Abstract
A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify gaps in the experimental study of hydrocarbon-air combustion. Results from this review show many works of literature dealing with various hydrocarbon-air mixture on methane, propane and ethylene-air mixture, but limited to no studies were found using ionisation probes and high-speed digital camera(HSDC) to examine combustion parameters and explosion characteristics of the butane-air mixture.The research aims to develop, design and deploy a measurement tool called multiple ionisation probes (MIP) alongside a HSDC in the investigation of butane-air combustion. The major objective of this research was to investigate the influence of butane-air mixture volume on the flame speed of the combustion reaction. A preliminary experimental study on the combustion process in a transparent closed cylindrical combustion vessel of butane-air mixtures with central ignition was performed for different volume of butane. These preliminary results were used to design and develop the experimental setup for the primary data collection. Findings from preliminary experiments show the relative influence of butane gas volume on the combustion reaction's flame speed. Also, results from these initial experiments revealed the influence of mixing on the butane-air mixture's flame speed.
The MIP was designed and developed in-house at Glasgow Caledonian University and successfully deployed alongside the HSDC in the primary data collection. The results from MIP and the HSDC have been compared, and conclusion reached. The merits and drawbacks of the two measurement systems have been determined. The results show the average speed from the MIP and HSDC in close agreement for the lower volume of the butane-air mixture, but less so at higher volumes. The findings indicated a good trend between the MIP and HSDC speed predictions. The results give quantitative evidence that the MIP provides reliable and easily reproducible results than the HSDC.
The novel aspect of the MIP aside from the characterisation of the combustion reaction of the butane-air mixture is the determination of the flame speed and detailed flame analysis at each station across the MIP. These provide in-depth data in relation to the butane-air mixture combustion to help bridge the gap of limited data concerning the experimental study of butane air combustion. These novel aspects will further expand our understanding of hydrocarbon-air combustion by facilitating the prediction of the combustion rate of butane which could help pave way for the development of efficient and cleaner combustion technologies.
| Date of Award | 2023 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Geraint Bevan (Supervisor), Peter Wallace (Supervisor) & Ray Ansell (Supervisor) |