Electric field effect on combustion of pelletized biomass in swirling flow: Summary of the doctoral thesis

The Doctoral Thesis examines the control of the swirling flame flow dynamics with an external static electric field (electric field-driven flame dynamics) firing the gaseous products of thermal decomposition of pelletized straw, woody biomass, and peat with the aim of more efficient heat production with a decrease of flue gas emissions. The relevance of the work is related to the goals set by the EU for 2030 and is in line with the development strategy of the Latvian RIS3, including increasing energy efficiency, diversifying biofuels, using CO2-neutral energy, and developing smart technologies to obtain clean energy from local energy resources of Latvia. The scientific novelty of the research is in the combined use of an external electric field, the biomass of various origins, and a swirling flame flows to produce heat during the combustion of a pelletized solid biofuel for efficient mixing of the gaseous components of the fuel-air mixture. To achieve the goal of the Thesis, experimental studies of the effect of an electric field on the processes of thermal decomposition of pelletized solid fuel (wheat straw, coniferous wood and peat), the kinetics of the formation of volatile products, the processes of combustion kinetics and the dynamics of a swirling flame flow were carried out in order to evaluate the effect of an external electric field on the variable parameters ‒ flame temperature, swirling flow velocity components, fuel-air mixture composition and the amount of heat released during the thermal decomposition of biomass and combustion of gaseous substances. The Thesis summarizes the research carried out at the Institute of Physics of the University of Latvia (IPUL) within the framework of projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The results of the research were presented at international scientific conferences and have been published in periodic journals indexed in international scientific databases. The purpose of the published (16) articles was a verification of the experimental methodology and the results by the international scientific community.