Mechanical design of a quartz oxy-combustion chamber: chemical-physical analysis of the combustion phenomenon

Climate change and environmental degradation are huge threats to Europe and to the world. To overcome these problems, there are a series of government proposals with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality, or, at least, reducing net greenhouse gas emissions up to 55% by 2030. The greenhouse effect is caused by a high concentration of harmful emissions, especially CO2, in the atmosphere; hence, it is imperative to minimize their amount. Because of this, there is a strong effort to research suitable operational methods and secure useful technological advancements. A valid solution to actively contribute to the global objectives for achieving carbon neutrality is the oxy-combustion process, i.e., combustion in an oxygen atmosphere. This process can be considered as "clean" combustion because it does not produce pollutants such as NOx and SOx but only CO2 and steam. In addition, the production of essentially pure CO2 makes possible subsequent operations of carbon sequestration. The proposed paper describes the mechanical design and construction of a lab-scale oxy-fuel chamber, entirely made of quartz. The chosen material makes it possible to visualize, analyze and study the combustion process inside the chamber through imaging techniques by investigating its chemical and physical characteristics.