甲烷预混多喷嘴阵列燃烧器热声振荡模态实验研究

为研究燃气轮机模型燃烧室的非预混燃烧流场,采用大涡模拟方法分别结合火焰面生成流形模型（FGM）和部分预混稳态火焰面模型（PSFM）对甲烷/空气同轴射流非预混燃烧室开展了数值模拟研究,并与试验结果进行对比。结果表明：FGM所预测的速度分布、混合分数分布、燃烧产物及CO分布与试验结果更符合;两种模型均能捕捉到燃烧室中的火焰抬举现象;燃烧过程中的火焰结构较为复杂,同时存在预混燃烧区域和扩散燃烧区域,扩散燃烧主要分布在化学恰当比等值线附近,预混燃烧区域主要分布在贫油区。     

Measurement of the instantaneous flame front structure of syngas turbulent premixed flames at high pressure

Instantaneous flame front structure of syngas turbulent premixed flames including the local radius of curvature, the characteristic radius of curvature, the fractal inner cutoff scale and the local flame angle were derived from the experimental OH-PLIF images. The CO/H₂/CO₂/air flames as a model of syngas/air combustion were investigated at pressure of 0.5 MPa and compared to that of CH₄/air flames. The convex and concave structures of the flame front were detected and statistical analysis including the PDF and ADF of the local radius of curvature and local flame angle were conducted. Results show that the flame front of turbulent premixed flames at high pressure is a wrinkled flame front with small scale convex and concave structures superimposed with large scale flame branches. The convex structures are much more frequent than the concave ones on flame front which reflects a general characteristic of the turbulent premixed flames at high pressure. The syngas flames possess much wrinkled flame front with much smaller fine cusps structure compared to that of CH₄/air flames and the main difference is on the convex structure. The effect of turbulence on the general wrinkled scale of flame front is much weaker than that of the smallest wrinkled scale. The general wrinkled scale is mainly dominated by the turbulence vortex scale, while, the smallest wrinkled scale is strongly affected by the flame intrinsic instability. The effect of flame intrinsic instability on flame front of turbulent premixed flame is mainly on the formation of a large number of convex structure propagating to the unburned reactants and enlarge the effective contact surface between flame front and unburned reactants.     

Flame speed and tangential strain measurements in widely stratified partially premixed flames interacting with grid turbulence

Methane-air partially premixed flames subjected to grid-generated turbulence are stabilized in a two-slot burner with initial fuel concentration differences leading to stratification across the stoichiometric concentration. The fuel concentration gradient at the location corresponding to the flame base is measured using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of acetone in the non-reacting mixing field. Simultaneous PLIF of the OH radical and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are performed to deduce the flow velocity and the flame front. These flames exhibit a convex premixed flame front and a trailing diffusion flame, with flow divergence upstream of the flame, as indicated by the instantaneous OH–PLIF, Mie scattering images, and PIV data. The mean streamwise velocity profile attains a global minimum just upstream of the flame front due to expansion of a gases caused by heat release. The flame speed measured just upstream of the flame leading edge is normalized with respect to the turbulent stoichiometric flame speed that takes into account variations in turbulent intensity and integral length scale. The turbulent edge flame speed exceeds the corresponding stoichiometric premixed flame speed and reaches a peak at a certain concentration gradient. The mean tangential strain at the flame leading edge locally peaks at the concentration gradient corresponding to the peak flame speed. The strain varies non-monotonically with the flame curvature unlike in a non-stratified curved premixed flame. The mechanism of peak flame speed is explained as the competition between availability of hot excess reactants from the premixed flame branches to the flame stretch induced due to flame curvature. The results suggest that the stabilization of lifted turbulent partially premixed flames occurs through an edge flame even at a relatively gentle concentration gradient. The strain is also evaluated along the flame front; it peaks at the flame leading edge and decreases gradually on either side of the leading edge. The present results also show qualitatively similar trends as those of laminar triple flames.     

A DNS study of hydrogen/air swirling premixed flames with different equivalence ratios

Hydrogen/air swirling premixed flames with different equivalence ratios are studied using direct numerical simulation. A fourth-order explicit Runge–Kutta method for time integration and an eighth-order central differencing scheme for spatial discretization are used to solve the full Navier–Stokes (N–S) equation system. A 9 species 19-step reduced mechanism for hydrogen/air combustion is adopted. The flames are stabilized with the help of a recirculation zone characterizing a high swirling flow. The vortex structures of the swirling premixed flames are presented. The flame structures are investigated in terms of the flame front curvature and tangential strain rate probability density functions (pdfs). The local flamelet temperature profiles are also extracted randomly along the flame front and compared with the corresponding laminar flame temperature profile. In order to study preferential diffusion effects, direct numerical simulation of two additional freely propagating planar flames in isotropic turbulence is conducted. Preferential diffusion effects observed in the planar flames are suppressed in the swirling flames. Further analysis confirms that the coherent small-scale eddies play important roles in the interactions between turbulence and the flame front. They are able to change the dynamic properties of the flame font and lead to enhanced burning intensity in the flame front with negative curvature for both stoichiometric and fuel-lean flames.     

Tubular premixed and diffusion flames: Effect of stretch and curvature

Tubular flames are ideal for the study of stretch and curvature effects on flame structure, extinction, and instabilities. Tubular flames have uniform stretch and curvature and each parameter can be varied independently. Curvature strengthens or weakens preferential diffusion effects on the tubular flame and the strengthening or weakening is proportional to the ratio of the flame thickness to the flame radius. Premixed flames can be studied in the standard tubular burner where a single premixed gas stream flows radially inward to the cylindrical flame surface and products exit as opposed jets. Premixed, diffusion and partially premixed flames can be studied in the opposed tubular flame where opposed radial flows meet at a cylindrical stagnation surface and products exit as opposed jets. The tubular flame flow configurations can be mathematically reduced to a two-point boundary value solution along the single radial coordinate. Non-intrusive measurements of temperature and major species concentrations have been made with laser-induced Raman scattering in an optically accessible tubular burner for both premixed and diffusion flames. The laser measurements of the flame structure are in good agreement with numerical simulations of the tubular flame. Due to the strong enhancement of preferential diffusion effects in tubular flames, the theory-data comparison can be very sensitive to the molecular transport model and the chemical kinetic mechanism. The strengthening or weakening of the tubular flame with curvature can increase or decrease the extinction strain rate of tubular flames. For lean H₂-air mixtures, the tubular flame can have an extinction strain rate many times higher than the corresponding opposed jet flame. More complex cellular tubular flames with highly curved flame cells surrounded by local extinction can be formed under both premixed and non-premixed conditions. In the hydrogen fueled premixed tubular flames, thermal-diffusive flame instabilities result in the formation of a uniform symmetric petal flames far from extinction. In opposed-flow tubular diffusion flames, thermal-diffusive flame instabilities result in cellular flames very close to extinction. Both of these flames are candidates for further study of flame curvature and extinction.     

LES of a premixed jet flame DNS using a strained flamelet model

Turbulent premixed flames in the thin and broken reaction zones regimes are difficult to model with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) because turbulence strongly perturbs subfilter scale flame structures. This study addresses the difficulty by proposing a strained flamelet model for LES of high Karlovitz number flames. The proposed model extends a previously developed premixed flamelet approach to account for turbulence’s perturbation of subfilter premixed flame structures. The model describes combustion processes by solving strained premixed flamelets, tabulating the results in terms of a progress variable and a hydrogen radical, and invoking a presumed PDF framework to account for subfilter physics. The model is validated using two dimensional laminar flame studies, and is then tested by performing an LES of a premixed slot-jet direct numerical simulation (DNS). In the premixed regime diagram this slot-jet is found at the edge of the broken reaction zones regime. Comparisons of the DNS, the strained flamelet model LES, and an unstrained flamelet model LES confirm that turbulence perturbs flame structure to leading order effect, and that the use of an unstrained flamelet LES model under-predicts flame height. It is shown that the strained flamelet model captures the physics characterizing interactions of mixing and chemistry in highly turbulent regimes.     

LES modeling of premixed combustion using a thickened flame approach coupled with FGM tabulated chemistry

Flamelet Generated Manifolds (FGM) tabulated chemistry is used in combination with a thickened flame approach to perform Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of premixed combustion. Two-dimensional manifolds are used to describe the chemistry by the mixture fraction and progress variable. Simulations of one-dimensional flames have been used to verify the coupling of the tabulated chemistry and the LES solver where important features like the grid dependence of flame propagation are carefully addressed. Finally, the method is applied to the turbulent flame of a premixed swirl burner including the complex geometry of the swirl nozzle. Results of the velocity, species and temperature are compared with experimental data. Thereby different efficiency functions are used to show the sensitivity related to this model parameter. Some aspects regarding dynamic thickening, numerical accuracy and computational efficiency are also addressed.     

Strained flamelets for turbulent premixed flames II: Laboratory flame results

The predictive ability of strained flamelets model for turbulent premixed flames is assessed using Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) calculations of laboratory flames covering a wide range of conditions. Reactant-to-product (RtP) opposed flow laminar flames parametrised using the scalar dissipation rate of reaction progress variable are used as strained flamelets. Two turbulent flames: a rod stabilised V-flame studied by Robin et al. [Combust. Flame 153 (2008) 288-315] and a set of pilot stabilised Bunsen flames studied by Chen et al. [Combust. Flame 107 (1996) 223-244] are calculated using a single set of model parameters. The V-flame corresponds to the corrugated flamelets regime. The strained flamelet model and an unstrained flamelet model yield similar predictions which are in good agreement with experimental measurements for this flame. On the other hand, for the Bunsen flames which are in the thin reaction zones regime, the unstrained flamelet model predicts a smaller flame brush compared to experiment. The predictions of the strained flamelets model allowing for fluid-dynamics stretch induced attenuation of the chemical reaction are in good agreement with the experimental data. This model predictions of major and minor species are also in good agreement with experimental data. The results demonstrate that the strained flamelets model using the scalar dissipation rate can be used across the combustion regimes.     

Effects of the external turbulence on centrally-ignited spherical unstable Ch4/H2/air flames in the constant-volume combustion bomb

In the present study, we conducted experiments to investigate the effects of external turbulence on the development of spherical H₂/CH₄/air unstable flames developments at two different equivalence ratios associated with different turbulent intensities using a spherical constant-volume turbulent combustion bomb and high speed schlieren photography technology. Flame front morphology and acceleration process were recorded and different effects of weak external turbulent flow field and intrinsic flame instability on the unstable flame propagation were compared. Results showed the external turbulence has a great influence on the unstable flame propagation under rich fuel conditions. For fuel-lean premixed flames, however, the effects of external turbulence on the morphology of the cellular structure on the flame front was not that obvious. Critical radius decreased firstly and then kept almost unchanged with the augment of the turbulence intensity. This indicated the dominating inhibiting effect of flame stretch on the turbulent premixed flame at the initial stage of the flame front development. Beyond the critical radius, the acceleration exponent was found increasing with the enhancement of initial turbulence intensity for fuel-lean premixed flames. For fuel-rich conditions, however, the initial turbulence intensity had little effect on acceleration exponent. In order to evaluate the important impact of the intrinsic flame instability and external turbulent flow field for spherical propagating premixed flames, intrinsic flame instability scale and average diameter of vortex tube were calculated. Intrinsic flame instability scale decreased greatly and then stayed unchanged with the propagation of the flame front. The comparison between intrinsic flame instability scale and average diameter of vortex tube demonstrated that the external turbulent flow filed will be more important for the evolution of wrinkle structure in the final stage of the flame propagation, when the turbulence intensity was more than 0.404 m/s.     

Pressure influence on the flame front curvature of turbulent premixed flames: comparison between experiment and theory

In gas turbines, lean premixed combustion is executed in strongly turbulent flow fields and under high-pressure to allow large thermal loads within small-size combustors. Previous research on turbulent premixed flames has revealed the vital importance of flame-vortex interactions, but most of these investigations have been performed only at atmospheric pressure disregarding the large pressure dependency of the flame front dynamics. We report about spatially high-resolved laser-induced predissociation fluorescence imaging of OH (OH-LIPF) in premixed, high-pressure bluff-body stabilized methane/air flames. For each of the two measurement series with different equivalence ratio (φ = 0.7 and φ = 1.0), the planar flame topology at different pressures (0.1 to 1.1 MPa) but constant exit velocity was detected and stored for analysis. As the pressure was increased, the flame front contour of both equivalence ratios became strongly wrinkled with formation of highly curved flame front elements. For quantification of this phenomenon, the probability density function of flame curvature was evaluated with definition of the mean curvature radius as representative folding scale. To discuss different mechanisms of flame front disturbances according to their relevance, the flame curvature is compared with characteristic turbulence scales of the flow field and with the expected folding scale derived with Sivashinsky‘s formulation of linear flame instability theory. Significant changes become obvious especially if the pressure is increased up to 0.5 MPa. The mean curvature radius decreases distinctly and can be linked to the decreasing size of the Taylor length. Additionally, the formation of highly convoluted flame front elements is enforced by the increasing flame instability behavior. As the results show, the flame stoichiometry has a strong impact on the flame front topology at increasing pressures due to the differences of their flame dynamics.     

Capabilities and limitations of multi-regime flamelet combustion models

Flamelet combustion models typically assume that burning occurs in either a fully premixed or a fully non-premixed mode. These assumptions tend to limit the applicability of the models to single-regime combustors. Efforts aimed at reducing this limitation have introduced multi-regime approaches that account for different types of mixing and chemistry interactions. In this study a multi-regime model is applied to two laminar n-heptane flames in an effort to characterize the capabilities and limitations of the approach. Both a 2-D laminar triple flame and a 2-D laminar counter-flow diffusion flame are numerically simulated using the multi-regime model. Data for comparison is generated by additionally simulating the flames using finite rate chemistry, a purely premixed flamelet model, and a purely non-premixed flamelet model. Simulations demonstrate that the multi-regime approach functions as desired, and tends to access flamelets from the appropriate regime under both non-premixed and premixed conditions. Some important differences between the flamelet solutions and finite rate solution are observed, however. These differences are caused by the finite rate solution deviating away from the assumed flamelet manifolds, rather than by inadequate regime predictions. In the analyses of these simulations, an emphasis is placed on understanding the formation of the pollutant species NO. It is shown that even when the local combustion regime is correctly predicted, small deviations from an assumed flamelet manifold can lead to changes in the NO production rate. The simulation results confirm that multi-regime flamelet models are applicable to a wide variety of reacting flows, but the results also help to characterize the limitations of these models.     

A filtered tabulated chemistry model for LES of premixed combustion

A new modeling strategy called F-TACLES (Filtered Tabulated Chemistry for Large Eddy Simulation) is developed to introduce tabulated chemistry methods in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of turbulent premixed combustion. The objective is to recover the correct laminar flame propagation speed of the filtered flame front when subgrid scale turbulence vanishes as LES should tend toward Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The filtered flame structure is mapped using 1-D filtered laminar premixed flames. Closure of the filtered progress variable and the energy balance equations are carefully addressed in a fully compressible formulation. The methodology is first applied to 1-D filtered laminar flames, showing the ability of the model to recover the laminar flame speed and the correct chemical structure when the flame wrinkling is completely resolved. The model is then extended to turbulent combustion regimes by including subgrid scale wrinkling effects in the flame front propagation. Finally, preliminary tests of LES in a 3-D turbulent premixed flame are performed.     

Hydroxyl time-series measurements and simulations for turbulent premixed jet flames in the thickened preheat regime

Quantitative measurements of OH concentration time series are presented for turbulent lean-premixed, methane-air jet flames theoretically in the thickened preheat regime. Picosecond time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (PITLIF) reveals unique differences between these premixed flames and previous non-premixed jet flames. Time-averaged [OH] measurements are used to identify mean flame structures and to discern how these structures are affected by varying bulk flow velocities and heat release. More importantly, hydroxyl time series are inspected to distinguish among three main regions in these turbulent premixed flames. These regions include the reacting side of the flame brush, the mixing side of the flame brush (radially outside the location of heat release), and above the flame tip. Although the main reaction zone appears to be broadened by its associated high turbulent intensity, a combination of statistical analysis plus flamelet simulations suggests that the primary internal structure responsible for the OH distribution remains constant across the mean flame brush. Therefore, the absolute concentration of OH depends principally on the intermittency of this instantaneous internal structure. Outside the mean flame brush, mixing of OH with co-flow air shifts the distribution of absolute OH concentrations. Distinct autocorrelation functions are found within the three different regions identified for these premixed flames. Across the flame brush, integral time scales are dominated by turbulent convection, as verified by flamelet simulations. Above the flame tip, integral time scales are determined by a competition between turbulent convection and the reaction rate for OH destruction.     

Characterization of the effects of hydrogen addition in premixed methane/air flames

The use of hydrogenated fuels shows considerable promise for applications in gas turbines and internal combustion engines. In the present work, the effects of hydrogen addition in methane/air flames are investigated using both a laminar flame propagation facility and a high-pressure turbulent flame facility. The aim of this research is to contribute to the characterization of lean methane/hydrogen/air premixed turbulent flames at high pressures, by studying the flame front geometry, the flame surface density and the instantaneous flame front thermal thickness distributions. The experiments and analyses show that a small amount of hydrogen addition in turbulent premixed methane–air flames introduces changes in both instantaneous and average flame characteristics.     

Prediction of flashback limits for laminar premixed hydrogen-air flames using flamelet generated manifolds

Development of models that can help predict flashback limits of premixed flames at an affordable computational cost is essential for the safe and efficient design of combustion chambers. For flames with strong preferential diffusion effects, usually the focus has been on the development of at least a three dimensional flamelet database that can predict the enthalpy and mixture fraction mapped on to the reaction progress variable. However, in this study, we show that a 3D FGM table is sufficient to predict flashback limits for lean laminar methane-air flames but is not sufficient to predict the same for lean hydrogen flames and an over-prediction of 100% could occur in the calculation of the flashback limits. We trace the root cause of this over-prediction to be related to the thickness of the reaction zone in the progress variable for hydrogen flames. This results in the development of a novel correction factor for the progress variable source term using 1D flame simulations where the flame experiences strong enthalpy gradients. In the end, we successfully show for the first time that the flashback limits for hydrogen flames can be predicted accurately using flamelet generated manifolds with a source term corrector function.     

Direct comparison of turbulent burning velocity and flame surface properties in turbulent premixed flames

Direct comparison of the turbulent burning velocity (obtained from flame speeds) to the flame perimeter ratio has been made in turbulent premixed flames propagating freely downward for propane/air mixtures at various equivalence ratios, with u′/S_L of ranging from 1.4 to 5.3. The turbulent flame speed ranged from 2.6 to about 7 times the laminar flame speed at high turbulence intensities, while the flame perimeter ratio ranges from 1.4 to 3.3. In the current freely propagating flames, the global flame curvature can lead to an enhancement of the flame speed by a factor of up to 3.5. This global flame curvature is attributable to the wall heat loss in the current burner configuration, and flame brush thickness has been used as a measure of the global flame curvature. For flames involving coupling of the globally curved flame geometry with flow divergence or any flow non-uniformity, correcting for this geometrical effect requires a careful consideration of the flame topology and flow field. The difference between the observed flame speed and the 2-D flame perimeter ratio, after correcting for the global flame curvature effect, is attributed to the fact that the flame wrinkles in three-dimensions are associated with a larger flame surface area than that determined from the flame perimeter ratio data. This also points to a need to better understand the 3-D geometrical effects including the global flame curvature and the local flame wrinkle structure in turbulent premixed flames. The observed turbulent flame speed data for the most part follow the flame speed models of Bray and Damkohler, wherein the flame surface area increase is modeled as a function of turbulence and thermochemical properties. The above results, taken together, indicate that the fundamental assumption that the turbulent flame speed depends primarily on the increased flame surface area is valid. This concept can be used to estimate the turbulent flame speed within reasonable accuracy provided that the 3-D flame effects associated with the global flame curvature and local flame wrinkle structure are considered.Keywords: Turbulent premixed flames, Flame speed, Flame surface, Burning velocity     

Molecular transport effects on turbulent flame propagation and structure

Various experimental and DNS data show that premixed combustion is affected by the differences between the coefficients of molecular transport of fuel, oxidant, and heat not only at weak but also at moderate and high turbulence. In particular, turbulent flame speed increases with decreasing the Lewis number of the deficient reactant, the effect being very strong for lean hydrogen mixtures. Various concepts; flame instability, flame stretch, local extinction, leading point, that aim at describing the effects of molecular transport on turbulent flame propagation and structure are critically discussed and the results of relevant studies of perturbed laminar flames (unstable flames, flame balls, flames in vortex tubes) are reviewed. The crucial role played by extremely curved laminar flamelets in the propagation of moderately and highly turbulent flames is highlighted and the relevant physical mechanisms are discussed.     

Premixed flamelet modelling: Factors influencing the turbulent heat release rate source term and the turbulent burning velocity

A flamelet approach is adopted in a study of the factors affecting the volumetric heat release source term in turbulent combustion. This term is expressed as the product of an instability enhanced burning rate factor, Pbi, and the mean volumetric heat release rate in an unstretched laminar flamelet of the mixture. Included in the expression for Pbi are a pdf of the flame stretch rate and a flame stretch factor. Fractal considerations link the turbulent burning velocity normalised by the effective rms turbulent velocity to Pbi. Evaluation of this last parameter focuses on problems of (i) the pdfs of the flame stretch rate, (ii) the effects of flame stretch rate on the burning rate, (iii) the effects of any flamelet instability on the burning rate, (iv) flamelet extinctions under positive and negative flame stretch rates, and (v) the effects of the unsteadiness of flame stretch rates. The Markstein number influences both the rate of burning and the possibility of flamelet instabilities developing which, through their ensuing wrinkling, increase the burning rate. The flame stretch factor is extended to embrace potential Darrieus-Landau thermo-diffusive flamelet instabilities. A major limitation is the insufficient understanding of the effects of negative stretch rates that might cause flame extinction. The influences of positive and negative Markstein numbers are considered separately. For the former, a computed theoretical relationship for turbulent burning velocity, normalised by the effective rms velocity, is developed which, although close to that measured experimentally, tends to be somewhat lower at the higher values of the Karlovitz stretch factor. This might be attributed to reduced flame extinction and reduced effective Markstein numbers when the increasingly nonsteady conditions reduce the ability of the flame to respond to changes in flame stretch rates. As the pressure increases, Markstein numbers decrease. For negative Markstein numbers the predicted values of Pbi and turbulent burning velocity are significantly increased above the values for positive Markstein numbers. This is confirmed experimentally and these values are close to those predicted theoretically. The increased values are due to the greater stretch rate required for flame extinction, the increased burning rate at positive values of flame stretch rate, and, in some instances, the development of flame instabilities. At lower values of turbulence than those covered by these computations, burning velocities can be enhanced by flame instabilities, as they are with laminar flames, particularly at negative Markstein numbers.     

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent premixed ammonia and ammonia-hydrogen combustion under engine-relevant conditions

The combustion characteristics of ammonia and ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends under spark-ignited turbulent premixed engine-relevant conditions were investigated by means of direct numerical simulation and detailed chemistry. Several test cases were investigated for an outwardly expanding turbulent premixed flame configuration covering pure ammonia and ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends with 10% and 15% hydrogen content by volume for different equivalence ratio values of 0.9, 1.0 and 1.1. The results showed that the fuel-lean flames exhibit strong wrinkled structures at flame front compared to stoichiometric and fuel-rich flames. The heat release rate plots indicate that adding hydrogen into ammonia improves the reactivity of the flame and enhances the combustion process. The scatter plots of heat release rate versus local curvature coloured by NO formation, show that high heat release rate values occur in the concave structures and low heat release rate values occur in the convex structure, which is consistent with NO distribution. The highest turbulent burning velocity values were found for the fuel-lean cases due to more wrinkled flame front with lower effective Lewis number compared to fuel-rich cases. The results show a bending effect for the ratio between turbulent to laminar burning velocities with respect to hydrogen addition at all equivalence ratios with 10% hydrogen addition into ammonia exhibiting a highest value for the burning velocity ratio. Two distinct flame structures (concave and convex) were analysed in terms of local equivalence ratio based on the elements of N and O as well as H and O. They revealed an opposite distribution of NO formation normal to the flame front within concave and convex structures. Elementary chemical reactions involved in NO formation have shown that hydrogen addition into ammonia influences the reactivity of certain specific chemical reactions.