Design, construction, operation, and characterization of a generic burner for the study of aluminum particle combustion in high-temperature H2O/N2 flows

The combustion of micron-sized aluminum (Al) particles in high-temperature steam (H2O) has been recently proposed as a promising approach to produce green hydrogen (H2) and power without the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, generic experimental platforms with well-characterized boundary conditions are still missing. To address this gap, a novel H2/O2/N2 diffusion flame burner was designed and constructed to produce adjustable, high-temperature, and laminar H2O/N2 atmospheres for the study of the ignition and combustion of micron-sized Al particles in steam environment. The boundary conditions, namely the temperature and major species profiles along the trajectories of the burning particles, were comprehensively characterized using one-dimensional (1D) Raman/Rayleigh spectroscopy. The two-dimensional (2D) reaction/high-temperature regions of the flames were visualized using planar laser-induced fluorescence of OH radicals (OH-PLIF). In addition, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to provide further insights into the thermochemical state and velocity field of the flames. Initial experiments with Al particles demonstrate that the proposed burner is well suited for studying the ignition and combustion behavior of Al particles in high-temperature steam environment.