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.     

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.     

Outward propagation velocity and acceleration characteristics in hydrogen-air deflagration

Propagation characteristics of hydrogen-air deflagration need to be understood for an accurate risk assessment. Especially, flame propagation velocity is one of the most important factors. Propagation velocity of outwardly propagating flame has been estimated from burning velocity of a flat flame considering influence of thermal expansion at a flame front; however, this conventional method is not enough to estimate an actual propagation velocity because flame propagation is accelerated owing to cellular flame front caused by intrinsic instability in hydrogen-air deflagration. Therefore, it is important to understand the dynamic propagation characteristics of hydrogen-air deflagration. We performed explosion tests in a closed chamber which has 300 mm diameter windows and observed flame propagation phenomena by using Schlieren photography. In the explosion experiments, hydrogen-air mixtures were ignited at atmospheric pressure and room temperature and in the range of equivalence ratio from 0.2 to 1.0. Analyzing the obtained Schlieren images, flame radius and flame propagation velocity were measured. As the result, cellular flame fronts formed and flame propagations of hydrogen–air mixture were accelerated at the all equivalence ratios. In the case of equivalent ratio φ = 0.2, a flame floated up and could not propagate downward because the influence of buoyancy exceeded a laminar burning velocity. Based upon these propagation characteristics, a favorable estimation method of flame propagation velocity including influence of flame acceleration was proposed. Moreover, the influence of intrinsic instability on propagation characteristics was elucidated.     

Experimental investigation on the propagation of flow and flame in a confined combustion chamber equipped with a single-hole perforated plate

The effects of the hole size and perforated plate position on the propagation of flame and flow and pressure oscillation were explored in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCB) with a single-hole perforated plate. Stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture was used in the experiments, and the propagation of the flame and jet flow were recorded by high-speed schlieren photography. The results demonstrated that the flame velocity firstly increases and then decreases with the increasing hole size. With the hole size of 13 mm, the flame velocity, peak pressure, and pressure oscillation reached the maximum under the current experimental conditions. Moreover, the influence of the position of the perforated plate was investigated. It was found that the jet flow before the flame front is prominently distinct when the perforated plate is in positions A and B, resulting in an apparent difference in the flame shape behind the perforated plate, which means that the movement of the jet flow plays a leading role in the development of the flame. In Position B, the flame front overlapped with the jet flow and has the same shape. Besides, an interesting phenomenon was captured: with perforated plate in Position B, a secondary flame front was generated with higher flame tip velocity before the primary flame front under the effect of the flame-vortex interaction.     

The mechanism of flame propagation affected by flow/shock wave in a confined combustion chamber equipped with a perforated plate

The whole evolution of flame propagation in a confined combustion chamber was firstly experimentally observed in a newly designed experimental apparatus equipped with a perforated plate. The effect of the flame-flow/acoustic/shock wave interaction on the flame propagation was studied. The experiment was conducted with a stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture. According to the flame morphology and the flame tip velocity, the whole evolution of flame propagation in the experimental apparatus was classified into the following three stages: laminar flame, jet flame and turbulent flame. In the present work, different flame propagation modes were obtained in different conditions. Depending on the initial pressure, three different flame propagation modes were observed. At an initial pressure of 1 bar, the flame propagation after perforated plate was mainly controlled by the interactions of the flame and combustion-generated flow ahead of the flame front. As initial pressures went up to 3 bar and 5 bar, shock waves were clearly observed ahead of the flame, which played a significant role on the flame propagation. The flame decelerated sharply and even propagated backwards, induced by the flame-shock wave interactions. Depending on the intensity of the shock wave, the backward-propagation velocity was higher at 5 bar with a stronger shock wave. In addition, the pressure oscillation at different initial pressures was discussed.     

The effect of a perforated plate on the propagation of laminar hydrogen flames in a channel – A numerical study

Laminar hydrogen flame propagation in a channel with a perforated plate is investigated using 2D reactive Navies-Stokes simulations. The effect of the perforated plate on flame propagation is treated with a porous media model. A one step chemistry model is used for the combustion of the stoichiometric H₂–air mixture. Numerical simulations show that the perforated plate has considerable effect on the flame propagation in the region downstream from the perforated plate and marginal effect on the upstream region. It is found to squeeze the flame front and result in a ring of unburned gas pocket around the flame neck. The resulting abrupt change in flow directions leads to the formation of some vortices. Downstream of the perforated plate, a wrinkled “M”-shape flame is observed with “W” shape flame speed evolution, which lastly turns back to a convex curved flame front. Parametric studies have also been carried out on the inertial resistance factor, porosity, perforated plate length and its location to investigate their effects on flame evolution. Overall, for parameter range studied, the perforated plate has an effect of reducing the flame speed downstream of it.     

Measurements of laminar burning velocities and flame stability analysis for dissociated methanol–air–diluent mixtures at elevated temperatures and pressures

The laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths for the dissociated methanol–air–diluent mixtures were measured at different equivalence ratios, initial temperatures and pressures, diluents (N₂ and CO₂) and dilution ratios by using the spherically outward expanding flame. The influences of these parameters on the laminar burning velocity and Markstein length were analyzed. The results show that the laminar burning velocity of dissociated methanol–air mixture increases with an increase in initial temperature and decreases with an increase in initial pressure. The peak laminar burning velocity occurs at equivalence ratio of 1.8. The Markstein length decreases with an increase in initial temperature and initial pressure. Cellular flame structures are presented at early flame propagation stage with the decrease of equivalence ratio or dilution ratio. The transition positions can be observed in the curve of flame propagation speed to stretch rate, indicating the occurrence of cellular structure at flame fronts. Mixture diluents (N₂ and CO₂) will decrease the laminar burning velocities of mixtures and increase the sensitivity of flame front to flame stretch rate. Markstein length increases with an increase in dilution ratio except for very lean mixture (equivalence ratio less than 0.8). CO₂ dilution has a greater impact on laminar flame speed and flame front stability compared to N₂. It is also demonstrated that the normalized unstretched laminar burning velocity is only related to dilution ratio and is not influenced by equivalence ratio.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of premixed flame propagation with distorted tulip shape in a closed duct

High-speed schlieren photography, pressure records and large eddy simulation (LES) model are used to study the shape changes, dynamics of premixed flame propagation and pressure build up in a closed duct. The study provides further understanding of the interaction between flame front, pressure wave and combustion-generated flow, especially when the flame acquires a “distorted tulip” shape. The Ulster multi-phenomena LES premixed combustion model is applied to gain an insight into the phenomenon of “distorted tulip” flame and explain the experimental observations. The model accounts for the effects of flow turbulence, turbulence generated by flame front itself, selective diffusion, and transient pressure and temperature on the turbulent burning velocity. The schlieren images show that the flame exhibits a salient “distorted tulip” shape with two secondary cusps superimposed onto the two original tulip lips. This curious flame shape appears after a well-pronounced classical tulip flame is formed. The dynamics of “distorted tulip” flame observed in the experiment is well reproduced by LES. The numerical simulations show that large-scale vortices are generated in the burnt gas after the formation of a classical tulip flame. The vortices remain in the proximity of the flame front and modify the flow field around the flame front. As a result, the flame front in the original cusp and near the sidewalls propagates faster than that close to the centre of the original tulip lips. The discrepancy in the flame propagation rate finally leads to the formation of the “distorted tulip” flame. The LES model validated previously against large-scale hydrogen/air deflagrations is successfully applied in this study to reproduce the dynamics of flame propagation and pressure build up in the small-scale duct. It is confirmed that grid resolution has an influence to a certain extent on the simulated combustion dynamics after the flame inversion.     

Measurements of laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths for methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures at elevated pressures and temperatures

The laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths for the methanol-air mixtures were measured at different equivalence ratios, elevated initial pressures and temperatures, and dilution ratios by using a constant volume combustion chamber and high-speed schlieren photography system. The influences of these parameters on the laminar burning velocity and Markstein length were analyzed. The results show that the laminar burning velocity of the methanol-air mixture decreases with an increase in initial pressure and increases with an increase in initial temperature. The Markstein length decreases with an increase in initial pressure and initial temperature, and increases with an increase in the dilution ratio. A cellular flame structure is observed at an early stage of flame propagation. The transition point is identified on the curve of flame propagation speed against stretch rate. The reasons for the cellular structure development are also analyzed.     

Dynamics of premixed hydrogen-air flame propagation in the duct with pellets bed

Hydrogen, as the promising clean alternative energy in the future, is in the spotlight now all over the world. However, its flammable and explosive hazards should be highly considered during its practical application. In this study, the experiments are performed to study premixed hydrogen-air flame propagation in the duct with pellets bed, especially for fuel-rich condition. High-speed schlieren photography is employed to capture flame front development during the experiments. As well as the pressure transducer, is used to track the pressure buildup in the flame propagation process. Different diameters of pellets and different concentrations of gas mixture are considered in this experimental study. The typical evolutions about the tulip flame are similar in all cases, although the tulip flame formation time caused by the laminar flame speed are different. The flame propagation velocity is pretty enhanced in fuel-lean mixture under the effect of large diameter pellets bed, but it is significantly suppressed in fuel-rich conditions. While for the small diameter pellets (d = 3 mm), the suppression effect on flame propagation and pressure is obtained over a wider range of equivalence ratios, especially a better suppression effect is generated near the stoichiometric condition.     

Structure of laminar premixed flames of methane near the auto-ignition limit

Auto-ignition and flame propagation are the two different controlling mechanisms for stabilizing the flame in secondary stage combustion in hot vitiated air environment and at elevated pressure. The present work aims at the investigation of the flame stabilization mechanism of flames developing in such an environment. In order to better understand the structure of turbulent flames at inlet temperature well above the auto-ignition temperature, the behavior of laminar flames at those conditions needs to be analyzed. As an alternative to challenging and expensive measurements at high temperature and pressure, the behavior of laminar flames at such conditions can be predicted from theory using mathematical simulation. In the present work, the laminar burning velocities and flame structures of premixed stoichiometric methane/air mixtures for inlet temperatures from 300 to 1450 K and absolute pressures from 1 to 8 bar have been calculated using a freely propagating laminar, one dimensional, planar flame model. The prediction shows that at inlet temperatures below the auto-ignition temperature, the predicted laminar burning velocity which corresponds to the unburned mixture velocity in order to create a steady laminar flame decreases with increase in pressure. When the inlet temperature of the mixture goes well beyond the auto-ignition temperature of the mixture, however, the unburned mixture velocity increases steeply at higher pressure level, because of a complete transition of the flame structure.     

Characteristics of premixed hydrogen/air squish flame in a confined vessel

The appearance of the squish flame is of great significance to accelerate burning progress and improve the combustion efficiency. In this paper, we experimentally studied the characteristics of the squish flame in a cylindrical constant volume vessel under different initial pressures and equivalence ratios by using high-speed schlieren photometry. Due to the compression of the main flame front, “squish flow” was induced in the analogous triangular vertebrae region besieged by the convex flame front, the concave wall and the flat optical windows, which provided the perturbation of large wavelength to promote the appearance of the squish flame. When the squish flames occur, as the initial pressure increases, the main flame propagation distance becomes shorter, the main flame propagation velocity increases first and then gradually saturates to a certain value; as the equivalence ratio increases, the main flame propagation distance becomes longer, the main flame propagation velocity rises first and then declines, and the maximum is obtained in the vicinity of Φ = 1.0. There exists a critical initial pressure at each equivalence ratio below which no squish flame appears, and it takes on a U-shaped trend with the increase of equivalence ratio. The hydrodynamic instability plays a key role in the formation of the squish flame. The squish flame tends to appear at higher hydrodynamic instability. The formation mechanism and the critical feature of the squish flame obtained in this paper can provide a theoretical guide to achieve fast controllable combustion.     

Impact of dissociated Methanol addition on premixed Toluene reference fuel-air mixtures in a constant-volume chamber

The effects of dissociated methanol addition on a premixed toluene reference fuel was studied in a constant-volume chamber at initial conditions of 0.1 MPa and 398 K. Hydrogen was also added in separate proportions under the same conditions in order to assess its effects. Dissociated methanol fractions of 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, hydrogen fractions of 50% and 90%, and equivalence ratios from 0.6 to 1.4 were analysed. The laminar burning velocities of the toluene reference fuel-dissociated methanol-air mixtures and the toluene reference fuel-hydrogen-air mixtures were measured by the spherically expanding flame method with a schlieren photography system. The effects of dissociated methanol addition on the laminar burning velocities was evaluated, and the relationships between the laminar burning velocity and the equivalence ratio or dissociated methanol fraction at 398 K and 0.1 MPa were fitted with a third-order polynomial function. Furthermore, the flame instabilities of toluene reference fuel-dissociated methanol-air mixtures and toluene reference fuel-hydrogen-air mixtures were also discussed.     

Transition characteristics of combustion modes for flame spread in solid fuel tube

This paper provides a new concept based on the Damköhler number (Da) to describe the complete transition behavior found in a flame spread in a solid combustible tube. Through a series of experiments performed with various diameters of the tube, ambient pressure, and oxidizer velocity within a wide range, three combustion modes are observed for the flame spread in a solid fuel tube namely combustion dominated by heat transfer (mode 1), by chemical kinetics (mode 2), and slow combustion sustained under very high blowing conditions (so-called “stabilized combustion”: mode 3). Previous studies on the flame spread in tubes have shown that each transition, from mode 1 to mode 2 (transition 1–2) and from mode 2 to mode 3 (transition 2–3), is characterized by an equivalent velocity and by a friction velocity respectively. Meanwhile, for a flame spread on a fuel plate, it is widely known that both transitions are summarized by the Da. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the transition characteristics of the combustion modes for the flame spread in the tube, the flame-spread rates under various conditions are experimentally investigated to elucidate the parameters that determine both transitions. First, the authors introduce a laminar friction velocity for the laminar flow region and revealed that transition 2–3 is determined by the laminar and turbulent friction velocity for laminar flow and turbulent flow regime respectively. The correlation between the Da and the friction velocity was experimentally obtained to show that transition 2–3 is consequently determined by the Da. This finding suggests that transition 2–3 corresponds to a blow-off limit that is observed for flame spread on a fuel plate. Second, the same correlation between the non-dimensional flame-spread rate and the Da is obtained, and it clearly showed that the transition 1–2 was determined by the Da. In conclusion, both transition phenomena are physically identical to those observed for on-plate flame spread, except the transition 2–3 occurs instead of the blow-off.     

Effects of steam dilution on laminar flame speeds of H2/air/H2O mixtures at atmospheric and elevated pressures

The laminar flame speeds of H₂/air with steam dilution (up to 33 vol%) were measured over a wide range of equivalence ratio (0.9–3.0) at atmospheric and elevated pressures (up to 5 atm) by an improved Bunsen burner method. Burke, Sun, HP (High Pressure H₂/O₂ mechanism), and Davis mechanisms were employed to calculate the laminar flame speeds and analyze different effects of steam addition. Four studied mechanisms all underestimated the laminar flame speeds of H₂/air/H₂O mixtures at medium equivalence ratios while the Burke mechanism provided the best estimates. When the steam concentration was lower than 12%, increasing pressure first increased and then decreased the laminar flame speed, the inflection point appeared at 2.5 atm. When the steam concentration was greater than 12%, increasing the pressure monotonously decrease the laminar flame speed. The chemical effect was amplified by elevated pressure and it played an important role for the inhibiting effect of the pressure on laminar flame speed. The fluctuations of the chemical effect at 1 atm were mainly caused by three-body reactions, while the turn at 5 atm was mainly caused by the direct reaction effect. Elevated pressure and steam addition amplified the influences of uncertainties in the rate constants for elementary reactions, which might leaded to the disagreement between experimental and simulation results.     

Large eddy simulation of premixed hydrogen/methane/air flame propagation in a closed duct

In this paper, large eddy simulation (LES) is performed to investigate the propagation characteristics of premixed hydrogen/methane/air flames in a closed duct. In LES, three stoichiometric hydrogen/methane/air mixtures with hydrogen fractions (volume fractions) of 0, 50% and 100% are used. The numerical results have been verified by comparison with experimental data. All stages of flame propagation that occurred in the experiment are reproduced qualitatively in LES. For fuel/air mixtures with hydrogen fractions of 0 and 50%, only four stages of “tulip” flame formation are observed, but when the hydrogen fraction is 100%, the distorted “tulip” flame appears after flame front inversion. In the acceleration stage, the LES and experimental flame speed and pressure dynamic coincide with each other, except for a hydrogen fraction of 0. After “tulip” flame formation, all LES and experimental flame propagation speeds and pressure dynamics exhibit the same trends for hydrogen fractions of 0 and 100%. However, when the hydrogen fraction is 50%, a slight periodic oscillation appears only in the experiment. In general, the different structures displayed in the flame front during flame propagation can be attributed to the interaction between the flame front, the vortex and the reverse flow formed in the unburned and burned zones.     

Measurement of propagation speeds in adiabatic flat and cellular premixed flames of C2H6+O2+CO2

Adiabatic burning velocities of premixed flat flames and propagation speeds of adiabatic cellular flames of mixtures of ethane+oxygen+carbon dioxide are reported. The oxygen content O₂/(O₂+CO₂) in the artificial air was varied from 26 to 35%. Nonstretched flames were stabilized on a perforated plate burner at 1 atm. A heat flux method was used to determine burning velocities under conditions when the net heat loss of the flame is zero. Under specific experimental conditions the flames become cellular; this leads to significant modification of the flame propagation speed. Measurements in cellular flames are presented and compared with those for laminar flat flames and also with qualitative predictions of a theoretical model. The onset of cellularity was observed throughout the stoichiometric range of the mixtures studied. Cellularity disappears when the flames become only slightly subadiabatic.     

Flame propagation across a flexible obstacle in a square cross-section channel

Flame propagation across a single flexible fence-type obstacle was studied experimentally in a square cross-section channel, and compared to results obtained using similar blockage ratio (BR) rigid obstacles. The experiments were carried out with different BRs in premixed stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixtures, at initial conditions of 101 kPa and 298 K. High-speed Schlieren photography was employed to gain insight into the flame front structure and the flame tip velocity. Pressure transducers were used to measure the pressure at different axial positions near the obstacle. Flame propagation was found to be strongly influenced by the flow contraction of the unburned gas upstream of the obstacle, and the separated flow downstream of the obstacle. The most significant effect of the flexible obstacle, compared to the rigid obstacle, was observed for BRs above 0.71. The flame front evolution was dominated by the shear layer coming off the obstacle leading-edge and the vortex downstream from the obstacle. For the rigid obstacle BRs tested, the shear layer coming off the obstacle leading-edge reattached to the top of the obstacle, resulting in a vortex (i.e., recirculation-zone) downstream of the obstacle. For the high BR flexible obstacles (BR > 0.43), significant obstacle deformation (downstream tilt and vertical compression), and an associated decrease in BR, resulted in slightly lower flame tip velocities past the obstacle. The downstream obstacle tilt resulted in a different type of separated flow, compared to that observed in the rigid obstacle, where the shear layer didn't reattach to the top of the obstacle. The resulting vortex and strong shear layer confined the flame tip to the top part of the channel, delaying the consumption of the unburned gas immediately downstream of the obstacle. The deformation of the flexible obstacle reduced the peak pressure and the rate of pressure rise compared to that obtained with the rigid obstacles.     

Flame front evolution and laminar flame parameter evaluation of buoyancy-affected ammonia/air flames

For flames with very low burning speed, the flame propagation is affected by buoyancy. Flame front evolution and laminar flame parameter evaluation methods of buoyancy-affected flame have been proposed. The evolution and propagation process of a center ignited expanding ammonia/air flame has been analyzed by using the methods. The laminar flame parameters of ammonia/air mixture under different equivalence ratio (ER) and initial pressure have been studied. At barometric pressure, with the increase of ER, the laminar burning velocity (LBV) of ammonia/air mixture undergoes a first increase and then decrease process and reaches its maximum value of 7.17 cm/s at the ER of 1.1, while the Markstein length increases monotonously. For ammonia/air flames with ER less than unity, the flame velocity shows a decreasing trend with stretch rate, resulting in the propensity to flame instability, but no cellular structure was observed in the process of flame propagation. As the initial pressure increases, the LBV decreases monotonously as well as the Markstein length. The flame thicknesses of ammonia/air mixtures decrease with initial pressure and are much thicker than those of hydrogen flames, which makes a stronger stabilizing effect of curvature on the flame front. The most enhancement of LBV is contributed by the dehydrogenation reaction of NH₃ with OH. The NO concentration decreases significantly with the increase of ER.     

Laminar burning velocities and flame instabilities of diluted H2/CO/air mixtures under different hydrogen fractions

An experimental study was conducted using outwardly propagating flame to evaluate the laminar burning velocity and flame intrinsic instability of diluted H₂/CO/air mixtures. The laminar burning velocity of H₂/CO/air mixtures diluted with CO₂ and N₂ was measured at lean equivalence ratios with different dilution fractions and hydrogen fractions at 0.1 MPa; two fitting formulas are proposed to express the laminar burning velocity in our experimental scope. The flame instability was evaluated for diluted H₂/CO/air mixtures under different hydrogen fractions at 0.3 MPa and room temperature. As the H₂ fraction in H₂/CO mixtures was more than 50%, the flame became more unstable with the decrease in equivalence ratio; however, the flame became more stable with the decrease in equivalence ratio when the hydrogen fraction was low. The flame instability of 70%H₂/30%CO premixed flames hardly changed with increasing dilution fraction. However, the flames became more stable with increasing dilution fraction for 30%H₂/70%CO premixed flames. The variation in cellular instability was analyzed, and the effects of hydrogen fraction, equivalence ratio, and dilution fraction on diffusive-thermal and hydrodynamic instabilities were discussed.