Development of a Novel Hydrogen-Based Burner Concept for Pilot-Scale Spray Flame Synthesis of Nanoparticles

The development of a novel burner concept for the synthesis of nanoparticles in spray flames is described and the prototype is experimentally characterised. The burner was designed to enable the process to be scaled up while maintaining stable operation in terms of fluid mechanics and combustion kinetics. It utilises a hydrogen pilot flame that is stabilised by auto-ignition of the premixed gas. The pilot ignites a spray generated from a commercial two-fluid nozzle that uses air instead of oxygen as a dispersion gas. General operation characteristics are shown from measurements of the velocity fields and the OH* chemiluminescence of the flame. The burner shows reliable operation under various conditions and excellent scaling potential. The present study is focused on stable operating conditions and the scaling of the process, particle production with the burner is shown in another publication.