Experimental Investigation of Ammonia Combustion Characteristics for Low-Carbon Energy Applications

Abstract

The article shows that ammonia has significant potential as an alternative fuel for power plants due to its lack of carbon dioxide emissions and its high specific energy. Experiments were conducted to determine that the calorific value of ammonia is approximately 18.5 MJ/kg, and that the flame temperature under various fuel supply modes reaches 1050°C. It was proposed to use preliminary air preheating to accelerate ignition and stabilize combustion, thereby reducing ignition time by nearly half. It has been shown that one of the main problems remains the high concentration of nitrogen oxides in the combustion products, which can reach 400 ppm when ammonia and hydrogen are burnt together. It has been determined that the automation of fuel supply processes and the use of catalytic afterburning systems are necessary to ensure environmental safety. The study proposes further research on the joint combustion of ammonia with methane and hydrogen to identify optimal fuel component ratios that reduce pollutant emissions while maintaining high energy efficiency. Experiments were performed on a modified Giersch R40 premixed gas burner installed in a 0.6 m³ refractory-lined chamber, with automated NH₃ dosing (0.2–1.0 kg·h⁻¹) and controlled air preheating (25–80 °C). The gas composition was measured using a Testo 350 analyzer, and temperature fields were recorded by a Fluke Ti480 PRO thermal camera; the lower heating value was determined with an IKA C6000 calorimeter. These methodological details clarify how the reported ignition delays, flame temperatures, and NOₓ levels were obtained.