Study of the combustion time of biomass micropowder under internal combustion engine conditions

Details

Supervisors

Jeanmart, Hervé

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil mécanicien, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enPulverized fuel is widely used in power plants and micropowdered biomass can serve as an efficient biofuel by being directly injected into combustion systems. This work aims to determine the combustion time of thin pine wood particles with radii from 10 µm to 100 µm, in order to define the limiting particle size that ensures complete conversion within the time window available in internal combustion engines. This corresponds to the typical in-cylinder combustion duration of only a few milliseconds (e.g., about 7 ms at 1500 rpm, roughly 60 crank angle degrees). The first part of this work provides a first sight about biomass combustion and the current applications. The second and third parts focus on describing the phenomena occurring during the combustion and then their numerical modelling. The last part evaluates the durations of the two main phases of biomass combustion (pyrolysis and char oxidation) for varying particle sizes under various in-cylinder conditions. The results will be discussed to provide insights into practical applications.