Performance of Canola Methyl Ester Biofuel in a Partial Swirl Spray Flame Combustor

The performance of canola methyl ester (CME) biofuel in a partial swirl spray flame combustor is compared to that of No. 2 diesel fuel in this paper. The spray flame was enclosed in an optically accessible combustor and operated at atmospheric pressure with a co-flow of heated air. Fuel was delivered through a swirl-type air-blast atomizer with an injector diameter of 300 microns. A two-component phase Doppler particle analyzer was used to measure the spray droplet size, axial and radial velocity distributions. Radial and axial concentration measurements of NO, CO, CO₂ and O₂ were made in the flame environment. Axial and radial flame temperature measurements were made using a Type R thermocouple. The volumetric flow rates of fuel, atomization air and co-flow air were kept constant for both fuels. The droplet SMD at the nozzle exit for CME biofuel are smaller than the No. 2 diesel fuel implying faster vaporization rates for the CME biofuel. Flame temperature decreases more rapidly for the CME biofuel than for the No. 2 diesel fuel in both axial and radial directions. CME biofuel produced lower in-flame NO and CO peak concentrations than No. 2 diesel fuel.