Monitoring and characterisation of oxy-gas burner flames using digital imaging and spectral analysis techniques

This paper presents an investigation into the characteristics of a propane/O2/CO2 burner flame on a lab-scale oxy-gas combustion rig by employing digital imaging and spectral analysis techniques. A CCD camera and a spectrometer were utilized to capture flame images and spectral radiation intensity. The flame radiation intensity was measured for different areas of the flame under both air-fuel and oxy-fuel conditions. Four ratios of O2 and CO2 flows (O2/CO2%-volume: 21/79, 25/75, 27/73, and 30/70) under a fixed fuel flow rate were used in the investigation. Experimental results show that the flame radiation intensity in the air-fuel condition is greater than that in oxy-fuel conditions. It is also found that, over the measured spectral range, the radiation intensity of the flame increases with the O2/CO2 ratio.