Effect of rotating gliding discharges on the lean blow-off limit of biogas flames

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of a rotating gliding discharge on synthetic biogas combustion at atmospheric pressure. Synthetic biogas was produced by mixing methane and carbon dioxide. Three mixtures were considered: 100%-0%, 70%-30%, and 50%-50% of methane and carbon dioxide, respectively. The plasma effect was investigated in a low-swirl-number burner equipped with a high-voltage electrode to produce gliding discharges. The effect of plasma on the stability limits of the flame is reported for several electrical powers. During plasma-assisted combustion, the lean blow-off limits of biogas-air flames were significantly improved, which agrees with what can be found in the literature for other fuels. The electrical parameters of the discharge and the plasma emissions were measured using electric probes and emission spectroscopy, respectively. The mixture with the CO2 dilution was associated with a higher reduced electric field and higher ion production. A better understanding of the excited-species concentration evolution during plasma is necessary and will be investigated in future work.