← back to: activities

Our research and development activities reflect present-day requirements of the industry. The research projects are solved either on the level of the academic scope (the development of process technologies and units) or on the level of the industrial scope (the innovative development with the state support). The following paragraphs summarize the fields which our group deals with.

Burners (gas, oil, combined): The research in the field of burners is focused on the study of primary methods for the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) formed during the combustion of gaseous and liquid fuels. The acquired knowledge is then applied during the development of novel burners or during the troubleshooting process in terms of false function of the burner and high NO_x. We utilize the modern burner testing facility for the research. Both the unique construction of the combustion chamber and the extensive instrumentation give the possibility to evaluate the heat load profile along the flame and the temperature profile in the combustion space. Both parameters are the key parameters for the design of end units, e.g. the boiler, the heating furnace.

Fuels: The research deals with the utilization of non-standardized gaseous (e.g. the biogas) and liquid (e.g. the rapeseed oil, the pyrolysis oil, the liquid waste oil) fuels for the energy and process purposes (e.g. the steam generation). The aim is to create the database with the properties of these fuels in terms of the influence of the operating conditions and burner constructional parameters on the emissions, the shape and the stability of flame, and aforementioned heat load profile along the chamber and temperature profile in the combustion space. For the tests of gaseous fuels we use the mixing station that enables us to mix the fuel with the required composition. Liquid fuels and liquid waste can be atomized by means of either the pressure atomization or pneumatic atomization when the pressure air or superheated steam can be used.

Combustion process intensification: The research is focused on the intensification of the combustion process using the preheated combustion air (up to 500 °C) and using the injection of pure oxygen either into the air duct or directly into the combustion space. The reasons for the intensification are the requirements of high-temperature applications (e.g. melting of ferrous and non-ferrous materials) for high temperatures above 1500 °C, higher thermal efficiencies, increased productivity, etc. Both types of the intensification require increased attention in terms of NO_x emissions. Therefore it is necessary to apply one of the primary methods and to determine the appropriate location for the oxygen injection.

Wet flue gas cleaning: Wet flue gas cleaning is one of the possible technologies to remove pollutants from waste gas or flue gas. The research is conducted with a focus on specifying the design parameters of the technology so that the designed unit works in real operation with maximum efficiency. An effective design of wet flue gas scrubbing can be done using computational procedures based on data obtained from experiments performed on a pilot unit on a pilot scale. By individual tests the effects of individual parameters on the absorption efficiency are verified. These tests are carried out on both the filling column representing the second stage of flue gas cleaning and the first stage where the O-element is used instead of the classical Venturi tube (protected by the utility model).

Dry flue gas cleaning: The research of waste gas and flue gas cleaning from various sources of pollution is carried out in units ranging from pilot tests to semi-operational tests. In particular, applied research and tests of the effectiveness of removal of various substances such as solid particulates, inorganic compounds, sulfur dioxide, etc. The cleaning of the above-mentioned pollutants is achieved by the experimental unit that operates in a variable way on the principle of technologies such as filtration, catalytic filtration, adsorption, so-called dry scrubbing and catalytic decomposition of pollutants. The INTEQ I and INTEQ II laboratory units are used to investigate these conditions.

Testing of catalysts: Catalyst research is conducted in a unique multifunctional unit that allows for the testing of industrially-produced catalysts. These catalysts can be either of a conventional bulk type to various types of monoliths. The tests are mainly focused on testing the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). This research may be interested, for example, in chemical plants that need to test gas purification technology before investing in a new technological unit. Due to the technological reliability and the elimination of the technical problems, it is very advantageous to use a pilot plant on which these problems will be discovered and the removal procedure is recommended. In addition, this unit may be of interest to catalytic manufacturers who can test the efficiency and operational reliability of their product series of catalysts, both in the laboratory conditions and in industrial conditions in agreement with, for example, a chemical plant.

Current projects

• Combined low-emission burner for the combustion of non-standardized gaseous and liquid fuels, funding resources: the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TH02020141, 2017 – 2019
• Research and development of automatic biomass boiler, funding resources: the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TH02020025, 2016 – 2019
• Innovative method of wastewater treatment with the aim to gain nutrients in pure form, funding resources: the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TA04020217, 2014 – 2017

Finished projects

• Reduction of nitrogen oxides concentration for industrial gas burners, funding resources: the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TA03021017, 2013 – 2015
• VUT Energy sources: Combined oil-gas burner, funding resources: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, VaVpI 6.3, 2012 – 2015
• VUT Energy sources: Experimental multifunctional filtration unit for the reduction of pollutants from the waste gas, funding resources: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, VaVpI 6.3, 2012 – 2015
• The influence of air enrichment with oxygen and oxygen injection into flame area on combustion process, funding resources: the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, P101/12/747, 2012 – 2014
• Innovative approaches to wastewater treatment – KUNST Flotation Unit, funding resources: the Ministry of Industry and Trade, MPO FR–TI3/522, 2011 – 2013
• WARMES: Waste as raw material and energy source, funding resources: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, NPV II, 2B08048, 2008 – 2011
• Utilization of liquid fuels from renewable sources for industrial burners, funding resources: the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, GP104/09/P532, 2009 – 2011
• Optmization of cleaning processes of waste gases in the new and original multifunctional experimental equipment, funding resources: the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, GP101/07/P550, 2007 – 2009
• Ecologically and energy-managed waste and biomass processing systems, funding sources: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, MSM 0021630502, 2005 – 2011
• Research and development of burners with suppressed formation of emissions of nitrogen oxides, funding sources: the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, GA101/05/2469, 2005 – 2007