Experimental investigation of Rijke-type pulse combustor for drying application

• Main Author: Tan, Eugene Jui Chuan.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/54079
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In today world, foods are being transport across the global by air, land or sea. However, foods which have high moisture content are perishable meaning it could not be storage long or are need to be storage in a freezer before transporting. Drying food cheaply and effectively is thus important in order to transport perishable food over great distance. The pulse combustor is the answer to the problem. By making use of vibration and hot air, it allow product to be dry in a short time, lowing operation and maintenance cost. To better improve the drying process, a better understanding of the combustion instability is needed. The objective of this project is to understand and find way to better improve the efficiency of drying using the pulse combustor. Through simulation and lab testing, the project will allow the author to better understand the working of the pulse combustor. Certain factors play a part in affect the air flow in the set-up like the size of the drying chamber, the angle of the Rijke-type pulse combustor, etc. Simulation of the air flow in the set-up was done in 2-D to give the author an overview of how air is flowing, and find out the factors that affect it. Lab test done was to investigate external factor which affect the Rijke-type Pulse combustion. Factors are those include the inlet condition, external disturbance, etc. With these test and simulation, the pulse combustor can be further used in other area such as mixing or breaking up product