Assisted Ignition of Hydrothermal Flames in A Hydrothermal Spallation Drilling Pilot Plant
Assisted Ignition of Hydrothermal Flames in A Hydrothermal Spallation Drilling Pilot Plant
Assisted Ignition of Hydrothermal Flames in A Hydrothermal Spallation Drilling Pilot Plant
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Igniter characteristics
The igniter used as a heated surface is a cylindrical
body consisting primarily of silicon nitride. The
electrical resistance is implemented in the main body
by a sintering procedure and it consists of 80% vol.
silicon nitride and the rest is additives, MoSi2 and
TaN. The outer surface of the igniter was electrically
insulating.
Figure 3 Technical drawing of the upper part of the The total length of the igniter is 90 mm, the diameter
used pressure vessel of its heated zone is 4mm and its length is 40mm.
The dependence of its resistance from its temperature
The inner space of the pressure vessel is divided in
was calibrated in a high temperature oven up to
the outer cooling mantle, where water keeps the load-
temperatures of 520 °C.
bearing walls at low temperatures, and the inner
The temperature in the calibration experiments was
space where the hydrothermal flame will be ignited at
measured with two K-type thermocouples positioned
its upper part and the rock probes will be inserted
near the igniter and its resistance was measured with
a multi-meter. The accuracy of the thermocouple Table 2 Fuel and gas steam mass flows and
measurement was ±1.5°C, and of the multi-meter compositions used in the experiments
0.8% of the measured value.
The calibration line is presented on Fig.5, together Mass flows
Fuel steam
with its confidence intervals, computed based on the Nitrogen
composition Fuel stream
orthogonal regression method (Gillard 2009). -1 stream
[wt.% Ethanol] [kghr ]
Technical reasons did not allow for the calibration of [Nlmin-1]
the igniter at higher temperatures (the material used 10
for soldering its electrical contacts melted above 20
0 130
550°C), but calibration data provided from the 30
construction company show a linear dependency up 40
to temperatures of 1000°C (Bach 2011). 10
The electrical connection system was custom made 20
and it is a combination of a ceramic capillary, 10 130
30
through which the bear wires were inserted for the 40
high temperature region and kapton insulated copper 10
wires for the low temperature region. The resistance 130
20
of the feeding line was subtracted from the total 20
30 180
resistance measurements, in order to account only for 35 220
the igniter resistance. 10
130
15
30
20 180
25 220
It must be stressed that the experiments in question
are performed in a pressure and temperature region
crossing the critical point of the mixtures used
(Abdurashidova 2007), (Wagner 2008) (Japas 1985).
In this region the material properties (especially the
cp and Pr values) exhibit a very strong dependency on
the pressure and the temperature. Due to this material
behavior, the convective heat transfer coefficient
depends not only on the flow conditions, but it is also
Figure 5 Igniter Calibration Curve. Confidence a strong function of the temperature of the fluid, the
interval ±0.5%. applied heat flux and the presence of buoyancy
effects (Pioro 2005), (Polyakov 1991).
The igniter can be fed with voltage values up to 230V For this reason the same experiments were carried
and current values up to 9A depending on its out for two heat flux values, namely 0.5 and 0.7
resistance. MWm-2.
The procedure implemented for each measurement
Experimental procedure consisted of the following steps:
As already mentioned the heat transfer measurements Once the predefined fluid temperature and
will be the input for the ignition model, with the aim fluid mass flow was reached, voltage was
to predict the ignition conditions in the system in fed to the igniter.
question. For this reason experimental conditions A defined ramp was followed for each
were chosen which simulate the ignition experiments measurement leading to the first heat flux
planned for the future. Accordingly, measurements value (see Fig.6).
were performed with both fuel and gas streams This value of the voltage was kept constant
(nitrogen). for sixty seconds and the voltage value, the
All the measurements were performed at a constant current value and the bulk temperature were
pressure of 260±4 bar and the fluids were preheated recorded.
at temperatures between 350 and 420°C. Four fuel- The next step in the voltage was adjusted to
stream compositions were used having reach the second value of the heat flux on
0%,10%,20%,30% wt. ethanol, and various mass- the igniter (see Fig.6).
flow values for nitrogen, in order to investigate its After the sixty seconds of the second heat
influence. The mass flows used are presented in table flux measurement a ramp was followed for
2. the reduction of the voltage on the igniter.
Once the voltage was switched off, the bulk resolution of our measurements does not allow for
temperature was recorded for sixty seconds. the accurate measurement of this temperature.
According to the values presented from Rogak
(Rogak 2001) for water – oxygen systems, the
addition of nitrogen should lower the pseudo critical
temperature of the working fluid in a similar manner
with the one observed in our measurements.
Nevertheless in our case we have a water-ethanol
mixture and we can only assume its pseudo critical
temperature from the data of its critical temperature
presented from Abduraslidova (Abdurashidova
2007).
Experimental results
The results for two mass flows of the 10%wt. ethanol
fuel mixture are presented on Fig.7 and Fig.8 for two
heat flux values (0.5 and 0.7 MWm-2 respectively). In
these experiments the mass flow of nitrogen was kept
constant at 130 Nlmin-1.
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