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R&D Needs and Opportunities in Pulse Combustion and Pulse Combustion

Drying
Wu Zhonghuaa; Arun S. Mujumdara
a
Engineering Science Program, National University of Singapore, Singapore

To cite this Article Zhonghua, Wu and Mujumdar, Arun S.(2006) 'R&D Needs and Opportunities in Pulse Combustion and
Pulse Combustion Drying', Drying Technology, 24: 11, 1521 — 1523
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/07373930600961520
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07373930600961520

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 Drying Technology, 24: 1521–1523, 2006
Copyright # 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0737-3937 print/1532-2300 online
DOI: 10.1080/07373930600961520
R&D Needs and Opportunities in Pulse Combustion and
Pulse Combustion Drying
Wu Zhonghua and Arun S. Mujumdar
Engineering Science Program, National University of Singapore, Singapore
This short communication attempts to summarize briefly the
authors’ opinions on R&D needs and opportunities for basic as well
as applied research in pulse combustion and pulse combustion
drying. It is not all-inclusive. Only minimal citations are made to
relevant literature as readers interested in pro-actively pursuing this
area can locate it reasonably easily. The objective in presenting this
verview is to encourage new researchers in this fascinating and
challenging field.
Downloaded At: 20:29 15 January 2011
Keywords Pulse combustion; Pulse combustion drying; R&D
R&D IN PULSE COMBUSTION
With a history of about 80 years, it is legitimate to ask
why more applications of pulse combustors, with their
many apparent advantages and simplicity, have not played
a more prominent role in the field of combustion tech-
nology. The main problem seems to be a lack of under-
standing of some of the basic complex phenomena that
are involved. As a result, the popular trial-and-error
approach has been used to produce a wide variety of
designs, but little is known about how they are related or
whether they even work or why they do not work at their
limits. For example, in the combustion chamber may
change the sonic wave patterns of pulse combustion, the
exact re-ignition mechanism is not known even now. And
again, why do most gas fired pulse combustors cut off as
the air–fuel ratio moves into the fuel-rich region? Research
dealing with the principles of pulse combustion process
would be a major challenge.
In the investigation of the pulse combustion process,
mathematical models play an important role due to the
cost experimental work carried out without knowing the
parameter effects well. However, this lack of knowledge
forces major assumptions to be made in any mathematical
analyses. For example, in earlier numerical models, the
Correspondence: Dr. Arun S. Mujumdar, Department of
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science Program, 10
Kent Ridge Crescent, National University of Singapore, 119260
Singapore; E-mail: mpeasm@nus.edu.sg
1521
inlet flow was forced at the expected pulsation frequency,
or a condition was enforced on the mass flow to achieve
the expected pulsation. Thus, none of these models were able
to fully capture the behavior of the inlet valve itself and hence
did not excite natural pulse combustion in the device.[1]
Therefore, novel and advanced models are required to accu-
rately simulate the pulse combustion process, where only
simple realistic assumptions are needed. Experimental works,
particularly testing by industry, are strongly recommended
for the development of working models.
The noise generated by pulse combustion inhibits its
wider applications. It has been shown that coupling of
two PC units may reduce noise. Other modern methods
of noise suppression can be considered as well along with
aerodynamic simulations. Recently, some researchers have
concluded that new design concepts of pulse combustor
may help to reduce noise and other drawbacks which are
inherent in conventional pulse combustors. This is an area
requiring further research.
Conventional pulse combustion burner technology is a
burner unit design comprised of two geometrically-
configured adjoining channels and chambers—a combus-
tion chamber and an exhaust channel or ‘‘tailpipe.’’ Most
conventional pulse combustion burner units use a
‘‘tubular’’ configuration, similar to a bottle with an enlon-
gated neck and operate at anywhere from 60 to 70 cycles
per second depending upon the configuration and appli-
cation. The principal drawbacks of conventional pulse
combustion technology have been noise and vibration
and an inability to efficiently generate large quantities of
heat units through the combustion process. The noise
and vibration resulting from the operation of the conven-
tional pulse combustion burner is at relatively low frequen-
cies of 60–70 cycles per second. By maintaining the most
efficient shape of the ‘‘bottle’’ in terms of its ‘‘cross sec-
tion’’ while extending the ‘‘depth’’ of the bottle in a linear
or straight-line direction, researchers at Clean Energy
Technology (Canada) Inc., have eliminated the high noise
and vibration levels associated with conventional pulse
combustion since the design of their unit allows it to
 1522 ZHONGHUA AND MUJUMDAR
operate from 350 to 650 cycles per second depending upon
the configuration and application.[2] This new compact and
simple linear design also results in significantly smaller and
lighter burner units.
Mujumdar and Wu[3] have examined via simulation the
suitability of utilizing a novel pulse combustor chamber
based on nature’s design of the well-known Bombardier
Beetle. They found that the natural ‘‘heart shape’’ combus-
tion (actually reaction) chamber can reduce efficiently the
required tailpipe length, resulting in a very efficient compact
design. A high operating frequency was also observed, which
may contribute to noise reduction. Scientists at CSIRO,
Australia, claimed they have found a way to keep a pulsing
flame burning at low levels, which makes it easy to scale up
the laboratory pulse combustor into commercial-sized
processing facilities, where large quantities of BTUs are
necessary.[4] The secret behind the practical pulse combustor
is its specially designed heating chamber.
Therefore, it seems the ‘‘tubular’’ configuration in con-
ventional pulse combustors may not be an optimum design.
Revolutionary design changes in geometry of the combus-
tion chamber will bring next generation pulse combustion
Downloaded At: 20:29 15 January 2011
technology. Low noise and low emissions, high energy
efficiency and large heat output, ease of scale up, etc., would
be the major characteristics of the emerging new generation
of pulse combustors. Obviously, new generation pulse com-
bustion technology should have larger application potential
and hence provide more R&D opportunities.
Use of renewable fuels such as bio-diesel in pulse com-
bustion is also of major research interest due to decreasing
supply and increasing cost of petroleum fuel and rocketing
oil price. Since pulse combustors are simple in structure
without moving parts, micro-pulse combustors have
become an area of research interest. The micro-pulse com-
bustor can provide microthrust for MEMS or be made as a
micropower generator. Wan et al. numerically investigated
the feasibility of 2-cm micro-pulsejet with reed valves.[5]
Wu and Mujumdar numerically simulated a nature
micro-pulse combustor which protects the Bombardier bee-
tles from predators and found that heat loss play an impor-
tant role in sustaining micro-pulse combustion.[3]
A recent research interest is in the active control of pulse
combustion. In some applications of pulse combustion, it is
often observed that a complex interaction exists between the
PC burner and the applicators, which may generate changes
in the sonic wave patterns. For example, in pulse combus-
tion drying, the drying chamber may change the sonic wave
patterns of pulse combustors. In addition, the dryer
geometry and wet material load may affect the performance
of a PC burner, which may not work under design con-
ditions. Oscillation of fuel supply may also influence oper-
ation of pulse combustors. Pulse burners, when run on an
increasingly lean fuel-air mixture, changes from pulsing
regularly to a chaotic pulsating regime. When the fuel-air
mixture is made still leaner, the system may pass through
‘‘crisis’’ and suddenly flame out. To avoid these operational
instabilities without major modification of the hardware or
limitations on the operating conditions, active control has
been proposed.[6] In active control, pressure or heat flux
sensors are utilized to detect the onset of the operation
instability, and actuators such as fuel injectors are incorpor-
ated to modulate fuel flow rate and hence prevent this crisis.
Combustors incorporating this technique would thus be
expected to have better industry acceptance.
R&D IN PULSE COMBUSTION DRYING
Although pulse combustion technology itself is not new,
its application to dry slurries and suspensions and later
other physical forms of wet solids was attempted only in
past two decades with varying success.[7,8] Industrial appli-
cations of PC in drying processes can found mainly in
spray drying, fluid bed drying, and flash drying. However,
due to the merits of pulse combustion, it is believed that it
must have new applications in drying process and some
recent research effort is addressed to this problem. For
example, in 2003, an attempt was reported on the use of
PC impinging jets for drying of thicker grades of paper.[9]
Wu et al. evaluated the convective heat transfer and fluid
dynamic characteristics when pulse combustion tailpipe
flow impinges normally on a flat surface.[10] Generally,
the pressure drop of a spouted bed is about several thou-
sand Pascal, which is the range of pressure oscillation of
pulse combustion exhaust flow. Thus, pulse combustion
may be also applied in spouted bed drying. The PC tailpipe
exit flow ca also impinge on a bed of wet particles on a con-
veyor belt to simulate the jet-zone process.
The list of materials successfully tested at the pilot-scale
PC spray dryer extends from inorganic (e.g., kaolin, metal
oxides, calcium carbonate, etc.) through food and agricul-
tural products (e.g., starch, vegetables, eggs) to biomater-
ials (such as antibiotics, vitamins, bio-pesticides, and the
like). Pulse combustion drying utilizing high temperature
and high pulsating velocity can process a wide range of
materials, especially heat-sensitive biomaterial and high-
viscosity suspensions. Large quantities of new materials
have appeared in recent years and pulse combustion drying
may be used for the drying of some new materials. Thus,
some experimental works are required to evaluate the dry-
ing effect of such materials in pulse combustion drying.
Although in pilot tests and technical reports of pulse
combustion dryers, short drying time, high energy
efficiency, and product quality are generally reported, there
are few theoretical studies of the pulse combustion drying
process. Liu et al. demonstrated experimentally that the
pressure amplitude and the oscillating frequency of
the unsteady flow, generated by a Helmhotz pulse combus-
tor, enhance the convective heat transfer coefficient.[11]
Smucerowicz carried out reaseach on in situ analysis of
 R&D IN PULSE COMBUSTION
the mechanism of the PCD spray drying process.[12]
Zbicinski et al.,[13] and Wu and Liu[14] have conducted
CFD modeling of the PC spray drying process. Experi-
mental and simulation results showed the complex nature
of the pulsating flow in the drying chamber and the very
rapid decrease of material moisture content in the intensive
drying. Some possible mechanisms enhancing the drying
process were also discussed. To improve the fundamental
understanding of pulse combustion drying process, more
R&D effort is required, and this is a long task. There is still
uncertainty about use of the turbulence model for strongly
pulsing, high-temperature turbulent flows.
In pulse combustion drying, the pulsating jet of flue gas
not only dries wet materials but disperses liquid materials
without nozzles and atomizers. For example, in the Uni-
sonTM pulse combustion dryer, the sound energy generated
in a pulse combustor is used primarily for atomization of
the liquid feed. The dryer can handle slurries (with solids
up to 2 mm in diameter and up to 10 mm in length) with
viscosity up to 1600 cP as well as solutions with viscosity
up to 300 cP. The particle size distribution is finer than that
normally obtained in a spray dryer using conventional noz-
Downloaded At: 20:29 15 January 2011
zles and varies from 30 to 60 mm. Studies about the atomi-
zation process of liquid materials in pulsing jet, effect of
viscosity, gas velocity oscillation, etc., on particle size dis-
tribution, would bring a certain industrial interests.
In 1991, Zinn et al. suggested an alternative mode of
pulse combustion drying: the typical pulse combustion
dryer consists of a combustor and a dying chamber where
the hydrodynamic action of pressure and velocity waves
enhances drying rates.[15–16] Under certain conditions, these
pressure waves can be favorably amplified by an acoustic
resonance. To excite enhanced pulsating in a drying cham-
ber, the operating frequency of the pulse combustion must
match the frequency of one of the natural acoustic models
of the process volume. When this condition is satisfied,
both pulsations are in resonance, and the process is called
‘‘resonance-driven.’’ The energy input from the pulse com-
bustor in the resonance-driven processes could be relatively
low (10–30% of heat required for evaporation) and the
whole heat efficiency can be improved. Resonance-driven
drying processes would be expected to open retrofit appli-
cations of pulse combustors to existing rotary, band, spray,
and other dryers. It can be a big industrial interest and
obviously much research work is necessary.
It is highly desirable to study pulse combustion drying
from drying kinetics as well as product quality standpoints.
1523
For effective scale-up it is necessary to develop reliable
mathematical models that are validated by detailed mea-
surements of the flow and temperature fields as well as
noise levels. The opportunities for challenging and useful
R&D in this area are many and diverse.
REFERENCES
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Pulse combustor modeling demonstration of the importance of
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500008/Section5.asp (accessed May, 2001).
3. Wu, Z.H.; Mujumdar, A.S. Is Bombardier Beetle design suited for a
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