A study on flame structure and extinction in downstream interaction between lean premixed CH4-air and (50% H2 + 50% CO) syngas-air flames

Downstream interactions between lean premixed flames with mutually different fuels of (50% H₂ + 50% CO) and CH₄ are numerically investigated particularly on and near lean extinction limits in order to provide fundamental database for the design of cofiring burners with hydrocarbon and syngas under a retrofit concept. In the current study the anomalous combination of lean premixed flames is provided such that even a weaker CH₄-air flame temperature is higher than a stronger syngas-air flame temperature, and, based on a deficient reactant concept, the effective Lewis numbers Le_eff ≈ 1 for lean premixed (50% H₂ + 50% CO)-air mixture and Le_D < 1 for CH₄-air mixture. It is found that the interaction characteristics between lean premixed (50% H₂ + 50% CO)-air and CH₄-air flames are quite different from those between the same hydrocarbon flames. The lean extinction boundaries are of slanted shape, thereby indicating strong interactions. The upper extinction boundaries have negative flame speeds while the lower extinction boundaries have both negative and positive flame speeds. The results also show that the flame interaction characteristics do not follow the general tendency of Lewis number, which has been well described in interactions between the same hydrocarbon flames, but have the strong dependency of direct interaction factors such as flame temperature, the distance between two flames, and radical-sharing. Importance of chain carrier radicals such as H is also addressed in the downstream interactions between lean premixed (50% H₂ + 50% CO)-air and CH₄-air flames.     

Opposed jet flames of lean or rich premixed propane-air reactants versus hot products

Several opposed jet flames, produced by a lean H₂-air jet opposing a rich or lean C₃H₈-air jet, are investigated. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy is used for major species concentration and temperature measurements along the opposed jet centerline. The hot products of the H₂-air flame simulate the burnt gases of strong-burning near-stoichiometric reactants as they impinge upon a weak-burning lean or rich hydrocarbon-fueled reactant mix, a situation encountered in stratified charge operation of direct injection spark ignition engines. In addition the H₂-air flame hot products facilitate experimental data interpretation through the absence of carbon-bearing species. Good agreement between numerical and experimental data are obtained for a rich (equivalence ratio, φ = 1.25) C₃H₈-air jet versus a lean (φ = 0.4) H₂-air jet. Two lean C₃H₈-air jets (φ = 0.64 or 0.60), versus the φ = 0.4 H₂-air jet, are also investigated. For both of these flames, the amount of CO₂ production strongly depends upon φ, with the φ = 0.64 flame having a peak CO₂ mole fraction an order of magnitude higher than for the φ = 0.60 flame, and the C₃H₈ flames burning either as a normal flame (high CO₂) or as a “negative flame speed” flame producing little CO₂ and then only through diffusion of C₃H₈ into the hot products jet. The numerically predicted and experimental CO₂ profiles agree well for the positive flame speed flame, but the large discrepancy between predicted and measured peak CO₂ in the negative flame speed flame suggests modeling improvements are needed for this type of flame.     

Combustion enhancement and inhibition of hydrogen-doped methane flame by HFC-227ea

Hydrogen enriched with compressed natural gas is an efficient and environment-friendly gaseous fuel. However, the safety issues of mixture and the method to control or weaken their combustion are highly concerned. To explore the inhibition effect of halogenated fire suppressants on the mixture, the effect of HFC-227ea on the laminar premixed methane/air flames, with different fractions of H₂, have been studied. Burning velocities have been measured with constant-volume combustion chamber and kinetically modelled a recently assembled kinetic mechanism. The fractions of H₂ influence the enhancement and inhibition effect of HFC-227ea, and it is less effective with the lean mixture. In stoichiometric condition, HFC-227ea showed good inhibition effect on the mixture flames. The HFC-227ea increased the burning velocities of CH₄-0% H₂-air and CH₄-10% H₂-air flames at leanest condition, whereas the increased burning velocity arising from HFC-227ea not occurred as the addition of H₂ above 20%. Experimental results coincided well with numerical results, however the agreement was poor for the leanest flames at low agent loading. Lastly, kinetic mechanism analysis was used to interpret the combustion enhancement and inhibition effect of hydrogen-doped methane flame by HFC-227ea.     

Effect of hydrogen addition on the dynamics of premixed C1–C4 alkane-air flames in a microchannel with a wall temperature gradient

The effect of hydrogen (H₂) addition on the flame dynamics of premixed C₁–C₄ alkane/air mixtures in a microchannel is investigated using a detailed-chemistry model through two-dimensional numerical computations. A detailed computational study have been performed in a 2 mm diameter tube with 120 mm length and a wall temperature gradient along the axial direction of the channel. The numerical simulations are carried out for various stoichiometric hydrocarbon (HC)/H₂ mixtures at 0.15 m/s mixture inlet velocity. Flame repetitive extinction and ignition (FREI) flame pattern has been identified for all the fuel mixtures at these channel wall and mixture flow conditions. CH₄/air mixture shows a higher HRR than C₃–C₄ alkane/air mixtures. Flame residence time in microchannel increases with increase in hydrogen addition percentage for all the three hydrocarbon/air mixtures considered in the present study. A non-monotonic behavior of FREI frequency is identified for CH₄/air mixture, whereas it decreases monotonically for C₃H₈/air and C₄H₁₀/air mixtures with H₂ addition. The amount of HRR and flame propagation velocity decreases with increase in H₂ addition for lower-alkanes/air mixtures. The flame bifurcation effect is observed for CH₄/air mixture, which disappears due to H₂ addition in the mixture. The bifurcation effect is not present for other hydrocarbon/air mixtures investigated in the present study. The addition of H₂ in the mixture enhances the flame stability of hydrocarbon/air mixtures in the microchannel.     

Important role of chemical interaction on flame extinction in downstream interaction between stretched premixed H2-air and CO-air flames

Important role of chemical interaction in flame extinction is numerically investigated in downstream interaction among lean (rich) and lean (rich) premixed as well as partially premixed H₂- and CO-air flames. The strain rate varies from 30 to 5917 s⁻¹ until interacting flames cannot be sustained anymore. Flame stability diagrams mapping lower and upper limit fuel concentrations for flame extinction as a function of strain rate are presented. Highly stretched interacting flames are survived only within two islands in the flame stability map where partially premixed mixture consists of rich H₂-air flame, extremely lean CO-air flame, and a diffusion flame. Further increase in strain rate finally converges to two points. It is found that hydrogen penetrated from H₂-air flame (even at lean flame condition) participates in CO oxidation vigorously due to the high diffusivity such that it modifies the slow main reaction route CO + O₂ → CO₂ + O into the fast cyclic reaction route involving CO + OH → CO₂ + H. These chemical interactions force even rich extinction boundaries with deficient reactant Lewis numbers larger than unity to be slanted at high strain rate. Appreciable amount of hydrogen in the side of lean H₂-air flame also oxidizes the CO penetrated from CO-air flame, and this reduces flame speed of the H₂-air flame, leading to flame extinction. At extremely high strain rates, interacting flames are survived only by a partially premixed flame such that it consists of a very rich H₂-air flame, an extremely lean CO-air flame, and a diffusion flame. In such a situation, both the weaker H₂- and CO-air flames are parasite on the stronger diffusion flame such that it can lead to flame extinction in the situation of weakening the stronger diffusion flame. Important role of chemical interaction in flame extinction is discussed in detail.     

Lean and ultralean stretched propane-air counterflow flames

Stretched laminar flame structures for a wide range of C₃H₈-air mixtures vs hot products are investigated by laser-based diagnostics and numerical simulation. The hot products are produced by a lean H₂-air premixed flame. The effect of stretch rate and equivalence ratio on four groups of C₃H₈-air flame structures is studied in detail by Raman scattering measurements and by numerical calculations of the major species concentration and temperature profiles. The equivalence ratio, ?, is varied from a near-stoichiometric condition (?=0.86) to the sublean limit (?=0.44) and the stretch rate varies from 90 s⁻¹ to near extinction. For most of these C₃H₈-air lean mixtures, hot products are needed to maintain the flame. The significant feature of these flames is the relatively low flame temperatures (1200-1800 K). For this temperature range, the predicted C₃H₈-air flame structure is sensitive to the specific chemical kinetic mechanism. Two types of flame structures (a lean self-propagating flame and a lean diffusion-controlled flame) are obtained based on the combined effect of stretch and equivalence ratio. Three different mechanisms, the M5 mechanism, the Optimized mechanism, and the San Diego mechanism, are chosen for the numerical simulations. None of the propane chemical mechanisms give good agreement with the data over the entire range of flame conditions.     

An experimental and numerical study on characteristics of laminar premixed H2/CO/CH4/air flames

The effects of variations in the fuel composition on the characteristics of H₂/CO/CH₄/air flames of gasified biomass are investigated experimentally and numerically. Experimental measurements and numerical simulations of the flame front position and temperature are performed in the premixed stoichiometric H₂/CO/CH₄/air opposed-jet flames with various H₂ and CO contents in the fuel. The adiabatic flame temperatures and laminar burning velocities are calculated using the EQUIL and PREMIX codes of Chemkin collection 3.5, respectively. Whereas the flame structures of the laminar premixed stoichiometric H₂/CO/CH₄/air opposed-jet flames are simulated using the OPPDIF package with the GRI-Mech 3.0 chemical kinetic mechanisms and detailed transport properties. The measured flame front position and temperature of the stoichiometric H₂/CO/CH₄/air opposed-jet flames are closely predicted by the numerical calculations. Detailed analysis of the calculated chemical kinetic structures reveals that the reaction rate of reactions (R38), (R46), and (R84) increase with increasing H₂ content in the fuel mixture. It is also found that the increase in the laminar flame speed with H₂ addition is most likely due to an increase in active radicals during combustion (chemical effect), rather than from changes in the adiabatic flame temperature (thermal effect). Chemical kinetic structure and sensitivity analyses indicate that for the stoichiometric H₂/CO/CH₄/air flames with fixed H₂ concentration in the fuel mixture, the reactions (R99) and (R46) play a dominant role in affecting the laminar burning velocity as the CO content in the fuel is increased.     

The inhibition/promotion effect of C6F12O added to a lithium-ion cell syngas premixed flame

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of different fractions (0–0.05) of C₆F₁₂O addition on laminar flame speed of hydrocarbon syngas by varying the fuel/oxidizer equivalence ratio (0.6–1.2) using Bunsen burner method. The determination of the syngas composition comes from the venting gas of lithium-ion cell during thermal runaway. It is found that C₆F₁₂O is significantly more effective at stoichiometric and fuel-rich conditions compared to lean flames regardless of fuel species, which implies more suitable for syngas/air flame inhibition than CH₄. The laminar flame speeds of syngas/air increased with lower concentration (<0.01) of C₆F₁₂O when equivalence ratio less than 0.67, while it decreased with arbitrary concentration of C₆F₁₂O at the condition of equivalence ratio not less than 0.67 due to the increased heat release rate by exothermic reaction involving C₆F₁₂O. The laminar flame speed was more sensitive to C₆F₁₂O addition at stoichiometric and fuel-rich conditions due to the inhibitory effect of substances containing fluorine. Comparison between experimental and numerical results shows a better agreement under fuel-lean conditions with lower C₆F₁₂O additions using a modified mechanism derived from USC Mesh II. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations and sensitivity analyses are showed separately that the variation of flame radical concentrations is consistent with laminar flame speeds and the lean flames are more sensitive to the reactions containing fluorine compared to rich for syngas/air flame with C₆F₁₂O addition.     

On the similitude between lifted and burner-stabilized triple flames: a numerical and experimental investigation

We have investigated lifted triple flames and addressed issues related to flame stabilization. The stabilization of nonpremixed flames has been argued to result due to the existence of a premixing zone of sufficient reactivity, which causes propagating premixed reaction zones to anchor a nonpremixed zone. We first validate our simulations with detailed measurements in more tractable methane–air burner-stabilized flames. Thereafter, we simulate lifted flames without significantly modifying the boundary conditions used for investigating the burner-stabilized flames. The similarities and differences between the structures of lifted and burner-stabilized flames are elucidated, and the role of the laminar flame speed in the stabilization of lifted triple flames is characterized. The reaction zone topography in the flame is as follows. The flame consists of an outer lean premixed reaction zone, an inner rich premixed reaction zone, and a nonpremixed reaction zone where partially oxidized fuel and oxidizer (from the rich and lean premixed reaction zones, respectively) mix in stoichiometric proportion and thereafter burn. The region with the highest temperatures lies between the inner premixed and the central nonpremixed reaction zone. The heat released in the reaction zones is transported both upstream (by diffusion) and downstream to other portions of the flame. Measured and simulated species concentration profiles of reactant (O₂, CH₄) consumption, intermediate (CO, H₂) formation followed by intermediate consumption and product (CO₂, H₂O) formation are presented. A lifted flame is simulated by conceptualizing a splitter wall of infinitesimal thickness. The flame liftoff increases the height of the inner premixed reaction zone due to the modification of the upstream flow field. However, both the lifted and burner-stabilized flames exhibit remarkable similarity with respect to the shapes and separation distances regarding the three reaction zones. The heat-release distribution and the scalar profiles are also virtually identical for the lifted and burner-stabilized flames in mixture fraction space and attest to the similitude between the burner-stabilized and lifted flames. In the lifted flame, the velocity field diverges upstream of the flame, causing the velocity to reach a minimum value at the triple point. The streamwise velocity at the triple point is ≈0.45 m s⁻¹ (in accord with the propagation speed for stoichiometric methane–air flame), whereas the velocity upstream of the triple point equals 0.7 m s⁻¹, which is in excess of the unstretched flame propagation speed. This is in agreement with measurements reported by other investigators. In future work we will address the behavior of this velocity as the equivalence ratio, the inlet velocity profile, and inlet mixture fraction are changed.     

Extinction and near-extinction instability of non-premixed tubular flames

Tubular non-premixed flames are formed by an opposed tubular burner, a new tool to study the effects of curvature on extinction and flame instability of non-premixed flames. Extinction of the opposed tubular flames generated by burning diluted H₂, CH₄ or C₃H₈ with air is investigated for both concave and convex curvature. To examine the effects of curvature on extinction, the critical fuel dilution ratios at extinction are measured at various stretch rates, initial mixture strengths and flame curvature for fuels diluted in N₂, He, Ar or CO₂. In addition, the onset conditions of the cellular instability are mapped as a function of stretch rates, initial mixture strengths, and flame curvature. For fuel mixtures with Lewis numbers much less than unity, such as H₂/N₂, concave flame curvature towards the fuel suppresses cellular instabilities.     

Effect of high hydrogen enrichment on the outer-shear-layer flame of confined lean premixed CH4/H2/air swirl flames

In this study, we investigated the H₂-induced transition of confined swirl flames from the “V” to “M” shape. H₂-enriched lean premixed CH₄/H₂/air flames with H₂ fractions up to 80% were conducted. The flame structure was obtained with Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) of the OH radical. Flow fields were measured with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). It was observed that the flame tip in the outer shear layer gradually propagated upstream and finally anchored to the injector with the hydrogen fractions increase, yielding the transition from the “V” to “M” flame. We examined the flame structures and the flame flow dynamics during the transition. The shape transition was directly related to the evolution of the corner flame along the outer shear layer. With H₂ addition, the outer recirculation zone first appeared downstream where the corner flame started to propagate upstream; then, the recirculation zone expanded upward to form a stable “M” flame gradually. The flow straining was observed to influence the stabilization of the outer shear layer flame significantly. This study can be useful for the understanding of recirculation-stabilized swirling flames with strong confinement. The flame structure and the flow characteristics of flames with a high H₂ content are also valuable for model validation.     

Numerical study of premixed twin edge flames in a counterflow field

Characteristics of premixed edge flames established in a counterflow field with a stretch-rate gradient were numerically investigated by solving three-dimensional governing equations with detailed chemistry in the general curvilinear coordinates system. Local mole fractions of radicals, such as OH or CH, at the flame edge of a CH₄/air mixture were found to be larger than those in other parts of the flame. On the other hand, local mole fractions of radicals in the flame edge of a C₃H₈/air mixture were smaller than those in other parts. These numerical results agreed well with the experimental results of the present authors. Moreover, it was elucidated that two flame edges of twin counterflow flames did not merge at the edge even in the case of the CH₄/air mixture. The ratio of the local stretch rate at the flame edge to the extinction stretch rate for planar twin flames with the same equivalence ratio was 0.6 for the CH₄/air mixture and 0.7 for the C₃H₈/air mixture. These numerical results also agreed with results of the past experiments. Moreover, as for relatively low stretch-rate gradients, the stretch-rate gradient had no strong influence on the characteristics of the edge flames.     

Heat release rate variations in high hydrogen content premixed syngas flames at elevated pressures: Effect of equivalence ratio

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations with detailed chemistry were performed to investigate the effect of equivalence ratio on spatial variations of the heat release rate and flame markers of hydrogen/carbon monoxide syngas expanding spherical premixed flames under turbulent conditions at elevated pressures. The flame structures and the heat release rate were analysed and compared between fuel-lean, stoichiometric and fuel-rich centrally ignited spherical flames. The equivalence ratio changes the balance among thermo-diffusive effects, Darrieus–Landau instability and turbulence, leading to different flame dynamics and the heat release rate distribution, despite exhibiting similar cellular and wrinkling flames. The Darrieus–Landau instability is relatively insensitive to the equivalence ratio while the thermo-diffusive process is strongly affected by the equivalence ratio. As the thermo-diffusive effect increases as the equivalence ratio decreases, the fuel-lean flame is more unstable than the fuel-rich flame with the stoichiometric flame in between, under the joint effects of the thermo-diffusive instability and the Darrieus–Landau instability. The local heat release rate and curvature display a positive correlation for the lean flame, no correlation for the stoichiometric flame, and negative correlation for the rich flame. Furthermore, for the fuel-lean flame, the low and high heat release rate values are found in the negative and positive curvature zones, respectively, while for the fuel-rich flame, the opposite trends are found. It is found that heat release rate markers based on species concentrations vary strongly with changing equivalence ratio. The results suggest that the HCO, HO₂ concentrations and product of OH and CH₂O concentrations show good correlation with the local heat release rate for H₂/CO premixed syngas-air stoichiometric flame under turbulent conditions at elevated pressures.     

Radiation intensity imaging measurements of methane and dimethyl ether turbulent nonpremixed and partially premixed jet flames

Quantitative time-dependent images of the infrared radiation intensity from methane and dimethyl ether (DME) turbulent nonpremixed and partially premixed jet flames are measured and discussed in this work. The fuel compositions (CH₄/H₂/N₂, C₂H₆O/H₂/N₂, CH₄/air, and C₂H₆O/air) and Reynolds numbers (15,200–46,250) for the flames were selected following the guidelines of the International Workshop on Measurement and Computation of Turbulent Nonpremixed Flames (TNF Workshop). The images of the radiation intensity are acquired using a calibrated high speed infrared camera and three band-pass filters. The band-pass filters enable measurements of radiation from water vapor and carbon dioxide over the entire flame length and beyond. The images reveal localized regions of high and low intensity characteristic of turbulent flames. The peak mean radiation intensity is approximately 15% larger for the DME nonpremixed flames and 30% larger for the DME partially premixed flames in comparison to the corresponding methane flames. The trends are explained by a combination of higher temperatures and longer stoichiometric flame lengths for the DME flames. The longer flame lengths are attributed to the higher density of the DME fuel mixtures based on existing flame length scaling relationships. The longer flame lengths result in larger volumes of high temperature gas and correspondingly higher path-integrated radiation intensities near and downstream of the stoichiometric flame length. The radiation intensity measurements acquired with the infrared camera agree with existing spectroscopy measurements demonstrating the quantitative nature of the present imaging technique. The images provide new benchmark data of turbulent nonpremixed and partially premixed jet flames. The images can be compared with results of large eddy simulations rendered in the form of quantitative images of the infrared radiation intensity. Such comparisons are expected to support the evaluation of models used in turbulent combustion and radiation simulations.     

A comparison of the emission and impingement heat transfer of LPG–H2 and CH4–H2 premixed flames

Experiments were performed to add hydrogen to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and methane (CH₄) to compare the emission and impingement heat transfer behaviors of the resultant LPG–H₂–air and CH₄–H₂–air flames. Results show that as the mole fraction of hydrogen in the fuel mixture was increased from 0% to 50% at equivalence ratio of 1 and Reynolds number of 1500 for both flames, there is an increase in the laminar burning speed, flame temperature and NO_x emission as well as a decrease in the CO emission. Also, as a result of the hydrogen addition and increased flame temperature, impingement heat transfer is enhanced. Comparison shows a more significant change in the laminar burning speed, temperature and CO/NO_x emissions in the CH₄ flames, indicating a stronger effect of hydrogen addition on a lighter hydrocarbon fuel. Comparison also shows that the CH₄ flame at α = 0% has even better heat transfer than the LPG flame at α = 50%, because the longer CH₄ flame configures a wider wall jet layer, which significantly increases the integrated heat transfer rate.     

Experimental and model analyses of laminar combustion characteristics of variable composition CO/H2/CH4 mixtures at high N2 and CO2 concentrations

The effect of variable composition CO/H₂/CH₄ mixtures (15%-20% CO, 5%-20% H₂, 0%-15% CH₄) at high diluent ratios (15% CO₂ and 50% N₂) on laminar combustion characteristics has been studied by experiment and numerical simulation. The laminar burning velocities (LBVs) of seven biomass-derived gases in an equivalent ratio of 0.6 to 1.4 have been experimentally measured by the spherical expansion flame method under ambient conditions. The experimental results obtained based on the linear and nonlinear extrapolation methods were compared with the data in the literature and the predictions of four detailed chemical kinetic models (FFCM-1, GRI 3.0, USC II, San Diego 2016). The results show that an increase in the equivalence ratio or a decrease in the H₂ fraction in the mixture is beneficial to the reduction of the LBV difference obtained by the linear and nonlinear extrapolation methods. With the increase of H₂ fraction in the mixture, the highly thermally diffusive fuel significantly enhanced the LBV and the maximum LBV leaned toward the fuel-rich side. For mixtures with a higher CH₄ fraction than H₂, it has the lowest LBV but has the higher adiabatic temperature and heat release. The predictions of the four models show that for all different composition mixtures, San Diego 2016 has over-predicted on the lean side. The FFCM-1 and GRI 3.0 matched better with the experimentally measured LBV of the H₂-rich mixture. With the increase of CH₄ fraction relative to H₂, the prediction of USC II is slightly reduced on the rich side, and all the predictions under stoichiometric conditions are overpredicted compared to the experimental data. Sensitivity analyses are performed on flames of the mixture with different compositions at Φ = 0.8 and 1.2, it is found that with the addition of CH₄ fraction to the mixture, R1 gradually became the most dominating reaction, which has a stronger effect on LBV. Furthermore, the reaction paths and heat release of different composition mixtures under stoichiometric conditions are analyzed. The Markstein lengths of variable composition mixtures at different equivalence ratios are studied. It suggested that the Markstein length gradually decreases with the increase of CH₄ in the fuel, thus the stretched flame speed is more susceptible to flame stretch rate and the flame stability decreases.     

Flame acceleration and blast wave of H2–O2–N2–Ar mixtures in unconfined areas

In the present study, the flame acceleration and blast wave of H₂-air and H₂–O₂–N₂–Ar mixtures in nearly unconfined conditions were investigated conducting laboratory-scale and large-scale experiments. In particular, the effect of the volumetric expansion ratio on the flame acceleration examined, because Darrieus-Landau instability is essentially caused by a volumetric expansion of burned gas at flame front. Results demonstrated that the critical Péclet number Pe_c for the onset of flame acceleration decreased with the decrease in the equivalence ratio and the increase in the expansion ratio diluted with Ar. The dimensionless burning velocity increased as the flame radius became larger. The acceleration exponent for H₂-air and H₂–O₂–N₂–Ar mixtures was evaluated. The saturation of the exponent corresponding to the fractal dimension for only very lean H₂-air flame is observed, notwithstanding the value for other mixtures still existed in the transition regime. The blast wave intensity of H₂-air and H₂–O₂–N₂–Ar explosion discussed by the acoustic theory. From the analysis, it is clear the blast wave intensity depends on the expansion ratio, laminar burning velocity and flame acceleration.     

Effect of hydrogen enrichment on flame broadening of turbulent premixed flames in thin reaction regime

An experimental study to identify the effect of hydrogen enrichment and differential diffusion on the flame broadening is conducted. Turbulent lean premixed flames in the Broadened Preheat–Thin Reaction (BP-TR) regime are obtained. The flames are stabilized on a Bunsen burner and CH₄/H₂/air mixtures are adopted with three hydrogen fractions of 0, 30% and 60%. The preheat zone and heat release zone are captured with the multi-species Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) of OH and CH₂O radicals. Flame thicknesses of the preheat and heat release layers are measured. Results show broadened preheat zone and thin heat release layers for the flames, as predicted by the BP-TR regime. The preheat zone thickness can be increased to about 3–6 times compared to the laminar preheat thickness. An apparently decreased preheat zone thickness with hydrogen addition is observed. The differential diffusion is anticipated to locally thicken the heat release zone along the flame front. The mean heat release thickness is nearly not affected by the turbulence or hydrogen addition.     

Transport budgets in turbulent lifted flames of methane autoigniting in a vitiated co-flow

Autoignition of hydrocarbon fuels is an outstanding research problem of significant practical relevance in engines and gas turbine applications. This paper presents a numerical study of the autoignition of methane, the simplest in the hydrocarbon family. The model burner used here produces a simple, yet representative lifted jet flame issuing in a vitiated surrounding. The calculations employ a composition probability density function (PDF) approach coupled to the commercial CFD package, FLUENT. The in situ adaptive tabulation (ISAT) method is used to implement detailed chemical kinetics. An analysis of species concentrations and transport budgets of convection, turbulent diffusion, and chemical reaction terms is performed with respect to selected species at the base of the lifted turbulent flames. This analysis provides a clearer understanding of the mechanism and the dominant species that control autoignition. Calculations are also performed for test cases that clearly distinguish autoignition from premixed flame propagation, as these are the two most plausible mechanisms for flame stabilization for the turbulent lifted flames under investigation. It is revealed that a radical pool of precursors containing minor species such as CH₃, CH₂O, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, HO₂, and H₂O₂ builds up prior to autoignition. The transport budgets show a clear convective-reactive balance when autoignition occurs. This is in contrast to the reactive-diffusive balance that occurs in the reaction zone of premixed flames. The buildup of a pool of radical species and the convective-reactive balance of their transport budgets are deemed to be good indicators of the occurrence of autoignition.