Performance and analysis by particle image velocimetry (PIV) of cooker-top burners in Thailand

Cooker-top burners are used extensively in Thailand because of the rapid combustion and high heating-rates created by an impinging flame, which is characteristic of these types of burners. High thermal efficiency with low level of CO emissions is the most important performance criteria for these burners. The wide variation in reported performances of the burners appears to be due to the ad hoc knowledge gained through trial and error of the local manufacturers rather than sound scientific principles. This is extremely undesirable in view of safety, energy conservation and environmental protection. In the present work, a nationwide cooker-top burner performance survey and an implementation of a PIV technique to analyze the burner performance as well as advising local manufacturers were carried out. Experimental data were reported for the base line value of thermal efficiency of all the burners. The thermal performance parameters and dynamic properties of the flow field at a flame impingement area, i.e. velocity magnitude, turbulent intensity, vorticity and strain rate were also reported as a function of burner type, which was categorized into four types based on the configuration of the burner head: radial flow burners, swirling flow burners, vertical flow burners and porous radiant burners.