Experimental and numerical studies of electric field effects on biomass thermo-chemical conversion

Experimental study and mathematical modelling were aimed to provide electric control of biomass thermochemical conversion and analysis of the DC electric and electromagnetic effects on combustion dynamics to obtain a cleaner and a more effective heat energy production. Mathematical modelling of the formation of flame velocity and temperature profiles was performed considering the Lorentz force effect on the flame. The results of numerical simulation show that increasing the electrodynamic Lorentz force parameter Pe leads to the increase of flame vorticity enhancing thus the fuel mixing with the air and to the correlating decrease of the flame temperature and reaction rates. Experimental study and analysis of the DC field effect on development of the swirling flow dynamics shows that the electric field-induced ionic wind disturbs the formation of the swirling flow velocity field by enhancing the upstream swirling flow formation and mixing of the axial flow of combustible volatiles with an upstream air swirl. The field-enhanced mixing of the axial flow of volatiles with an air leads to improvement of combustion conditions and to an increase in combustion efficiency giving a more complete combustion of volatiles by increasing the produced heat energy at thermo-chemical conversion of biomass.