Buoyancy effects on hydrogen diffusion flames confined in a small tube

In this work, buoyancy effects on hydrogen jet flames confined in a small tube without air co-flow were numerically investigated. The results show that the extinction limit of fuel velocity under buoyant condition is much lower than that without buoyancy. Moreover, hydrogen flames under buoyant condition attatch the nozzle exit for all fuel velocities investigated; however, the flames without buoyancy surround the lower wall at low fuel velocity. In addition, combustion is nearly complete in the presence of buoyancy, whereas the combustion efficiency under non-buoyant condition is below 45%. Furthermore, flame temperature under buoyant condition is much higher compared to the counterpart under non-buoyant condition at low and moderate fuel velocities. Analysis reveals that in the case without buoyancy, the negative gauge pressure in the annular space is unable to entrain sufficient air from the ambient. Hence, hydrogen has to diffuse downwards to sustain the flame and complete combustion is unrealizable.     

Propagation and stability characteristics of laminar lifted diffusion flame base

Numerical calculations of the flame propagation speed and the Damköhler number (Da) at laminar lifted flame base were carried out. The results are intended for further understanding the propagation and the Damköhler mechanisms for flame stabilization, with the former based on a tribrachial flame propagating against the local flow velocity and the latter based on the competition between the reaction time and local residence time of the peak reaction zone. Propane fuel without and with dilution (40% helium and argon, by volume) was used, while the reaction scheme adopted was the one-step irreversible Arrhenius kinetics (see Li et al., Combust. Flame 157 (2010) 1484–1495) which proved successful in predicting the flame lift-off height and effects of thermal expansion and multi-component diffusion. The results reported in this paper show that the flame base propagation speed is up to approximately four times of the one-dimensional stoichiometric flame speed of the fuels used, depending on where the propagation front is defined. These results are compared with previously published experimental and theoretical results from laminar and turbulent diffusion flames. It is found that the flame base propagation speed (V_p) increases in the downstream direction as a result of increasing jet velocity (V_o) under most flame conditions, providing a stabilizing mechanism. However, there exist conditions where V_p decreases while the flame stabilizes. The flame base Damköhler number (Da) always increases as the flame liftoff height increases (resulting from increasing jet velocity). Da is here defined as ratio of peak reaction rate of the reaction kernel (RR) to the flame stretch rate (k) determined at the intersection of the reaction kernel (approximately coinciding with the 2000 K isotherm) and the stoichiometric contour. The value of Da appears to be of the order of 10^?3 for the three fuels studied, and the increasing trend of Da with the lift-off height also helps to explain the flame stabilization.     

Buoyancy influences on turbulent flame propagation in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor

The influence of buoyancy on turbulent flame propagation in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor is investigated using dimensional analysis. Based on this analysis, it is concluded that a microgravity environment is needed to fully eliminate buoyancy effects on turbulent-flame structure at high turbulence intensities.     

Numerical investigation into the decoupling effects of hydrogen blending on flame structure and soot formation in a laminar ethylene diffusion flame

Numerical calculations were conducted to explore the various effects of hydrogen blending on flame properties and soot behaviors in an ethylene coflow diffusion flame, based on a fully step-by-step decoupling method, by introducing several virtual species into the gas-phase mechanism. Results show that the concentration of OH increases under the chemical effect of hydrogen due to an enhanced rate of H₂ + O ↔ OH + H. The soot yield, primary number density, and average primary number per aggregate decrease under dilution effect while these increase under chemical effect. The enhancements of hydrogen-abstraction-carbon-addition (HACA) rates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) condensation rates are responsible for soot mass addition under chemical effect. Both the oxidation rates by O₂ and OH are delayed under the chemical effect because of lower concentrations of O₂ and OH in the sooting zone. The overall effect of higher surface growth rates and delayed oxidation rates results in an increased soot volume fraction (SVF).     

Effects of content of hydrogen on the characteristics of co-flow laminar diffusion flame of hydrogen/nitrogen mixture in various flow conditions

Effect of content of hydrogen (H₂) in fuel stream, mole fraction of H₂$\left(X_{H_2}\right)$ in fuel composition, and velocity of fuel and co-flow air $\left(V_{avg}\right)$ on the flame characteristics of a co-flow H₂/N₂ laminar diffusion flame is investigated in this paper. Co-flow burner of Toro et al. [1] is used as a model geometry in which the governing conservation transport equations for mass, momentum, energy, and species are numerically solved in a segregated manner with finite rate chemistry. GRI3 reaction mechanisms are selected along with the weight sum of grey gas radiation (WSGG) and Warnatz thermo-diffusion models. Reliability of the newly generated CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model is initially examined and validated with the experimental results of Toro et al. [1]. Then, the method of investigation is focused on a total of 12 flames with $X_{H_2}$ varying between 0.25 and 1, and $V_{avg}$ between 0.25 and 1 ms^?1. Increase of flame size, flame temperature, chemistry heat release, and NOx emission formation resulted are affected by the escalation of either $X_{H_2}$ or $V_{avg}$. Significant effect on the flame temperature and NOx emission are obtained from a higher $X_{H_2}$ in fuel whereas the flame size and heat release are the result of increasing $V_{avg}$. Along with this finding, the role of N₂ and its higher content reducing the flame temperature and NOx emission are presented.     

幂律流体连续运动平板边界层的数值研究

利用数值模拟方法研究了幂律流体在连续运动平板上的层流边界层问题。利用相似变换理论推导出无量纲剪切力的计算公式,数值求解了不同幂律指数n的流体在不同运动参数ξ的连续运动平板上的层流边界层流场,分析了各个参数对边界层速度分布和剪切力大小的影响。结果表明,边界层偏微分方程组的数值解与经过相似变换求得的非线性常微分方程的数值解吻合得很好,这既说明对幂律流体连续运动平板上的层流边界层问题的研究是有效且可靠的,同时也证明了连续运动平板问题存在相似解。     

Vaporization of polydisperse fuel sprays in a laminar boundary layer flow: A sectional approach

The effect of the presence of a cold wall on the downstream changes in size distribution of a spray of fuel droplets undergoing vaporization and combustion is theoretically analyzed. The fuel is considered to be in the form of discrete liquid droplets which have an arbitrary range of sizes and differ in their rates of vaporization. In fact, the total number of discrete droplet sizes needed to simulate actual fuel sprays can be immense. To avoid the dimensionality problem associated with the discrete form of population balance equations of an ensemble of individual burning or evaporating particles, “sectional conservation equations” are used. The method, based on dividing the droplet size domain into sections and dealing only with one integral quantity in each section (e.g., number, surface area of droplets, or volume), has the advantage that the integral quantity is conserved within the computational domain and the number of conservation equations required is simply equal to the number of sections. Employing known solutions for the boundary layer flow field, the “sectional size conservation equations” are solved assuming that droplets follow streamlines. New solutions for the changes in size distributon of droplets as a function of temperature and distance from the wall are presented. Since the present analysis uses an arbitrary droplet size distribution as an initial condition, it may be used to evaluate the performance of various atomizers, as demonstrated in the present study.     

Evaluation of the laminar diffusion flamelet model in the calculation of an axisymmetric coflow laminar ethylene-air diffusion flame

A numerical study of an axisymmetric coflow laminar ethylene-air diffusion flame at atmospheric pressure was conducted using detailed chemistry and complex thermal and transport properties and two different methodologies: (1) the direct simulation method of solving the two-dimensional axisymmetric elliptic governing equations, and (2) the steady-state stretched diffusion flamelet model. Soot formation and radiative heat transfer were not taken into account in these calculations, both for simplicity and to avoid the complications associated with the issues of how to incorporate these chemical and physical processes into the flamelet model. The same reaction mechanism and thermal and transport properties were used in the 2D direct simulation and the generation of the flamelet library. The flamelet library was generated from the solutions of counterflow ethylene-air diffusion flames at a series of stretch rates. Results of the 2D direct simulation and the flamelet model are compared in physical space. Although the overall results of the flamelet model are qualitatively similar to those of the direct simulation, significant differences exist between the results of the two methods even for temperature and major species. The direct simulation method predicts that the peak concentrations of CO₂ and H₂O occur in different regions in the flame, while the flamelet model results show that the peak concentrations of CO₂ and H₂O occur in the same region. The flamelet model predicts an overly rapid approach to the equilibrium structure in the downstream region, leading to significantly higher flame temperatures. The main reason for the failure of the flamelet model in the downstream region is due to the neglect of the effects of multidimensional convection and diffusion and the fundamental difference in the chemical structure between a coflow diffusion flame and a counterflow diffusion flame. The findings of this paper are highly relevant to understanding the flamelet model results in the calculations of multidimensional turbulent diffusion flames.     

Morphology of chromium emissions from a laminar hydrogen diffusion flame

The morphology and size distribution of chromium oxide particles has been studied in laminar hydrogen diffusion flames. Nitrogen was added to vary the flame temperatures. Two sources of chromium compounds were introduced: chromium nitrate and chromium hexacarbonyl. In order to clarify the morphology of chromium oxide particles that were produced in the flame, a detailed investigation was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after sampling with an isokinetic, dilution sampling probe. The morphology of the particles varied with the flame temperature and with the chromium source. The particles were characterized by porous structures, cenospheres, and agglomerated dense particles when chromium nitrate solution was added to the flames. At low to moderate temperatures, porous sintered cenospheric structures were formed, in some cases with a blow hole. At higher temperatures, an agglomerated cluster, which was composed of loosely sintered submicron particles was observed. SEM analysis revealed that the size distribution of chromium oxide particles was bimodal; submicron sizes were generated by the mechanism of cenosphere fragmentation. Chromium oxides formed from adding chromium hexacarbonyl to a hydrogen flame did not exhibit cenospheric structures. At high temperatures, a film of crystalline material was deposited onto a filter; at low temperatures very small agglomerated chains were found. The morphology of the metal particles is strongly dependent on the form in which the metal enters a flame.     

Periodic heat transfer by forced laminar boundary layer flow over a semi-infinite flat plate

The paper reports a study of periodic convection in a steady forced laminar boundary layer flow over a semi-infinite impermeable flat plate due to periodical variation of the wall heat flux. The Fourier transform based approach allows to obtain a transfer function for the boundary layer that can be used to solve also transient (non-periodic) heating problems, and examples are reported comparing with available studies in the open literature. The effect of periodic heating on the value of the the average heat transfer coefficient is analysed and it is found to be important for relatively high frequency fluctuations of the imposed heat flux, whereas fluctuation amplitude of the instantaneous heat transfer coefficient is non-negligible also for lower exciting frequency.     

Mass transport regimes in a laminar boundary layer with suction--parallel flow and high Peclet number

Mass transport in a boundary layer with suction was studied for a parallel flow, laminar regime and high Peclet number. Mass transport mechanisms involved were analyzed and the respective mass transport fluxes were quantified by numerical methods. According to the magnitude of the convective fluxes, mass transport regimes were established. A simple, but accurate equation was deduced to identify the dominant convective flux and the transport regime. This identification only requires measurable variables combined in dimensionless groups. The accuracy of the equation was proved through the numerical solution of the governing flow and mass transport equations. The concentration field inside the mass boundary layer and the concentration polarization level at the permeable surface are intrinsically related with the dominant convective flux. A simple equation was deduced relating the concentration polarization level at the permeable surface and the parameter , which characterizes the transport regime.     

Effects of multi-component diffusion and heat release on laminar diffusion flame liftoff

Numerical simulations were conducted of the liftoff and stabilization phenomena of laminar jet diffusion flames of inert-diluted C₃H₈ and CH₄ fuels. Both non-reacting and reacting jets were investigated, including multi-component diffusivities and heat release effects (buoyancy and gas expansion). The role of Schmidt number for non-reacting jets was investigated, with no conclusive Schmidt number criterion for liftoff previously arrived at in similarity solutions. The cold-flow simulation for He-diluted CH₄ fuel does not predict flame liftoff; however, adding heat release reaction lead to the prediction of liftoff, which is consistent with experimental observations. Including reaction was also found to improve liftoff height prediction for C₃H₈ flames, with the flame base location differing from that in the similarity solution - the intersection of the stoichiometric and iso-velocity (equal to 1-D flame speed) is not necessary for flame stabilization (and thus liftoff). Possible mechanisms other than that proposed for similarity solution may better help to explain the stabilization and liftoff phenomena.     

A method to dynamically estimate the diffusion boundary layer from local velocity conditions in laminar flows

The differential equation for dilute species transport next to a planar interface within the hydrodynamic boundary layer is transformed into a differential equation for the diffusion boundary layer. This differential equation contains two coefficients, which depend explicitly on the concentration profile. We show that these coefficients can be taken as identical constants, in a number of limiting cases. Using these constants, we show that this equation reproduces very well the temporal and spatial profile of the diffusion boundary layer determined from numerical simulations in some more complex intermediate cases. The final differential equation depends only on the diffusion coefficient and on local velocity and velocity gradients next to the interface, and not explicitly on concentration. Therefore this equation can be used to estimate the mass transfer coefficient from the local velocity profile when conditions are not fixed in space or time, and especially in transient computational fluid dynamics calculations. It can also be used to estimate new correlations for the mass transfer coefficient, in cases where the spatial velocity profile at the interface is known.     

Thermal diffusion and diffusion thermo effects of Eyring‐Powell nanofluid flow with gyrotactic microorganisms through the boundary layer

In this article, the effects of thermal diffusion and diffusion thermo on the motion of a non‐Newtonian Eyring Powell nanofluid with gyrotactic microorganisms in the boundary layer are investigated. The system is stressed with a uniform external magnetic field. The problem is modulated mathematically by a system of a nonlinear partial differential equation, which governs the equations of motion, temperature, the concentration of solute, nanoparticles, and microorganisms. This system is converted to nonlinear ordinary differential equations by using suitable similarity transformations with the appropriate boundary conditions. These equations are solved numerically by using the Rung‐Kutta‐Merson method with a shooting technique. The velocity, temperature, concentration of solute, nanoparticles, and microorganisms are obtained as functions of the physical parameters of the problem. The effects of these parameters on these solutions are discussed numerically and illustrated graphically through figures. It is found that the velocity decreases with the increase in the non‐Newtonian parameter and the magnetic field, whereas, the velocity increases with a rise in thermophoresis and Brownian motion. Also, the temperature increases with an increase in the non‐Newtonian parameter, magnetic field, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion. These parameters play an important role and help in understanding the mechanics of complicated physiological flows.     

Hydrogen addition effects in a confined swirl-stabilized methane-air flame

The effect of hydrogen addition in methane-air premixed flames has been examined from a swirl-stabilized combustor under confined conditions. The effect of hydrogen addition in methane-air flame has been examined over a range of conditions using a laboratory-scale premixed combustor operated at 5.81 kW. Different swirlers have been investigated to identify the role of swirl strength to the incoming mixture. The flame stability was examined for the effect of amount of hydrogen addition, combustion air flow rates and swirl strengths. This was carried out by comparing adiabatic flame temperatures at the lean flame limit. The combustion characteristics of hydrogen-enriched methane flames at constant heat load but different swirl strengths have been examined using particle image velocimetry (PIV), micro-thermocouples and OH chemiluminescence diagnostics that provided information on velocity, thermal field, and combustion generated OH species concentration in the flame, respectively. Gas analyzer was used to obtain NO_x and CO concentration at the combustor exit. The results show that the lean stability limit is extended by hydrogen addition. The stability limit can reduce at higher swirl intensity to the fuel-air mixture operating at lower adiabatic flame temperatures. The addition of hydrogen increases the NO_x emission; however, this effect can be reduced by increasing either the excess air or swirl intensity. The emissions of NO_x and CO from the premixed flame were also compared with a diffusion flame type combustor. The NO_x emissions of hydrogen-enriched methane premixed flame were found to be lower than the corresponding diffusion flame under same operating conditions for the fuel-lean case.