The Effect of Equivalence Ratio and Fuel Composition at Variable Swirl Intensity on Temperature Distribution of a Dual Fuel Burner

The continuous consumption of fossil fuels has increasingly become a threat to the environment. This is mainly because of the harmful emissions released during their combustion and thus the need for finding applicable solutions. Among these, the use of H2 blended CH4 fuels has proved promising however, there are some drawbacks due to the difference in their combustion characteristics; necessitating the need for further research to obtain a clear understanding of their combustion behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to experimentally examine the effect of equivalence ratios (0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3) and fuel composition (0–10%) H2 enrichment to CH4 on temperature distribution near the combustor walls while varying the swirl intensities (30°, 60°). Three K-type thermocouples stationed at a height of 91, 196 and 277 mm along the vertical axis of the combustion chamber and extending 3 mm from the inner walls are used to measure the temperatures. Results show a similar trend at both intensities of temperatures increasing with decrease in equivalence ratio but slightly higher at a swirl intensity of 60° than at 30°. Furthermore, temperatures decrease with height towards the combustor exit. For fuel composition, temperatures at 10% H2 addition are higher than that at 0% H2 and the trends obtained are different. At 10%, temperatures rapidly decrease with an increase in height for both intensities while at 0% temperatures at 91 and 196 mm are nearly constant but rapidly decrease towards the combustor exit which can be attributed to the different flame shapes attained.