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• Arce, ME.
• Saavedra, Á
• Míguez, JL.
• Granada, E
• Cacabelos, A
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• Arce, ME.
• Saavedra, Á
• Míguez, JL.
• Granada, E
• Cacabelos, A
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• Arce, ME.
• Saavedra, Á
• Míguez, JL.
• Granada, E
• Cacabelos, A

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Energies 2013, 6(11), 5973-5989; doi:10.3390/en6115973

Article

Biomass Fuel and Combustion Conditions Selection in a Fixed Bed Combustor

María E. Arce ^1,* , Ángeles Saavedra ², José L. Míguez ¹, Enrique Granada ¹ and Antón Cacabelos ¹

¹ ETS Ingenieros Industriales, University of Vigo, Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, Vigo 36310, Spain ² ETS Ingeniería de Minas, University of Vigo, Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, Vigo 36310, Spain

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 27 September 2013; in revised form: 4 November 2013 / Accepted: 6 November 2013 / Published: 18 November 2013

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Biofuels 2013)

Download PDF Full-Text [701 KB, uploaded 18 November 2013 09:50 CET]

Abstract: The biomass market has experienced an increase in development, leading to research and development efforts that are focused on determining optimal biofuel combustion conditions. Biomass combustion is a complex process that involves divergent parameters and thus requires the use of advanced analysis methods. This study proposes combining grey relational analysis (GRA) and error propagation theory (EPT) to select a biofuel and its optimal combustion conditions. This research will study three biofuels that are currently used in a region of South Europe (Spain), and the most important variables that affect combustion are the ignition front propagation speed and the highest temperature that is reached at the fixed bed combustor. The results demonstrate that a combination of both theories for the analysis of solid-state thermochemical phenomena enables a fast and simple way of choosing the best configuration for each fuel.

Keywords: grey relational grade error (GRGe); fuel behavior; fixed-bed combustion error propagation theory (EPT); grey relational analysis (GRA)

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