The response of buoyant laminar diffusion flames to low-frequency forcing

Buoyant jet diffusion flames are frequently used to investigate phenomena associated with flares or fires, such as the formation and emission of soot, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and carbon monoxide (CO). To systematically investigate the influence of transient vortex-flame interactions on these processes, laminar jet flames may be periodically forced. Previous work has demonstrated that forcing the fuel stream at a (low) frequency close to the natural buoyant instability frequency will trigger the production of vortices on the air side of the high-temperature reaction zone, coupling the overall flame response to the forcing frequency. In the work reported here, measurements in methane/air and ethylene/air slot flames show that over a substantial range of forcing frequencies and amplitudes, the dominant, air-side vortex production is locked at precisely one-half the excitation frequency of the fuel stream. This phenomenon is examined in detail through the utilization of several laser diagnostic techniques, yielding measurements of both the frequency response of the flames and phase-locked images of the internal flame structure. Under some conditions the subharmonic response of the flame leads to transient separation of the PAH and soot layers from the surrounding high-temperature flame zone, potentially affecting the soot formation and radiation processes. This data should provide useful information for comparison with detailed modeling aimed to improve the understanding of the complex nature of the buoyant instability in jet flames.