Purpose In recent years, the global energy transition has highlighted the need for sustainable fuel alternatives, with hydrogen emerging as a key option for reducing carbon emissions. As a carbon-free fuel, hydrogen offers strong potential when blended with conventional fuels. This study aims to investigate the combustion of natural gas–hydrogen mixtures in a vertical continuous-flow combustion chamber using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with a focus on the effects of hydrogen addition. Design/methodology/approach The experimental setup consists of a co-firing and reburn chamber fuelled with natural gas at a heating power of 25 kW. The chamber includes a side exhaust duct and seven side ports, enabling six temperature measurements along its length and gas sampling. Axial and radial temperature profiles were recorded for three air–fuel mixtures, together with concentrations of CO, CO2, NOx and O2. A CFD model of non-premixed natural gas–air combustion was developed and validated against experimental data. Six additional simulations were performed for co-firing and reburn modes with hydrogen fractions of 15, 30 and 45%. Findings Results show that increasing hydrogen content reduces CO and CO2 emissions and lowers NOx levels compared to pure natural gas. Hydrogen addition also leads to higher peak flame temperatures and altered thermal distributions. Among the cases studied, the RB30 mixture provided the best overall performance, indicating an optimal hydrogen concentration of 30%. Originality/value The novelty of this work lies in a comparative analysis of cofiring and reburn operations in hydrogen-enriched natural gas combustion systems, rather than investigating only the combustion mode.
Otero et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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