Clean Combustion Lab

Director

Dr. Sulaiman Al-Turaifi

Location: 26-125

Tel: (860) 2184

Short introduction of the lab and its key capabilities/mission

The laboratory is used for both research and instructional purposes. The equipment available in the lab include: gasoline and diesel variable compression testing units for rating fuels, spark and diesel testing units for engine performance tests, and a stationary gas turbine unit with associated instrumentation for measuring power and performance. Also available are: Wankel and Stirling engines, steam turbine units, an analytical unit for emission measurements, a bomb calorimeter for constant volume combustion studies, and a diagnostic kit for automotive engines. It is also equipped with the state-of-the-art internal-combustion engine bed test connected to a gas analyzer allowing on-line measurements of performance and emissions

Courses supported are:

ME 203 - Thermodynamics I
ME 204 - Thermodynamics II
ME 315 - Heat Transfer
ME 432 – Internal Combustion Engine

Laboratory equipment dedicated to teaching only

Engine test bed system Max speed 8000 rpm power 250 kw Vsm tec model no 59512- 400E

Electrode Steam Generator VSM TEC. ( BOILER ) MODEL: HEATER A E- 350.

CFR engine used to measure Octane number for fuels.

Gas Analyzer model p 7500 Richardo gas unit.

Experimental setups used for teaching

Experiment # 1 Demonstration of Different Engines.
Experiment # 2 Dismantling of a Single Cylinder SI Engine.
Experiment # 3 Assembling of a Single Cylinder SI Engine Engine.
Experiment # 4 Constant Speed Test of a Diesel Engine.
Experiment # 5 Variable Speed Test of a Diesel Engine.
Experiment # 6 Morse Test.
Experiment # 7 Constant Speed Test of Gasoline Engine.
Experiment # 8 Variable Speed Test of a SI Engine.
Experiment # 9 Octane Rating by Research Method.
Experiment # 10 Engine Diagnostics.
Experiment # 11 Exhaust Gas Analysis.

Test-benches used for research

Summary of the research you/others are undertaking

In the heat engines lab, we have the following setups:

1. A computerized gas turbine model combustor with output power in the range from 4 to 7 MW/m3atm for testing methane and syngas combustion in pure oxygen environment.

Objectives:

The presently proposed research work has the goal of conducting both experimental and numerical study on the methane-oxygen combustion characteristics and emissions in comparison with the conventional fuel oxy-combustion inside a gas turbine model combustor. The specific objectives are:

To design and setup a gas turbine swirl combustor for the application of free emissions methane-oxygen combustion power generation To investigate experimentally the syngas oxy-combustion characteristics inside the gas turbine swirl combustor, in addition to recording the combustion products out of the system. To develop a CFD computational model for the investigations of the methane oxy-combustion and emission characteristics for a swirl gas turbine combustor. To investigate, numerically, the effect of concentration ratio in the oxidizer mixture (CO2+O2) on the flame stabilization and oxy-combustion characteristics inside the gas turbine combustor. To design and optimize gas turbine combustor utilizing oxy-combustion of methane fuel.

Equipment:

Gas Chromatograph - High pressure compressor - Advanced gas analyzer - Air mass flow controllers - Furnace and quartz plates - Data acquisition System - Fuel rotameters - High sensitivity thermocouples - Metal plates and consumables - Laser Beam - Computer supplies and stationary - Computational Workstation for Computer modeling and simulation.

2. A test bed for liquid fuel evaporation and partial oxidation in a button-cell oxygen transport membrane reactor.

Objectives:

The main objective of the proposed study is to develop an OTR for the combustion of liquid fuels. The specific objectives of the proposed study are the following:

Build an ITM setup for the liquid fuel combustion that validates the concept and test, experimentally, the permeation of oxygen in a liquid fuel OTR and the liquid fuel combustion,

Assess the effect of the type of fuel on the performance of the OTR as well as test different membranes and evaluate cocking and sulfur emissions,

Develop a computational procedure to evaluate the flow and combustion of liquid fuels in OTRs and the conversion of liquid fuels into energy while capturing CO2, and

Assess the combustion of liquid fuels by investigating, numerically and experimentally, the influence of the key parameters, such as oxygen partial pressure in the feed side and CO2 circulation on the performance of the OTR.

Equipment:

Gas Chromatograph - High pressure micro scale fuel pump – oxygen transport membranes - Advanced gas analyzer - Air mass flow controllers - Furnace and quartz plates - Data acquisition System - Fuel rotameters - High sensitivity thermocouples - Metal plates and consumables - Laser Beam - Computer supplies and stationary - Computational Workstation for Computer modeling and simulation.

3. A computerized test bed for a porous plate reactor burning natural and syngas fuels under oxy-combustion conditions toward the application of emission-free fire tube boilers.

Objectives:

The objective of the present work is to develop a carbon free fired tube boiler. This includes:

Develop a computational model for the 3-D ITM fire tube for use in the fire tube boiler.

Investigate numerically the influence of CO2 circulation on the combustion process in the fire tube boilers.

Test, experimentally, a small scale size of the developed fire tube utilizing porous media.

Equipment:

4- Experimental and theoretical investigations of knock tendency and emissions of a spark ignition engine fueled with gasoline octane 91 and 95. (March 2009 – March 2011). Funded by KFUPM.

This research aims to investigate experimentally and theoretically the effect of using the two grades of gasoline used in Saudi Arabia, octane 91 and 95, on the knock tendency and engine performance and emissions.

Equipment: ARMFIELD GASOLINE ENGINE MODEL CM 11 with Ignition & Injection Control

4- OXY-COMBUSTION IN ITM REACTORS: SYSTEM’S ANALYSIS, COMBUSTION, ELECTROTHERMOCHEMISTRY AND MATERIALS. (September 2009 – September 2014). Funded by Center of Excellence for Scientific Research Collaboration with MIT - KFUPM.

The present work aims at numerically and experimentally investigating the oxyfuel combustion process utilizing an ion transport membrane. The specific objectives are:

Experimentally investigate the characteristics of methane combustion with oxygen.

Develop a computational model for investigating the characteristics of methane combustion at the membrane interface.

Investigate numerically the influence of CO2 circulation on the oxycombustion process.

Investigate numerically and experimentally the performance of oxygen transport membrane under different conditions of inlet air pressure.

Equipment:

Gas Chromatograp - Membrane Plates - High pressure compressor - Advanced gas analyzer - Air mass flow controllers - Furnace and quartz plates - Digital oscilloscope - Hot-wire anemometry and a bridge - Data acquisition System - Fuel rotameters - High sensitivity thermocouples - Metal plates and consumables - Laser Beam - Computer supplies and stationary - Computational Workstation for Computer modeling and simulation.

Fig 1: Oxy-fuel combustion test rig.

Combustion characteristics and Emissions of a HCCI-DI Diesel Engine Running with a Bio-Fuel Suitable for Saudi Arabian Environment. (June 2010 – February 2014). Funded by KFUPM

The objectives of the current research can be summarized in the following points.

To increase the awareness with the importance of cultivating the jojoba plant as an alternative energy suitable for Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region forms one of the important objectives of this study.

To improve the chemical and physical characteristics of the jojoba bio-fuel.

To investigate experimentally the possibility of using this fuel as alternative fuel for direct-injection HCCI diesel engine.

To study the combustion characteristics (spray, injection timing, ignition timing and knocking), and the engine performance and emissions of the HCCI engine running with JME.

Equipment:

Single Cylinder Engine test bed + Dynamometer + measuring instrumentation for Pressure, temperature inside the cylinder(s) in addition to emissions measuring instruments

A test rig and a converter machine to prepare the bio-fuel from raw oil.

KFUPM Shock Tube

The KFUPM Shock Tube is a facility capable of instantaneously generate a wide range of temperature (700-5000 K) and pressure (0.01-100 bar) conditions. The facility consist of a 8.3-m long driven section with an internal diameter of 18 cm, and a 3-m long driver section. The driver section can be extended up to 5.8-m long using a U-bend shape pipe. Several fast-responding pressure sensors are mounted flush on the last 2 m of the driven section to allow measurement of the shock wave velocity. The test-section include 8 optically accessible ports to allow implementing several optical diagnostics. Two separate mixing tanks are connected to the facility for generating custom gas mixtures.

Key feature

Pressure range from 0.01 to 100 bar.

Temperature range from 700 K to 5000 K.

Large internal diameter of 18 cm.

Research details

Shock tubes are impulse devices that generate a shock wave to instantaneously increase the temperature and pressure of a test section. The generated shock wave, which travels at supersonic speed (several Mach), can be tailored to create a wide range of temperature (500-10,000 K) and pressure (0.01-1000 bar) conditions. Shock tubes are typically implemented to study: (i) the impulse of shock wave on matter such as high-speed aerodynamics, blast waves, and material response; and (ii) the reacting flow behind the shock wave such as gas-phase reactions, fuel chemistry, and hypersonic reacting flows.

A shock tube consists of two long steel tube sections: a driver and a driven section. Before each experiment, a diaphragm is placed between the two sections. The desired test gas or tested object is then placed in the driven section. The driver section is then pressurized until the diaphragm bursts, creating a shock wave that travels through the driven section. This shock wave compresses and heats the gas in the driven section. When the shock wave reaches the end of the driven section, it hits the end flange and reflects back further compressing and heating the gas. This process occurs in a few microseconds to bring the tested gas from room temperature to a desired high temperature and pressure. Objects can also be placed at the end of the driven section to study their properties when encountering shock waves.

The KFUPM shock tube facility is intended to perform research related to the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Hydrogen Technologies and Carbon Management. This research can be classified into four themes: (i) reacting flows at combustion-like conditions towards clean energy applications (e.g., hydrogen and ammonia combustion), (ii) gas-phase processes related to hydrogen production (e.g., hydrocarbon pyrolysis and polygeneration processes), (iii) gas-phase reactions of carbon capture processes (e.g., Autothermal reforming process), and (iv) safety of energy storage systems (e.g., battery thermal runaway and fire suppressant chemistry). However, it should be noted that the shock tube is a versatile device that can be utilized for studying military applications. These include studying combustion of rocket and jet fuels, effect of blast waves on buildings and structures, high-velocity impact testing of protective armor and shelters, aerodynamic flows, and medical research related to injuries from blast waves and explosions.