 (2010) 3762-3771
C. Renard, V. Dias, P. J. Van Tiggelen, J. Vandooren, Proc. Comb. Inst. 32 (2009) 631-637 ;
V. Detilleux, J. Vandooren, J. Phys. Chem. A 113 (2009) 10913-10922 ;
V. Dias, C. Renard, J. Vandooren, Z. Phys. Chem. 223 (2009) 565-577 ;
V. Detilleux, J. Vandooren, Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves 45 (2009) ;
X. Lories, J. Vandooren, D. Peeters, Chem. Phys. Letters 452 (2008) 29-32 ;
N. Leplat, A. Seydi, J. Vandooren, Combust. Sci. and Tech. 180 (2008) 519-532 ;
V. Detilleux, J. Vandooren, Combust. Sci. and Tech. 180 (2008) 1347-1469;

18. Presentation of ECERC
Studies at UCL
Studies at UMons
Studies at ULg
Conclusions and Perspectives

19. SUBTASK 2.1.I
Study of Combustion and Heat Transfer in
Industrial Furnaces Fired with Gas Burners
Using Preheated Air
Faculty of Engineering of the University of Mons
Pôle Energie – Thermal Engineering and Combustion Unit
Delphine Lupant
Delphine.Lupant@umons.ac.be

20. POLYTECH
= Faculty of Engineering of the University of Mons (founded thanks to the
association of the University of Mons-Hainaut and the Faculty of
Engineering of Mons)
Research is organized around 5 multidisciplinary research centers :
Information and Technologies
Materials
Risks
Biochemical systems and bioprocesses (BIOSYS)
Energy: Thermal
Engineering &
3 themes : Combustion Unit
Energy and buildings
Combustion and problems of CO2
Transport and production of electrical energy

21. Participation in ECERC since 1992
Context: Reduction of NOx emission in furnaces with air preheating at high
temperature (Rational use of energy)
Methodology:
o Run experiments on furnaces built in our laboratory (funded by SPF)
o Concurrently, use a commercial software (ANSYS Fluent) to model the
combustion and use the measurements as validation data
Benefits:
o Guidance and services contracts for industrial partners (FIB, Drever)
o Expertise in numerical modeling (AGC, Arcelor,…)
Since 2000: Flameless Oxidation or Diluted Combustion
= New Combustion technique which combine
high efficiency + very low NOx emission

22. Diluted combustion furnaces
At semi-industrial scale (300kW)
o Commercial burner (REGEMAT WS)
o Fired with natural gas + air
o Furnace is available for international
research partners (IFRF)
o Used to test industrial burners (services
contracts)
o Main results:
EXP: heat transfer, emissions, efficiency
SIM: validation of global combustion
models with temperature and species
measurements in the furnace

23. Diluted combustion furnaces
At laboratory scale I (3kW)
o Simplified geometry (co-flow)
o Fed with natural gas or synthetic mixture
(CH4, CO, H2, N2, CO2)
The objective was to study the evolution of
the operating conditions required to sustain
diluted combustion with low calorific value
gases (products from gasification of biomass
or from steel industry)
Diluted combustion offers a smart way to
solve flame stabilization problems Preheated and Combustion
chamber
encountered in standard burners diluted air
due to the significant variations of their
heating value (fuel flexibility) Fuel

24. Diluted combustion furnaces
At laboratory scale II (30kW) = current project
o Configuration similar to industrial furnaces (burner
geometry, injection velocities, load) but at small scale
50%COG
Species NG COG BFG Wood gas
50%BFG
CH4 90% 35% - 18% 1%
H2 - 60% 5% 33% 16%
CO - 5% 25% 15% 21% Fuel
CO2 1% 25% 13% 12%
Preheated air
N2 2% 45% 21% 50%
The objective is to study the evolution of the heat transfer (in the furnace
and to the load), the combustion efficiency, the NO and CO emissions
with those alternative fuels and give rules of design for industrial furnaces
Interest from industrial partner (sponsorship from Arcelor-Mittal)

25. Publications
2006-2011
1 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, E. Sezgin, P. Lybaert: Flameless combustion of CH4/CO/H2 fuel blends
Proceedings of the "European Combustion Meeting ECM 2011", Cardiff, 2011
2 E. Sezgin, D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert: Développement de diagramme de stabilité de flamme en
combustion diluée, Actes du Congrès Annuel de la Société Française de Thermique, pp 351-356, 2010
3 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Lyabert: Impact des sondes de prélèvement sur la mesure d’espèces réactives en
oxydation sans flamme, Actes du Congrès Annuel de la Société Française de Thermique, pp 363-368, 2010
4 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert: Influence of probe sampling on reacting species measurement in diluted
combustion, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 34, 516–522, 2010
5 E. Sezgin, B. Pesenti, D. Lupant, P. Lybaert: Development of stability diagrams of flame in diluted combustion,
Proceedings of the "European Combustion Meeting ECM 2009", Vienne, 2009
6 G. Seggio, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert, P. Ngendakumana: Feasibility study of the diluted combustion in a semi-
industrial boiler at low temperatures, Proceedings of the 8th european conference on industrial furnaces and boilers,
Vilamoura, 2008
7 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert: Characterization of flameless combustion of natural gas in a laboratory scale
furnace, Proceedings of the "European Combustion Meeting ECM 2007", Chania, 2007
8 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Evrard, P. Lybaert: Numerical and experimental characterization of a self-regenerative
flameless oxidation burner operation in a pilot-scale furnace, Combustion Science and Technology (I. Glassman
and R. A. Yetter eds.), Vol 179: 437–453, 2007
9-10 D. Lupant, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert: Assessment of combustion models of a self-regenerative flameless oxidation
burner, Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Industrial Furnaces and Boilers, Porto, 2006 + Proceedings of
the 7th National Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Mons, 2006

26. Presentation of ECERC
Studies at UCL
Studies at UMons
Studies at ULg
Conclusions and Perspectives

27. SUBTASK 2.1.H
The use of liquid biofuels in heating systems :
a review
University of Liège
Thermodynamics Laboratory – Thermotechnics
Philippe Ngendakumana
pngendakumana@ulg.ac.be

28. 17% of CO2 emissions in Europe are related to
space heating function of gas and oil-fired boilers
Ref: ecoboiler.org

29. There are different pathways to convert
biomass to biofuels

30. Vegetable oils combustion is feasable
if the viscosity is reduced
Vegetable oil viscosity is 35 mm²/s at 40° compared
C
to 2.7mm²/s for gasoil
it must be reduced by preheating (to 80° or
C)
mixing to gasoil
LHV of vegetable oils (37MJ/kg) 10% lower than LHV
of diesel (43MJ/kg)
Vegetable oil must be appropriately stored to avoid
oxidation and filtration problems

31. CO emissions reduction with vegetable
oil addition
Alonso et al., Energy & Fuels, Vol. 22, No 5, 2008.

32. Biodiesels are good candidates to
petroleum diesel fuel substitution
Biodiesels have similar physical properties to diesel
fuels (viscosity 4mm²/s at 40°
C)
LHV of biodiesels (37MJ/kg) 10% lower than LHV
of diesel (43MJ/kg)
Quality requirements are defined in the standards
EN14213
They are quite stable but strong oxidizing agents
must be avoided

33. Burning biodiesel decreases most
pollutants emissions
Macor et Pavanello, Energy, Vol. 34, pp. 2025-2032, 2009.

34. Bioethanol combustion in heating systems is
more problematic
Bioethanol is less viscous than diesel and can lead to
lubrification problems in the pumps
LHV of bioethanol is 35% lower than that of the diesel
quantity of fuel injected must be adapted (greater
capacity injection nozzle or increased injection
pressure)
Storage is more hazardous as bioethanol flash point is
around 13° (compared to 60° for diesel fuel)
C C

35. Bioethanol flame emissivity decreases
compared to diesel fuel flame emissivity
Barroso et al., Fuel processing technology, Vol. 91, pp. 1537-1550, 2010.

36. Bioliquids combustion in heating
systems: Some conclusions
Vegetable oils can be burnt in boilers if their viscosity is
reduced
Biodiesels are good candidates to fuel oil substitution.
Pollutants emissions are mainly decreased but there
is no clear trend for NOx emissions
Bioethanol combustion is more difficult to achieve in
conventional burners (low viscosity, low energy
content, low vapor pressure, different flame
emissivity)

37. Future work : What are the effects of fuel
composition on flame temperature and
pollutants emission?
370 KW boiler equipped
with visualisation windows
We will burn biodiesels of
various origins and
compositions:
to evaluate the effects of fuel
composition on flame
temperature and NOx
emissions
to evaluate the boiler
performance working with
different biodiesels

38. Other topics
• Combustion control and performance of
household condensing boilers
• Feasibility study of the diluted combustion
in a semi-industrial boiler at low
temperatures (compared to furnaces)
• Combustion of wood pellets in a domestic
heating boiler

39. Publications
2006-2011
L. Arias, S.Torres, D. Sbarbaro, P. Ngendakumana : On the spectral bands measurements for combustion monitoring,
doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2010.09.018
D. Makaire, P. Ngendakumana : Simulation model of a gas-fired condensing boiler at full load operation in steady-
state regime, ASME-ATI-UIT 2010 Conference on Thermal and Environmental Issues in Energy Systems.
D. Makaire, P. Ngendakumana : Modelling the thermal efficiency of condensing boilers working in steadystate
conditions, Paper presented at 21st "journées d'études" of the Belgian Section of the Combustion Institute, Liège
(Belgium), May 2010
D. Makaire, P. Ngendakumana : Modèle de simulation des performances d'une chaudière fioul à condensation de
chauffage domestique, Energies et transports durables : SFT10, Le Touquet (France), 25-28 mai 2010
K. Sartor, P. Ngendakumana : Natural Gas as an Alternative Fuel for Spark Ignition Engines, Paper presented
at 21st "Journées d’Etudes" of the Belgian Section of the Combustion Institute, Liège (Belgium), May 2010
Luis E. Arias Parada. Arias : Photodiode-based sensor for flame sensing and combustion process monitoring, by
means the global detection of flame spectral information, PhD thesis, University of Concepcion (Chile), March 2009
D. Makaire and Ph. Ngendakumana, Simulation model of a semi-industrial fuel oil boiler in steady-state regime.
Proceedings of the 5th European Thermal-Sciences Conference (EUROTHERM 2008). Eindhoven (The Netherlands),
May 18-22, 2008
G. Seggio, B. Pesenti, P. Lybaert, P. Ngendakumana: Feasibility study of the diluted combustion in a semi-industrial
boiler at low temperatures, Proceedings of the 8th european conference on industrial furnaces and boilers, Vilamoura,
2008
A. Ballant, D. Makaire, P. Ngendakumana : Modelling of a domestic gas-fired condensing boiler, Paper presented at
21st "journées d'études" of the Belgian Section of the Combustion Institute,, GENT (Belgium), May 6-8, 2008

40. Presentation of ECERC
Studies at UCL
Studies at UMons
Studies at ULg
Conclusions and Perspectives

41. Conclusions and Perspectives
Future works:
Combustion of gases with low calorific values in
furnaces(UMons-UCL)
Transition from commercial to open-source CFD software for
combustion (UMons-UCL)
Feasibility studies of diluted combustion without air preheating
(UMons-ULg)
Lending of experimental equipments, troubleshooting of
experiments and measurement techniques (ULg-UMons-UCL)

42. Conclusions and Perspectives
Complementary themes and efforts among Belgian partners
Balance between fundamental and applied research
Scientific production (publications, thesis)
Outcomes:
Kinetic models (UCL)
Experimental database (UCL, UMons)
Semi-industrial size test facilities (UMons, ULg)
Perspectives:
Facilities available for industrial test
Industrial deployment of numerical tools and know how
Insights into long-term research plans at an international level
through the ECERC agreement (TLM and ExCo)