BKG3413

COMBUSTION & GAS UTILISATION

Lecturer
Siti Zubaidah Binti Sulaiman, PhD, PEng, MIEM
Department of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Pahang
 Chapter 5
Gas Burner Conversion

 Understand the concept and importance of fuel interchangeability.

 Able to explain the requirements and considerations of burner conversion.

 Able to calculate the gas burner conversions using different methods.

Let’s start!
 NATURAL GAS BURNER CONVERSION
- The needs for interchangeability of fuel -

• Fuel supply shortage

• Fuel price fluctuations
• Environmental concerns

• Main factors influencing decision

– Infrastructure (pipeline location)
– Intensive vs non-intensive energy consumption
 NATURAL GAS BURNER CONVERSION
- Generation considerations -
1. Equal heat input
 Heat input of natural gas = heat input of fuel being replaced
2. Combustion or flame stability
 Flame speed & flammability limit
3. Combustion air requirement
 Air supply devices such as blower, fan, compressor etc
4. Heat release pattern
 Temperature distribution
 Flame shape / luminosity / radiation intensity
5. Handling capability
 Flue gas venting
 Burner types
 Piping, valves & controls )size and operating range)
 NATURAL GAS BURNER CONVERSION
- Conversion of other fuels to natural gas -
• Conversion from other gaseous fuels
– Can be often quite simple, depending on the type of burner
and the characteristics of other fuel
– In general, if two gases have the same wobbe index, then
they can be interchange with no significant physical changes
to burner
– Problems such as air requirements, combustion stability
often encountered
• Conversion from other gaseous fuels
– In most cases require a completely new burner
– With dual fuel (oil/gas) burner, conversion of existing gas
firing system is possible
• Conversion from other gaseous fuels
– Require a completely new burner, piping and control system
 NATURAL GAS BURNER CONVERSION
- Fundamentals -

1. Conversion requirements
2. Basic flow and energy equations
3. Interchangeability correlations
4. Conversion methods
5. Important considerations
6. Natural gas conversion in Malaysia
7. Basic concept of natural gas conversion works
• Conversion of other fuels to natural gas
– Conversion from other gaseous fuels
• Can be often quite simple, depending on the type of burner and the
characteristics of other fuel
• In general, if two gases have the same Wobbe index, then they can
be interchange with no significant physical changes to burner
• Problems such as air requirements, combustion stability often
encountered (flame speed / burning velocity)
• Burner port loading: burner thermal input/total port area of burner
nozzle – problem flame stability (flashback) & flame lifting (low
firing rate)

– Conversion from other liquid fuels

• In most cases require a completely new burner
• With dual fuel (oil/gas) burner, conversion of existing gas firing
system is possible

– Conversion from other solid fuels

• Require a completely new burner, piping and control system 8
 NATURAL GAS BURNER CONVERSION
- e.g. LPG to NG -

P1 P2
V Combustion
fuel d
 chamber

nozzle

P = P1-P2

• Conversion requirements
– Same energy input
– Same or acceptable air/fuel ratio
– Same or better productivity or production quality 9
• Basic flow and energy equations

– Flow equation

0.5 0.5
 P1  P2 
2 2  ΔP 
V  kd    kd   ........(1)
 SG   SG 
where
V = vol./ gas flow rate (Sm3/hr)
d = nozzle diameter (mm)
P = gas pressure (mm water column)
SG = specific gravity (ρg/ρair)
k = constant
P = pressure drop across the nozzle or orifice
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• Pressure drop correlation

 SG x L x V 2 
P  k  5
 .......... .......... .(2)
 D 
where
L = pipe length
D = pipe diameter

• Energy equation
Q  V x CVfuel ..........(3)

where
Q = heat input
CVfuel = gas calorific or heating value

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 Requirement 1 : same energy input, i.e. QNG = QLPG

Q NG  Q LPG ............................(3)
VNG CVNG  VLPG CVLPG ...................(4)
0.5 0.5
 ΔP   ΔP 
kd 2NG   CVNG  kd 2LPG   CVLPG ...(5)
 SG NG   SG LPG 

….rearranging equation (5)

 CVNG  
0.5  CVLPG 

2
kd ΔP 
0.5  2
 kd LPG ΔP ..............(6)
NG
 SG   SG 
 NG   LPG 

kd 2NG ΔP 0.5 WI NG  kd 2LPG ΔP 0.5 WILPG ......................(7)

CV
WI  .................................(8)
SG
WI is Wobbe number or Wobbe Index, an indication of interchangeability of fuel
gas. Gaseous fuel having the same WI can be interchanged with no significant
physical changes to the burner 12
……Interchangeability correlation

2 0.5 2 0.5
kd ΔP WI NG  kd
NG LPG ΔP WI LPG ......................(7)

equation (8) shows that if the WI of the substitues gas (i.e.

NG) is different from that of the replaced gas (i.e. LPG), it
can be successfully interchanged by two ways

- nozzle replacement or modification

- gas pressure adjustment

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Method 1 : Nozzle replacement or modification

• Keeping the pressure drop term constant and rearranging equation (7)

0.5
 d NG   WI LPG 
     ......................(9)
 d LPG   WI NG 

Method 2 : Gas pressure adjustment

• Keeping the nozzle or orifice diameter term constant and rearranging

equation (7)
2
 ΔPNG   WI LPG 
     .......... .......... ..(10)
 ΔPLPG   WI NG 
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Requirement 2 : same air-fuel ratio

– After the energy input adjustment is successfully achieved, the

combustion air should be adjusted to get a proper air-fuel ratio, and hence
temperature profile
– This can be calculated from the energy based theoretical (TA )
requirement, defined as a ratio of combustion air supplied (Sm3) to heat
generated (kcal, kW, BTU etc.)

 Vair, NG   TA NG 
   ......................(11)
V  
 air, LPG   TA LPG 

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• Final confirmation methods

After natural gas conversion, same performance and

productivity are required….hence confirmation
methods should be considered

• Flow rate of natural gas should be corrected based on the

following equation

Vc = corrected flow rate of gas

VI = measured flow rate of gas
T = absolute temperature
To SG o Pm
P = absolute pressure
Vc  Vl
o = design base of meter Tm SG m Po
m = actual measured gas 16
• Flue gas analysis
– Oxygen or CO measurement is recommended to check whether
proper air/gas ratio and firing is obtained
– This is also for safety and furnace/boiler efficiency analysis
• Pressure measurements
– Pressure, both air and gas, should be measured at suitable points
to check the firing condition and also their maintenance
• Heating up period
– If the energy input and air/gas ratio are the same as for LPG
firing, the same heating up period should be obtained
– This is very important for small appliances which have no gas
meter
• Product confirmation
– Check for product defect, rate and efficiency – higher
productivity and efficiency and lower production defects are
desired.
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• Important consideration points of NG conversion (LPG to NG)
for same performance

 NG flow rate becomes higher than LPG due to its lower

heating value
 NG pressure will be higher than LPG if the pressure
adjustment method is used.
 NG will have higher pressure drop in the gas supply system
 NG firing requires a higher combustion air flow rate

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• Important considerations of capacity of equipment used in
conversion

Natural gas firing requires higher gas flow rate and the capacity
of the maximum flow rate or pressure limitation should be
considered for the following equipment

• Regulator
• Safety shut-off valve or limiting orifice
• Gas meter
• Pressure limitation equipment
• Pressure drop in gas supply line
• Burner manufacturer’s specifications

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Comparison
of
LPG and NG

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• Exercise

Compare the conversion requirements of LPG firing appliance to natural gas

with fuel composition as shown above and deduce conclusions with respect
to:

• Gas volume
• Gas supply pressure
• Nozzle or orifice diameter EXCEL
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