Combustion Laboratory

CSE has extensive experience, expertise and the necessary facilities to test, develop and quantify the performance of combustion and flow systems. With well over a hundred years of combined experience in experimental combustion, heat transfer and fluid mechanics, CSE personnel have studied a multitude of different combustion, fire and flow systems. Flow properties, such as pressure, temperature, chemical composition, heat release rate and a host of other important variables can be characterized in our laboratories.

Laboratory Facilities

  • Six conditioned lab spaces for bench-scale experiments (approximately 1500 sq. ft)

  • Three indoor unconditioned lab spaces for larger scale experiments (approximately 5000 sq. ft.)

  • Two laser / optical diagnostics laboratories (vibration-isolated tables etc.)

  • Working agreements with outside laboratories / testing facilities for specialized /large-scale experiments,

  • Exhaust systems capable of venting fires up to 400 kW (larger heat release fires can be handled at nearby facility)

  • High-Pressure Vessel (Bench-scale):

    • Pressures up to 20 atm for combustion and non-combustion experimentation 

    • Water-jacketed and capable of monitoring steady state combustion for extended time periods

    • Includes optical access and water-cooled emissions sampling

  • High-Temperature Flow Reactor Facility

    • Multiple flow-reactors providing a wide range of experimental conditions and capabilities

    • Temperatures up to 1250 K and pressures ranging from 0.5 to 20 atm

    • Ability to analyze gaseous, liquid and solid fuels for combustion and pyrolytic reactions

    • Variable “air” and diluent compositions including products of combustion (CO, CO2, H2O, and NOx)

  • Precision-controlled oven with ramping ability for elevated temperature and self-heating experiments

  • Gaseous and liquid heating capabilities for liquid fuel vaporization and process analysis

  • Machining and fabrication capabilities (turning, milling and welding) on-site as well as relationships with multiple machine and fabrication shops to provide smaller and larger scale custom parts and components

IMG_20170712_124521.jpg

Flow Capabilities

​The size of combustion experiments is typically limited by air flow capacity. CSE has two in-house air sources high-flow N2 available:
 

  • Atmospheric pressure blower:

    • 1.25 lbs/sec (0.56 kg /s)

​

  • Compressed air:

    • 24 SCFM (1.8 lbs/min) @ 150 psig

    • 6 SCFM (0.5 lbs/min) @ 250 psig

​​

  • Nitrogen (from liquid N2 Laser-Pak)

    • 8800 SCF Capacity up to 500 psig

    • 50 SCFM delivery

 

Additional calibration, process gases and gaseous fuels are stored on-site in high-pressure gas cylinders.
Large capacity storage, e.g., tube-trailers, can be placed on the premises for larger scale testing and extended time frames.

​

Liquid fuels are stored on-site, either indoors or in a specified liquid storage container. 

IMG_20170712_123351.jpg

Instrumentation

  • GC/MS and GC/BID​

    • Liquid and gaseous analysis​

    • Heated, multi-unit sampling and delivery system

  • Gas Analyzers:

    • CO2 (NDIR)

    • CO (NDIR)

    • O2 (Paramagnetic)

    • NOx (Chemiluminescence)

    • THC (FID)

  • FTIR

  • Spectrometers:

    • 0.5 meter path length with 2-D CCD Array

    • 7-channel Fiber-Coupled

  • Light Sources:

    • Broadband Ultraviolet

    • ND*YAG (532 nm) pulsed laser

    • He-Ne (633 and 3.39 μm) CW laser

  • Mass / Volumetric Flow Rates

  • Heat Flux

  • Temperature

  • Digital and High-speed Video

  • Particle Concentration Sensors

  • Acceleration Sensors

IMG_20170712_124446.jpg

If your sector could benefit from our expertise and you’d like to hire us for your next project, please get in touch.

Get In Touch