Can hydrogen enriched biogas be used as domestic fuel? - Part I – Thermal Characteristics of Blended Biogas/H2 Impinging Flames

Abstract

Biogas is a renewable energy source widely produced by breakdowns of organic matters in natural environment and industry. However, it is not yet an ideal replacement of fossil fuels because its high CO2 content would deteriorate its thermal performance. To upgrade biogas for possible domestic application, hydrogen enrichment is proposed by adding high-grade hydrogen (H2) to biogas in order to improve its flammability and heating value, and reduce pollutant emission. However, most previous studies on blended Biogas/H2 focus on analysing the effects of H2 fraction and nozzle-to-plate distance on the heat flux profile and flame temperature. No comprehensive study has ever demonstrated the influence of the Reynolds number and equivalence ratio under a wide operating range. In this study, a test rig was built to investigate the effects of the Reynolds number and equivalence ratio on heat flux and thermal efficiency of blended biogas/H2 impinging flame. The blended biogas/H2 consisted of 80% biogas and 20% H2 addition in volume. Biogas was artificially made by 60% CH4 and 40% CO2 (BG60). The Reynolds number ranges from 300 to 1500 and equivalence ratio ranges from 1 to 3. A comparative study was also conducted between pure biogas (BG60) and biogas with 20% H2 enrichment.