ABSTRACT
“Flameless” combustion of premixed gas within fine ceramic fiber mat was examined experimentally for the development of environmentally acceptable, compact and highly efficient burners. Five distinct combustion stages were observed to occur depending on the air ratio and the mixture velocity, one of which is a stage whereby the flame fully enters the mat and it is not visible above the burner surface. The concentrations of NOx and CO in the gas products were measured for the different stages and a constant surface temperature map was drawn which showed that the surface temperature during the flameless stage is high enough for radiant heating purposes. Thus, the results of the study show that the use of a fine ceramic fiber mat has great potential in the development of a clean, compact and highly efficient burner.
