HEAT-TRANSFER IMPROVEMENT AND NOX REDUCTION BY HIGHLY PREHEATED AIR COMBUSTION

The recent development in the design of regenerative combustion system s, in which a ceramic honeycomb is used as a heat storage medium in th e regenerator, has raised the preheated air temperature up to 1600 K. Highly preheated air combustion increases heating potential of flue ga s and reduces fuel consumption. However, highly preheated air combusti on increases the potential of NOx emission. Thus, the development of a low NO, burner is required for the application of this technology to commercial use. In this paper, a newly developed low NOx regenerative burner is presented. Theoretical and numerical analyses of fuel saving in highly preheated air combustion are also discussed. (C) 1997 Elsev ier Science Ltd.