ABSTRACT
Combustion is predominantly used as a means of direct or indirect energy source in boilers, fired heaters, and furnaces (e.g. metals, refinery, power generation, petrochemical); manufacturing of raw materials (e.g. glass, iron aluminum); adding value to raw material as it is converted to finished products (e.g. metal refining); waste disposal (e.g. incinerators); and other industries (e.g. automotive, aerospace and defense). Over the last few decades, rapid advances have been made in combustion research driven by the dual concerns of energy sufficiency and air pollution. During this period, there has been a growing acceptance by the industry of the usefulness of computational simulations and laser diagnostics in the development and optimization of combustion processes. Industries have always been on the lookout for technologies capable of delivering step changes in the reduction of pollutant emission and energy consumption. It is generally acknowledged that oxygen-enhanced combustion (OEC) technology has a great potential to simultaneously reduce costs as well as achieve lower emissions.1 In OEC, the O2 concentration in the oxidizer can vary from 21% to 100% by volume. The combustion applications that make use of pure O2 as oxidizer are referred to as oxy-fuel combustion. Increase in oxygen enrichment results in several fundamental changes, which include higher flame temperature and flame speed, reduced flame length, and increased flammability range.2
