Experimental study of flame propagation across a perforated plate

Flame propagation across a single perforated plate was experimentally studied in a square cross-section channel. Experiments were performed in premixed hydrogen-air mixture with different equivalence ratios and initial pressures, aiming at identifying the parametric influence. High-speed schlieren photography and pressure records were used to capture the flame front and obtain the pressure build-up. Four stages for the flame front crossing the perforated plate were obtained, namely, laminar flame, jet flame, turbulent flame and secondary flame front. Following ignition, a laminar flame was obtained, which was nearly not affected by the confinement. This laminar flame was squeezed to pass through the perforated plate, producing the jet flame with a step change on velocity. Turbulent flame was generated by merging the jets, which facilitated the acceleration of the flame front. Secondary flame front induced by Rayleigh-Taylor instability was clearly observed in the process of the turbulent front moving forward. Both velocity and pressure are enhanced in this stage. Parametric studies suggested that the secondary flame front is more obvious in the stoichiometric mixture with higher initial pressure, and characterized by a faster propagation velocity and a bigger pressure rise.     

Parametric and statistical investigation of the behavior of a lifted flame over a turbulent free-jet structure

Partially premixed combustion is involved in many practical applications, due to partial premixing of combustible and oxidant gases before ignition, or due to local extinctions, which lead to mixing of reactants and burned gases. To investigate some features of flames in stratified flows, the stabilization processes of lifted turbulent jet flames are studied. This work offers a large database of liftoff locations of flames stabilized on turbulence-free jets for different fuels and nozzle diameters studied over their flame stability domains. Methane, propane, and ethylene flames are investigated for nozzle diameters of 2, 3, 4, and 5 mm. Blowout velocities are measured and compared with an approach based on large-scale structures of the jet. The axial and radial locations of the flame base are measured by planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of the OH radical through high sampling (at least 5000 points). From this large database the average locations of the flame base are analyzed for the fuels investigated. The pdfs exhibit an evolution of their shapes according to the region of the turbulent jet where the flame stabilizes (potential core, transition to turbulence, or fully developed turbulence regions). This dependence is probably due to the interaction of the flame with the jet structures. This is confirmed by the comparison between the amplitude of the height fluctuations and the local size of the large-scale structures deduced from particle image velocimetry measurements and self-similarity laws for velocity. The results show the flame can be carried over a distance equal to the local diameter of the jet within the region of fully developed turbulence for propane and ethylene, and over a slightly larger distance for methane.     

An experimental investigation of an acoustically excited laminar premixed flame

A two-dimensional laminar premixed flame is stabilized over a burner in a confined duct and is subjected to external acoustic forcing from the downstream end. The equivalence ratio of the flame is 0.7. The flame is stabilized in the central slot of a three-slotted burner. The strength of the shear layer of the cold reactive mixture through the central slot is controlled by the flow rate of cold nitrogen gas through the side slots. The frequency range of acoustic excitation is 400-1200 Hz, and the amplitude levels are such that the acoustic velocity is less than the mean flow velocity of the reactants. Time-averaged chemiluminescence images of the perturbed flame front display time-mean changes as compared to the unperturbed flame shape at certain excitation frequencies. Prominent changes to the flame front are in the form of stretching or shrinkage, asymmetric development of its shape, increased/preferential lift-off of one or both of the stabilization points of the flame, and nearly random three-dimensional fluctuations over large time scales under some conditions. The oscillations of the shear layer and the response of the confined jet of the hot products to the acoustic forcing, such as asymmetric flow development and jet spreading, are found to be responsible for the observed mean changes in the flame shape. A distinct low-frequency component (∼60-90 Hz) relative to the excitation frequency is observed in the fluctuations of the chemiluminescent intensity in the flame under most conditions. It is observed that fluctuations in the flame area predominantly contribute to the origin of the low-frequency component. This is primarily due to the rollup of vortices and the generation of enthalpy waves at the burner lip. Both of these processes are excited at the externally imposed acoustic time scale, but convect/propagate downstream at the flow time scale, which is much larger.     

Predicting the main geometrical features of horizontal rectangular source fuel jet fires

The main geometrical features of horizontal jet fire with rectangular source fuel have seldom been revealed in the past, especially the rectangular orifice with same area but different aspect ratios. In order to better understand the rectangular jet fire, a set of numerical simulations were carried out by rectangular source fuel with same rectangular orifice area S (4 cm²) but different aspect ratios (orifice length to orifice width: L/W = 1, 2, 4) to investigate the flame shape, flame length and flame width. The simulated flame lengths and flame widths were compared with previous experimental data and calculated values using the Thornton model. The non-dimensional flame length and flame width were defined, in which the flame geometrical features were found in relation to the orifice aspect ratio and fuel jet velocity. Results show that the flame length and flame width increases with fuel jet velocity, while the flame length decreases with aspect ratio n for same orifice area, but the flame width increases simultaneously. The simulated data agree well with previous experimental data, but the predictions by Thornton model are larger than simulated and previous experimental values. The modified Thornton model is proposed considering both orifice shape and aspect ratio to apply to rectangular jet fire.     

Effect of initial pressure on flame–shock interaction of hydrogen–air premixed flames

By utilizing a newly designed constant volume combustion bomb (CVCB), turbulent flame combustion phenomena are investigated using hydrogen–air mixture under the initial pressures of 1 bar, 2 bar and 3 bar, including flame acceleration, turbulent flame propagation and flame–shock interaction with pressure oscillations. The results show that the process of flame acceleration through perforated plate can be characterized by three stages: laminar flame, jet flame and turbulent flame. Fast turbulent flame can generate a visible shock wave ahead of the flame front, which is reflected from the end wall of combustion chamber. Subsequently, the velocity of reflected shock wave declines gradually since it is affected by the compression wave formed by flame acceleration. In return, the propagation velocity of turbulent flame front is also influenced. The intense interaction between flame front and reflected shock can be captured by high-speed schlieren photography clearly under different initial pressures. The results show that the propagation velocity of turbulent flame rises with the increase of initial pressure, while the forward shock velocities show no apparent difference. On the other hand, the reflected shock wave decays faster under higher initial pressure conditions due to the faster flame propagation. Moreover, the influence of initial pressure on pressure oscillations is also analyzed comprehensively according to the experimental results.     

Laminar propagation of lean premixed flames ignited in stratified mixture

Combustion in stratified mixtures is envisaged in practical energy systems such as direct-injection spark-ignited (DISI) car engines, gas turbines, for reducing CO₂ and pollutant emissions while protecting their efficiency. The mixture gradients change the fundamental properties of the flame, especially by a difference in temperature and composition between the burnt gases and those of a flame consuming a homogeneous mixture. This paper presents an investigation of the properties of the flame propagating in a lean homogeneous mixture after ignition in a richer mixture according to the magnitude of the stratification. Three magnitudes of stratification are investigated. The local flame burning velocity is determined by an original PIV algorithm developed previously. The local equivalence ratio in the fresh gases is measured from anisole PLIF. From the simultaneous PIV–PLIF measurements, the flame burning velocities conditioned on the local stretch rate and equivalence ratio in fresh gases are measured. The flame propagating through the homogeneous lean mixture has properties depending on the ignition conditions in the stratified layer. The flame propagating in the lean mixture is back-supported longer for ignition under the richer condition. The change of stretch sensitivity and burning velocity of the flame in the lean mixture is measured over time for the three magnitudes of mixture stratification investigated. The ignition in richer mixtures compensates for the nonequidiffusion effect of lean propane flame and sustains its robustness to stretch. The flame propagation in the lean homogeneous mixture is enhanced by ignition in a richer stratified layer, as much by their robustness to stretch as by an increase in the flame speed or the burning velocity. The decay time of this influence of the stratification, called memory effect, is determined.     

Experimental study on pressure dynamics and self-ignition of pressurized hydrogen flowing into the L-shaped tubes

To investigate the effects of varying right-angle corner locations inside the L-shaped tube on self-ignition induced by high-pressure hydrogen release, a series of experiments were carried out on L-shaped tubes with different right-angle corner locations and a straight tube was adopted for comparison. It is found that compared with the straight tube, the propagation of shock wave in the L-shaped tubes becomes more complicated due to the existence of reflected shock wave. The pressure profiles detected by pressure transducers before the right-angle corner will undergo secondary rapid rise. The varying right-angle corner locations inside the L-shaped tube have a significant influence on self-ignition of hydrogen. The closer the right-angle corner is to the burst disk, the lower the critical pressure that causes hydrogen self-ignition is. Three possible mechanisms of self-ignition inside the L-shaped tubes are discussed. Nevertheless, different right-angle corner locations have no obvious effects on development process of out-tube jet flame, only the velocity of flame tip and the length and width of jet flame have slight differences.     

湍流射流火焰抬举高度的实验研究

湍流射流燃烧作为工业燃烧室中普遍存在的燃烧方式,研究湍流射流火焰不仅能促进实际燃烧室的设计改造,更能增强对湍流燃烧理论的理解。在轴对称伴流射流燃烧器实验平台上,研究了湍流自由射流火焰抬举高度随射流速度的变化及氮气稀释和伴流速度对火焰抬举高度的影响。实验结果表明湍流自由射流燃烧火焰抬举高度随射流速度呈线性增长;随氮气稀释摩尔分数的增加其抬举高度的线性斜率增大,射流火焰吹出喷嘴的雷诺数降低,火焰更易发生抬举;同时,氮气稀释摩尔分数的增加也导致射流火焰发生吹熄时雷诺数减小,射流火焰在射流速度完全进入湍流之前发生吹熄;伴流速度小于0.3 m/s时对火焰抬举高度的影响不大,当伴流速度大于0.3 m/s时抬举高度随伴流速度的增加呈线性增长,当射流速度大于20 m/s时,伴流速度的影响降低;对比伴流与稀释对抬举高度的影响可知射流速度大于30 m/s时对伴流的敏感性大于稀释,而在射流速度小于30 m/s时对稀释更敏感。     

Burning velocities of chlorinated hydrocarbonmethaneair mixtures

Results are presented for the variation in burning velocities with equivalence ratio and reactant gases preheat temperature for a number of chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds in methane-air mixtures of different concentrations at atmospheric pressure. Flame velocity of the mixture is determined with a Bunsen burner by measuring the unignited mixture approach flow rates and the area of the flame front. The method provides acceptable results and compares favorably with widely published methane flame data. Activation energy for a particular chlorinated compound was calculated by relating the flame velocity to the overall combustion reaction rate. Results are compared with nonchlorinated compounds and the available data in the literature. The reasons for discrepancies are discussed. The results show that increasing chlorine content decreases flame velocity and shifts the maximum flame velocity from fuel rich toward fuel lean. The flame velocity increases with increasing gas preheat temperature.     

Effect of fluidic obstacles on flame acceleration and DDT process in a hydrogen-air mixture

Using solid obstacles to accelerate the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) process induces additional thrust loss, and fluidic obstacles can alleviate this problem to a certain extent. A detailed simulation is conducted to investigate the effects of multiple groups of fluidic obstacles on the flame acceleration and DDT process under different initial velocities and gas types. The results show that, initially, the propagation of reflected shock wave formed by jet impingement is opposite to the flame acceleration direction, thus increasing the initial jet velocity will hinder the flame acceleration. Later, the vortex structure and enhanced turbulence can promote flame acceleration. As the flame accelerates, the virtual blockage ratio of the fluidic obstacles decreases, and increasing initial jet velocity or using reactive jet gases both affect the virtual blockage ratio. Further, increasing initial jet velocity or using reactive jet gases can shorten the detonation initiation time and distance. Compared with solid obstacles, it is concluded that fluidic obstacles can achieve faster detonation initiation with a smaller blockage ratio. Overall, the detonation phenomena in this study are all triggered by hot spots formed by the interaction between reflected waves and distorted flame, but the formation of reflected waves varies.     

Liftoff of turbulent jet flames—assessment of edge flame and other concepts using cinema-PIV

Three theories of the liftoff of a turbulent jet flame were assessed using cinema-particle imaging velocimetry movies recorded at 8000 images/s. The images visualize the time histories of the eddies, the flame motion, the turbulence intensity, and streamline divergence. The first theory assumes that the flame base has a propagation speed that is controlled by the turbulence intensity. Results conflict with this idea; measured propagation speeds remains close to the laminar burning velocity and are not correlated with the turbulence levels. Even when the turbulence intensity increases by a factor of 3, there is no increase in the propagation speed. The second theory assumes that large eddies stabilize the flame; results also conflict with this idea since there is no significant correlation between propagation speed and the passage of large eddies. The data do support the “edge flame” concept. Even though the turbulence level and the mean velocity in the undisturbed jet are large (at jet Reynolds numbers of 4300 and 8500), the edge flame creates its own local low-velocity, low-turbulence-level region due to streamline divergence caused by heat release. The edge flame has two propagation velocities. The actual velocity of the flame base with respect to the disturbed local flow is found to be nearly equal to the laminar burning velocity; however, the effective propagation velocity of the entire edge flame with respect to the upstream (undisturbed) flow exceeds the laminar burning velocity. A simple model is proposed which simulates the divergence of the streamlines by considering the potential flow over a source. It predicts the well-established empirical formula for liftoff height, and it agrees with experiment in that the controlling factor is streamline divergence, and not turbulence intensity or large eddy passage. The results apply only to jet flames for Re<8500; for other geometries the role of turbulence could be larger.     

Influence of edge velocity on flame front position and displacement speed in turbulent premixed combustion

Using a novel concept, the present study experimentally investigates underlying physics pertaining to statistics of the flame front position and the flame front velocity in turbulent premixed V-shaped flames. The concept is associated with characteristics of the reactants velocity at the vicinity of the flame front, referred to as the edge velocity. The experiments are performed using simultaneous Mie scattering and Particle Image Velocimetry techniques. Three mean streamwise exit velocities of: 4.0, 6.2, and 8.6 m/s along with three fuel–air equivalence ratios of: 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9 are examined. The results show that fluctuations of the flame front position and the flame front velocity are induced by the fluctuations of the component of the edge velocity transverse to the mean flow direction. Analysis of the results show that the mean of the flame front velocity in the normal direction to the flame front is significantly dependent on the vertical distance from the flame-holder. Relatively close to the flame-holder, the mean of the flame front velocity in the direction normal to the flame front is about zero; however, it increases to values several times larger than the laminar flame speed by increasing the vertical distance from the flame-holder.     

多股射流瓦斯燃烧器湍流扩散火焰尺度的实验研究

用火焰图像分析方法,对一种多股射流燃烧器燃烧富含氢气的瓦斯产生的湍流扩散火焰的尺度进行了实验研究,研究了燃烧器结构参数和操作参数对火焰长度和长宽比等尺度特性的影响规律。结果表明,火焰长度随燃烧器喷孔总面积的增大和燃气流量的增大而增大,随助燃空气过剩系数的增大而减小;火焰长度和长宽比随上层喷孔位置角的增大而减小。同时发现,瓦斯中氢气含量对火焰尺度影响较大,随着氢气含量增大,火焰长度和长宽比都明显减小。     

Tulip flame - the mechanism of flame front inversion

The paper explains the mechanism of tulip flame formation in horizontal combustion chambers closed at the ignition end. The explanations are based essentially on the PIV images and the direct visualization of the process. The obtained results demonstrate that the tulip flame is a purely hydrodynamic phenomenon which results from the competition between the backward movement of deflected burned gases expanding from the lateral flame skirts and the forward movement of unburned gases accelerated in the phase of finger-shaped flame. In some configurations a supplementary global movement imposed by the confinement (for example: acoustic waves) is superposed on the two above mentioned, and modifies the parameters of the process. The results also prove that the intrinsic instabilities of the flame front (Rayleigh–Taylor, Richtmyer–Meshkov or Darrieus–Landau) are not involved in this process. The convex shape of the flame front has no influence on the phenomenon.     

体积力场对预混火焰面形状的影响

介绍了一种在燃烧场中产生大于1g体积力的实验系统,分析了影响体积力场的因素．利用实时摄像的方法,研究了在燃烧过程中体积力对预混火焰面形状的影响．结果表明,高温烟气在体积力场中的浮力效应,使火焰面向与体积力相反的方向弯曲、偏转．体积力增加将导致火焰面变形程度增加,并导致燃烧过程不稳定,以致发生熄火．气流的射流角不同,体积力对火焰面的影响效果不同,火焰面会发生弯曲、拉伸或压缩．当射流角为负值时,火焰容易发生吹熄．     

有序堆积床内预混气体燃烧特性实验研究

为研究预混气体在多孔介质燃烧器中的火焰燃烧特性,设计了一种新型多孔介质燃烧器,其中多孔介质区域由氧化铝圆柱体有序堆积而成.分别研究了当量比和入口速度对甲烷/空气预混气体在多孔介质燃烧器中的火焰温度分布、火焰最高温度以及火焰传播速度的影响.结果 表明:在当量比0.162～0.324、入口速度0.287～0.860 m/s...     

Numerical investigation on the effects of reaction orders on the flame propagation dynamic behaviors for premixed gas in a closed tube

In this paper, the premixed flame propagation in a closed tube is surveyed using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The propagation characteristics of premixed flame are obtained coupling a single-step reaction mechanism with a laminar flame model. Three single-step reaction mechanisms are established with different reaction orders for hydrocarbon fuels. This study is to establish a wider range of reaction mechanisms and represent actual experimental conditions better. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that reaction orders can affect the tulip flame development. As the flame spreads, the tulip flame fronts become wrinkled. When the reaction order is 2, there are more wrinkles in the flame front and the degree of wrinkles is more obvious. Reaction orders also affect the flame tip velocity and the flame skirt velocity. The main reason is that laminar flame speeds are significantly different. When the reaction orders are 1.5 and 2, laminar flame speeds are mainly affected by temperature, which respectively increase by about 25% and 75%. When the reaction order is 1, the pressure is crucial for the variation of laminar flame speed. The laminar flame speed decreases by about 33%.     

Flame stabilization in a lifted non-premixed turbulent hydrogen jet with coaxial air

To understand hydrogen jet liftoff height, the stabilization mechanism of turbulent lifted jet flames under non-premixed conditions was studied. The objectives were to determine flame stability mechanisms, to analyze flame structure, and to characterize the lifted jet at the flame stabilization point. Hydrogen flow velocity varied from 100 to 300 m/s. Coaxial air velocity was regulated from 12 to 20 m/s. Simultaneous velocity field and reaction zone measurements used, PIV/OH PLIF techniques with Nd:YAG lasers and CCD/ICCD cameras. Liftoff height decreased with increased fuel velocity. The flame stabilized in a lower velocity region next to the faster fuel jet due to the mixing effects of the coaxial air flow. The non-premixed turbulent lifted hydrogen jet flames had two types of flame structure for both thin and thick flame base. Lifted flame stabilization was related to local principal strain rate and turbulent intensity, assuming that combustion occurs where local flow velocity and turbulent flame propagation velocity are balanced.     

二甲醚湍流射流推举火焰的燃烧机理研究

对长、宽、高为650 mm×400 mm×12 mm的半闭口狭窄矩形通道（海伦-肖装置）内的甲烷/空气层流预混火焰传播过程进行了实验研究,探究当量比φ在0.6~1.2范围内、火焰传播角度ω在垂直向下-90°至垂直向上90°区间对火焰前锋轮廓发展及非标准层流火焰速度的影响。结果表明：火焰在通道内的传播分为热膨胀、准稳态传播和端壁效应3个阶段,每个阶段具有各自不同的前锋轮廓特征。由于瑞利-泰勒不稳定性机制的作用,所有当量比工况下向上传播的火焰均在准稳态传播阶段中呈现出明显的锋面褶皱与胞状结构;对向下传播的火焰而言,其在贫燃工况（φ为0.6,0.8）下的胞状不稳定性得到了有效抑制,而在当量比φ=1.0及富燃工况（φ=1.2）下,该稳定性效应并不显著。火焰瞬时速度与标准层流速度的比值Ui/UL,在φ=0.6的极贫燃工况与其他当量比工况下展现出明显不同的发展特性,极贫燃工况火焰向上传播时（ω=90°）,Ui/UL随着传播过程的进行一直增大,直到火焰触碰壁面末端熄灭,整个过程Ui/UL与火焰传播方向呈正相关关系;而对于其他当量比工况,Ui/UL在传播过程中均先升高后下降,火焰触碰壁面末端熄灭前其值趋于稳定,其平均速度与标准层流速度的比值Ua/UL在水平传播（ω=0°）时达到最大值。