Flow blurring atomization for combustion of viscous (bio)fuels

In order to achieve efficient combustion of liquid fuel a proper atomization of the fuel is needed. In case of many biomass fuels the atomization process is obstructed and hindered by high viscosity of the fuel. Preheating to reduce the viscosity in many cases is not possible because of fuel polymerization processes and secondary cracking reactions which finally result in fuel flow restriction. In this work, a novel flow blurring atomizer is presented and discussed in view to atomization and combustion of regular and highly viscous fuels. A detailed results regarding droplets SMD and distributions are presented followed by the combustion experiments in 50kWe full scale gas turbine. The outcome of the research shows that flow blurring atomizer is not sensitive for changes in the fuel viscosity and can be efficiently used for combustion applications.