Innovative H2-O2 Burner Utilizing Water-Cooled Combustion for Superheated Steam Generation

This paper presents a novel burner designed specifically for the combustion of hydrogen in conjunction with oxygen. The combustion of hydrogen and oxygen poses significant technical challenges due to the exceptionally high combustion temperatures and rapid flame propagation speeds involved. In this innovative burner design, a precise amount of liquid water is introduced into the oxygen stream within the burner, forming a finely atomized water spray. This water-oxygen mixture then reacts with the hydrogen in the combustion chamber to generate water vapor. One of the key advantages of this approach is the effective reduction of the adiabatic flame temperature by incorporating water directly into the flame. This serves to mitigate the extreme temperatures characteristic of hydrogen-oxygen combustion scenarios. Moreover, the utilization of liquid water capitalizes on its enthalpy of vaporization, further enhancing the cooling effect. This strategic incorporation of water not only optimizes cooling efficiency but also minimizes volume usage, maximizing the cooling impact per unit volume. Measurements utilizing planar laser-diagnostical techniques were conducted to analyze the OH concentration and droplet distribution alongside parallel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. These investigations aimed to assess the efficacy of the proposed concept and the burner stability. The findings revealed distinct zones characterized by substantial droplet presence but low OH radical concentrations, suggesting effective reactivity reduction within these zones. Two burner configurations were scrutinized, one devoid of swirl and another incorporating swirl. The results underscored a notable improvement in flame stability with the swirl-enhanced burner configuration, indicating the advantageous impact of swirl on burner performance.