The effect of swirl injection on the particle distributions of an initially biased turbulent jet

Abstract

For systems such as rotary cement kilns and boilers for power generation, the presence of particle bias inside burners can have strong effects on combustion in solid-fuel combustion systems. Burners are usually designed assuming internally homogeneous or axisymmetric particle distributions. However, inhomogeneities may affect the local and global performance of a flame, potentially reducing the burner efficiency. In the current study, swirl injection at various upstream locations and for a range of flow rates is examined as to its effect on a particle-laden jet with controlled initial bias. Instantaneous planar particle distributions are measured using planar nephelometry. The results indicate that swirl injection upstream from the nozzle can alter the particle distribution significantly, but renormalisation of the particle distribution is not achieved.