Measurement apparatus and modelling of laminar burning speed and mass burning rate of syngas and onset of auto-ignition of n-heptane and gas to liquid fuel

Research studies into understanding the fundamental thermodynamic properties of Syngas are extremely relevant in engineering combustion modeling for stationary turbine based power plants and for IC engines. The models rely heavily on accurate experimental results and of critical importance is the data for: chemical kinetic rates, mass burning rate and auto-ignition conditions. To produce some of this necessary data, an experimental facility capable of measuring the pressure rise from spherically expanding flames was developed. The first core component of the facility includes a spherical combustion vessel that enables the measurement of the pressure rise from a combustion process, at high initial temperature and pressure. The second core component of the facility, which includes a lower pressure cylindrical combustion vessel, with optically clear sides, enables the direct measurement of laminar flame speed as well as the visualization of expanding spherical flames for the study of flame structures. An improved model to complement the experimental measurements has been developed. Using the thermodynamic model, the mass burning rate and laminar burning speed can be calculated from the pressure data measured using one of the two constant volume combustion vessels. The model is used to calculate the mass fraction of the burned gas by simultaneously solving the conservation of mass and energy equations coupled with equilibrium concentrations calculation of the combustion products using STANJAN. For smooth non-cellular flames laminar burning speed can be also calculated. The facility and model have been used and improved by many of the researchers at Northeastern University with results published in a variety of technical journals, and thus expanding the measured range of laminar flame speed. This thesis will describe in detail the experimental apparatus and report the laminar burning speed and mass burning rate for Syngas-Air and Syngas-O2-He at high temperature and pressure as well as auto-ignition characteristics of n-Heptane and GTL (S8), which is a synthetic surrogate for aviation fuel.