• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1358-1365
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• 2005

Flue gas recirculation (FGR) is widely adopted to control NO emission in combustion systems. Recirculated flue gas decreases flame temperature and reaction rate, resulting in the decrease in thermal NO production. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the recirculated flue gas in fuel stream, that is, the fuel induced recirculation (FIR), could enhance much improved reduction in NO per unit mass of recirculated gas, as compared to conventional FGR in air. In the present study, the effect of dilution methods in air and fuel sides on NO reduction has been investigated numerically by using $N_2$ and $CO_2$ as diluent gases to simulate flue gases. Counterflow diffusion flames were studied in conjunction with the laminar flamelet model of turbulent flames. Results showed that $CO_2$ dilution was more effective in NO reduction because of large temperature drop due to the larger specific heat of $CO_2$ compared to $N_2$. Fuel dilution was more effective in reducing NO emission than air dilution when the same recirculation ratio of dilution gas was used by the increase in the nozzle exit velocity, thereby the stretch rate, with dilution gas added to fuel side.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 1997

In case of a fire outbreak in a uni-directional road tunnel, the flow of traffic immediately behind the fire disaster will be stalled all the way back to the entrance of the tunnel. Furthermore, when the vehicle passengers try to flee away from the fire toward the entrance of the tunnel, the extremely hot fume that propagates in the same direction will be fatal to the multitudes evacuating, but may also cause damage to the ventilation equipments and the vehicles, compounding the evacuation process. This paper will present the 3-dimensional modelling analysis of the preventive measures of such a fume propagation in the same direction as the evacuating passengers. For the analysis, the fire hazard was assumed to be a perfect combustion of methane gas injected through the 1 m X 2 m nozzle in the middle of the tunnel, and the product of $CO_2$ as the indicator of the fume propagation. From the research results, when the fire hazard occurred in middle of the 400 m road tunnel, the air density decreased around the fire point, and the maximum temperatures were 996 K and 499 K at 210 m and 350 m locations, respectively, 60 seconds after fire disaster occurred, when the fumes were driven out only towards the exit-direction of the tunnel. By tracing the increase of $CO_2$ level over 1% mole fraction, the minimum longitudinal ventilation velocity was found to be 2.40 m/sec. Furthermore, through Analysis of the temperature distribution graphs, and observation of the cross-sectional distribution of $CO_2$ over 1% mole fraction, it was found that the fume did not mix with the air, but rather moved far in a laminar flow towards exit of the tunnel.