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In this work, we propose an analytical decomposition of the flame transfer function (FTF) in the complex space. The decomposition provides new insight into the relationship between the local heat release oscillator and the global flame response of a periodically oscillating system in the linear regime. The FTF of a premixed methane-air swirling flame is decomposed using two-region and pixel-by-pixel division of the chemiluminescence images. The two-region decomposition uses horizontal or vertical dividing lines to examine the effects of dividing positions and orientations. The complex curves of the two-region division are more sensitive to the dividing line's position than its orientation. The pixel-by-pixel decomposition provides detailed distributions of the weighting factor, weighted gain, and phase of all local oscillators. The weighted gain distribution highlights the inner fluctuating region (IFR) and outer fluctuating region (OFR), as well as the node region. These regions are mainly controlled by the radial velocity and its fluctuations induced by the vortices in the inner and outer shear layers. The unwrapped phase, which gradually increases as the downstream distance from the injector increases, highlights the convective characteristics of the oscillating heat release rate. Angular wavenumbers and phase velocities are deduced from the phase distribution. The phase velocities agree well with the mean velocities measured with particle image velocimetry. Sorting all the local oscillators in the ascending phase allows constructing complex curves that favorably represent the FTF. The algebraic sum of weighted gain and the efficiency of phase interference are calculated to examine the phase interference. Phase interference plays a large role in suppressing the global fluctuating amplitude of the heat release rate. The local extrema at low and intermediate frequencies are attributed to in- or out-of-phase interference, while the reduced local response also explains why small FTF gains are observed at high frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stabilization mechanisms of turbulent lifted jet flames in a co-flow have been investigated at a pressure of 7 bar. The structure of the flame base was measured with combined OH and CH 2 O planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) and the spatial distribution of equivalence ratio was imaged, simultaneously, with CH 4 Raman scattering. The velocity field was also measured with particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). Different bulk jet velocities U j and co-flow velocities U c were examined. Data show that flames with U c = 0.6 m/s stabilize much further away from the nozzle than those with U c = 0.3 m/s and that their structure does not resemble that of the edge-flames found closer to the nozzle. In addition, for U c = 0.6 m/s, the measured lift-off height decreases with increasing bulk jet velocity, which is opposite to what is typically observed for lifted flames. Statistical examination of CH 4 Raman images shows that the flames with U c = 0.6 m/s propagate through regions of the flow where the equivalence ratio is not always stoichiometric but, instead, spans the whole flammability range. This is not consistent with edge-flames and is, instead, indicative of premixed burning. This is corroborated by PIV results which show that the flame base velocity exceeds that typically reported for edge-flames. Measurements of relevant flow properties were also conducted in non-reacting jets to predict the turbulent burning velocity of these lifted flames burning in a premixed mode. For U c = 0.6 m/s and relatively large bulk jet velocities (U j = 10 and 15 m/s), the predicted turbulent burning velocities are sufficiently high to counter the incoming flow of reactants and, in turn, allow flame stabilization. However, for a lower bulk jet velocity of U j = 5 m/s, the predicted turbulent burning velocity is much less, leading to blow-out. This explains why the lift-off height decreases with increasing jet velocity for methane at 7 bar and U c = 0.6 m/s. Data also shows that increasing pressure promotes transition from edge-flames to premixed flames due to reduced laminar burning velocity and enhanced mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-Induced Grating Spectroscopy (LIGS) is applied to premixed CH 4 /air laminar flat flames under operating pressures of 1 to 6 bar. For the first time, temperature and water concentration have been acquired simultaneously in a reacting flow environment using LIGS. A 1064 nm pulsed laser is used as pump to generate a temporary stationary intensity grating in the probe volume. Water molecules in the flame products absorb the laser energy and generate a thermal grating if sufficiently high energies are delivered by the laser pulses, here more than 100 mJ per pulse. Such energies allow the electric field to polarize the dielectric medium, resulting in a detectable electrostrictive grating as well. This creates LIGS signals containing both the electrostrictive and the thermal contributions. The local speed of sound is derived from the oscillation frequency of LIGS signals, which can be accurately measured from the single shot power spectrum. Data show that the ratio between the electrostrictive and the thermal peak intensities is an indicator of the local water concentration. The measured values of speed of sound, temperature, and water concentration in the flames examined compare favorably with flame simulations with Chemkin, showing an estimated accuracy of 0.5 to 2.5% and a precision of 1.4–2%. These results confirm the potential for 1064 nm LIGS-based thermometry for high-precision temperature measurements of combustion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Studying the lift-off behavior of non-premixed jet flames is important to understanding the flame stabilization mechanisms in practical systems, including gas flares and combustors, and to improving the safety of pressurized fuel tanks in case of fuel leaks. This is typically done with the canonical configuration of an axisymmetric fuel jet issuing into a quiescent or co-flowing oxidizer and abundant data are available in the literature. However, most of these data were collected at normal or sub-atmospheric pressure and little data are available at elevated pressure and high Reynolds numbers, conditions relevant to practical configurations. The present study fills this gap by reporting lift-off height measurements of methane and ethane non-premixed jet flames for pressures up to 7 bar and Re = 57,500 in the presence of an air co-flow. Data are interpreted using Kalghatgi's model for the dimensionless lift-off height, which was previously proven successful for sub-atmospheric to normal pressures, as well as elevated pressure but only for low turbulent Reynolds numbers and propane. In this contribution, Kalghatgi's model has been shown to accurately predict the slope of the lift-off height vs. jet velocity curves at elevated pressure and large Reynolds number for methane and ethane. A new term, a function of the stoichiometric mixture fraction, the laminar burning velocity, and a turbulent Schmidt number, is also introduced to extend the predictive capabilities of Kalghatgi's model to configurations featuring a co-flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The stability limits of a turbulent flame in a practical combustor are important characteristics that influence its performance. The mechanisms controlling the stability limits of turbulent non-premixed flames are examined here in the canonical configuration of a fuel jet in co-flow air. This study focuses on the conditions leading to the detachment of flames from the injector nozzle by means of an experimental parametric study in which pressure (1 ≤ P ≤ 10 bar), fuel (methane and ethane), nozzle wall thickness (t = 0.20 mm, 0.58 mm, and 0.89 mm), jet velocity (0.5 ≤ U j ≤ 16.5 m s−1), and co-flow velocity (U c = 0.3 m s−1, 0.6 m s−1, and 0.9 m s−1) are varied. It is shown that the mechanism leading to detachment depends on the ratio of the nozzle wall thickness to the laminar flame thickness. If this ratio is smaller than 3, the nozzle is "thin" and type I detachment occurs (flame base stability lifting). In this case, the detachment velocity decreases with pressure and is proportional to the laminar burning velocity. If the ratio is larger than 3 , the nozzle is "thick" and type II detachment occurs (local flame extinction lifting). Then, the detachment velocity is controlled by the extinction strain rate. Experiments also show that the Kolmogorov scale of turbulence regulates local flame extinction and type II detachment and a model is proposed to predict detachment for any fuel, pressure, and nozzle wall thickness using the computed extinction strain rate and the Kolmogorov time scale. Finally, the data show that elevating pressure allows stabilizing attached non-premixed jet flames with high Reynolds numbers without the need for complex stabilization strategies such as pilot flames, swirl, or oxygen/hydrogen enrichment. Pressure allows studying flame/turbulence interactions at Reynolds numbers relevant to practical applications while conserving simple configurations amenable to diagnostics and modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists interest in using alcohols as renewable, lower emission fuels. It has been observed that alcohol flames generally produce lower concentrations of NO emissions and the cause of these reductions is attributable to a number of mechanisms. This work therefore investigates the relative contributions to total NO formation in alcohol fueled flames, relative to comparably sized alkane flames. Measurements of quantitative NO PLIF were conducted in two common premixed configurations: a conical, Bunsen-type flames and a lower peak temperature burner-stabilized McKenna flat flame. Additionally, these flames were modeled using a detailed NO x chemical mechanism and investigated to understand the primary contribution pathways to non-thermal NO formation. From this analysis, it was observed that alcohol fueled flames produced as much as 50% less non-thermal NO than alkanes. However, under lean conditions the non-thermal contributions increased to about 80–90% of those observed in alkanes due to a greater contribution to non-thermal NO in both alcohol and alkane flames from non-hydrocarbon radical related mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the effect of pressure on the response of methane–air and propane–air swirl flames to acoustic excitation of the flow. These effects are analyzed on the basis of the flame transfer function (FTF) formalism, experimentally determined from velocity and global OH* chemiluminescence measurements at pressures up to 5 bar. In parallel, phase-locked images of OH* chemiluminescence are collected and analyzed in order to determine the associated flame dynamics. Flame transfer functions and visual flame dynamics at atmospheric pressure are found to be similar to previous studies with comparable experimental conditions. Regardless of pressure, propane flames exhibit a much larger FTF gain than methane flames. For both fuels, the effect of pressure primarily is to modify the gain response at the local maximum of the FTF, at a Strouhal number around 0.5 (176 Hz). For methane flames, this gain maximum increases monotonically with pressure, while for propane flames it increases from 1 to 3 bar and decreases from 3 to 5 bar. At this frequency and regardless of pressure, the flame motion is driven by flame vortex roll-up, suggesting that pressure affects the FTF by modifying the interaction of the flame with the vortex detached from the injector rim during a forcing period. The complex heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and combustion coupling in this configuration does not allow keeping the vortex properties constant when pressure is increased. However, the different trends of the FTF gain observed for methane and propane fuels with increasing pressure imply that intrinsic flame properties and fuel chemistry, and their variation with pressure, play an important role in controlling the response of these flames to acoustic forcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel dual-fuel, dual-swirl burner is presented and its potential to mitigate thermoacoustic coupling for ammonia-hydrogen-air flames is explored. The key feature of this burner is that the extent of mixing between ammonia and hydrogen before injection into the combustion chamber can be tuned by recessing an inner dividing tube. Non-reacting, 1-D Raman measurements confirm that recessing the dividing tube changes the radial profile of fuel composition at the injector's outlet. Time-averaged flame imaging shows that this modifies, in turn, the flame morphology. Specifically, the more stratified is the fuel, the least compact is the flame. In the most stratified case, a "blue" flame, predominantly burning hydrogen, pilots another "orange" flame, predominantly burning ammonia, further downstream. Acoustic measurements show that the least stratified (most compact) flame exhibits intrinsic thermoacoustic modes (ITA), while these modes are not featured for the most stratified (least compact) flame. Consequently, this study demonstrates that the thermoacoustic behavior of this carbon-free burner can be altered by tailoring the injection of ammonia and hydrogen while keeping the thermal power (7.4 kW), global equivalence ratio (0.64), and fuel flow rates strictly constant. This lays the foundation for the development of future practical burners in which the extent of mixing between ammonia and hydrogen upstream of the flame would be actively controlled to mitigate thermoacoustic coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topology transitions of swirl-stabilized flames in a cylindrical combustion chamber are analyzed for lean CH 4 /H 2 /air combustible mixtures. It is demonstrated that when the tip of a swirl flame is quenched at the combustor side wall, V to M flame topology transitions are triggered by flashback of the flame front along this wall. An analysis of the power spectral densities of the chemiluminescence luminosity reveals that these topological transitions are not consecutive to the appearance or disappearance of any axisymmetric or helical periodic flow structures interacting with the flame. It is shown that the appropriate space to analyze the stabilization regimes of these swirling flames corresponds to a diagram based on Karlovitz and Lewis numbers. Transitions from V to M flame shapes are found for a critical Karlovitz number below which the flame takes an M shape. The value of this critical Karlovitz number decreases when the Lewis number of the combustible mixture increases. The same type of law is found for M to V shape flame transitions, but this boundary does not coincide with the V to M shape transition boundary. In between these boundaries, the flame takes intermittently V or M shapes randomly. It is then shown that the critical Karlovitz number corresponding to the transition of V to M shape may be expressed by the product of a velocity gradient g calculated with the bulk injection velocity U and a characteristic scale of the outer recirculation zone, the laminar flame thickness α / S L , and the inverse of a vortex induced flame displacement speed S T θ . This displacement speed is related to the maximal azimuthal velocity of the swirling jet at the injector outlet and to the laminar burning velocity. Using this definition of the Karlovitz number, V to M flame topology transitions collapse roughly on the same curve for all flow conditions explored when the swirl number (0.3 ≤ S ≤ 0.68), injection bulk velocity (7 ≤ U ≤ 25 m · s − 1 ), equivalence ratio (0.5 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.9), and hydrogen enrichment in the fuel blend ( 0 ≤ X H 2 fuel ≤ 0.37 ) are modified for rod stabilized and aerodynamically stabilized swirl flames. Results presented in this study might be used to ease predictions of the shape taken by swirl flames interacting with the chamber side wall when the flow operating conditions are modified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental study of turbulent non-premixed jet flames of ethylene/nitrogen where the nitrogen is substituted with different proportions of hydrogen and/or ammonia. The focus is largely on the effects of hydrogen and ammonia on soot production in turbulent flames. A combination of pointwise, laser-induced fluorescence in the visible and UV bands (LIF-UV–visible), and laser-induced incandescence (LII) is used to measure soot precursors and soot along the flame centerline. All signals are collected at a repetition rate of 10 Hz with fast photomultiplier tubes to resolve the time decay. In a separate experiment, joint imaging of LIF-OH CH is also performed at a repetition rate of 10 kHz. Hydrogen substitution is found to increase the production of soot, whereas ammonia substitution inhibits soot formation. The peak mean soot volume fraction is almost a factor of 3 lower in the 25% ammonia case in comparison to the 25% nitrogen case. The mean signal decay time constant decreases with ammonia substitution, implying the formation of smaller soot nanoparticles. The mean signal decay time constant remains unaffected with hydrogen substitution. Measured peaks in LIF-CH and LIF-OH are reduced with ammonia substitution but only in regions upstream of where soot is formed. Further downstream in the sooting region, neither OH nor CH appear to be affected by the substitution of N 2 with H 2 or NH 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability, local extinction, and NOx production of ammonia-hydrogen (NH 3 -H 2) flames are significantly impacted by turbulence-chemistry interactions. A powerful technique to study these interactions is planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). However, multi-scalar PLIF typically requires complex and expensive systems, with multiple laser sources. This study proposes a novel PLIF technique using a single dye laser to perform simultaneous, single-shot imaging of the reactant NH 3 , radical NH, and pollutant NO in NH 3 -H 2 flames. According to the excitation scans and the emission spectra of NH 3 , NH, and NO, three wavelength couples can be used to image the three species simultaneously via two-photon excitation of NH 3 C ' − X (2,0), single-photon excitation of NH A 3 Π − X 3 Σ − (0,0) near 304 nm, and single-photon excitation of NO A 2 Σ + − X 2 Π (0,1) near 237 nm. Wavelengths near 237 nm and 304 nm are obtained simultaneously with only one dye laser by combining outputs of the frequency-doubling and frequency mixing units. NH 3 -, NH-, and NO-PLIF imaging performance is analyzed by quantifying the signal-to-noise ratios and detection limits. This technique is then used to visualize the structure of premixed and non-premixed flames over wide ranges of NH 3 and H 2 concentrations in the fuel blend. Results show that the premixed NH 3 -H 2 flames have a compact structure, while the non-premixed flames exhibit a large gap between NH 3 - and NH-PLIF layers, where ammonia undergoes significant decomposition before reaching the reaction layer. The inner edge of the NO-PLIF layer overlaps well with the reaction layer represented by the NH-PLIF layer in all flames. The fully developed turbulent structure downstream of the NH 3 -H 2 flame causes pinching-off of the premixed flame front and local extinction of the diffusion flame front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work provides a kinetic and experimental investigation of excited radical OH(2Σ+) (also referred to as OH*) in NH 3 H 2 -air flames. A counterflow burner is used to stabilize laminar diffusion flames over wide ranges of ammonia fraction in the fuel blend (0.2 ≤ x NH3 ≤ 0.8) and strain rate (40 ≤ a ≤ 200/s). Using an intensified camera or a spectrometer coupled to a Cassegrain optical system, spatially resolved and spatially integrated OH(A2Σ+-X2Π) chemiluminescence intensities are measured. These data are used to challenge a kinetic mechanism largely developed from existing literature schemes. Measurements and simulations show that two distinct OH* peaks exist in spatially resolved profiles for intermediate ammonia fractions in the fuel blend. Sensitivity analyses identified that reactions N 2 O+ H =N 2 +OH* and H + O + M =OH*+ M , respectively pertinent to NH 3 and H 2 oxidation routes, are responsible for the formation of OH*. The proposed kinetic mechanism gives a remarkable portrait of the empirical data recorded in diffusion flames as well as in premixed NH 3 H 2 -air flames from the literature. Nevertheless, the contribution of reaction N 2 O+ H =N 2 +OH* in the formation of OH* in the peak closest to the fuel side of diffusion flames is consistently overpredicted. Consequently, the frequency factor of the N 2 O+ H N 2 +OH* reaction is adjusted to A = 1.35 × 1014 cm3mol−1s−1, which significantly improves predictions of spatially integrated and spatially resolved OH* intensities for all the diffusion and premixed flames examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to evidence the effect of the excitation line on the planar laser-induced fluorescence of hydroxyl radical (OH-PLIF) imaging in H 2 -fueled detonation wave. We experimentally validated an updated laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) model, called KAT-LIF, which simulates spectrally-resolved fluorescence spectra, using a recently developed optical detonation duct. We numerically investigated the effects of the excitation line, the initial pressure (20–100 kPa), and the diluent (N 2 /Ar) on the fluorescence spectrum, the spectrally- and one-dimensionally-averaged LIF intensity, and the quantitative capabilities of the OH-LIF measurements for different 2H 2 -O 2 -3.76diluent detonable mixtures. The investigated excitation lines were (0,0)Q1(7), both (1,0)Q2(8) and (1,0)Q1(9), and (1,0)Q1(6), which all belong to the A 2 Σ + ← X 2 Π transition. The main findings are the following: (i) considering the commercially available OH filters, Q2(8)+Q1(9) excitation scheme has the highest LIF intensity for all the investigated H 2 -fueled detonations, while Q1(7) could provide the strongest intensity with better (custom) collection optics; (ii) the maximum LIF intensity decreases with increasing pressure for all the excitation schemes; (iii) using a single point calibration, at the fluorescence peak, it is not possible to perform quantitative measurements of OH radicals for any H 2 -fueled detonation, using the conventional excitation schemes. Finally, we experimentally evidenced more favorable excitation schemes to obtain qualitative information far behind the front, by employing the saturated regime of fluorescence or the optically thin linear regime with appropriate laser configuration. These two excitation schemes correspond to more appropriate LIF strategies that will enable better detonation flow visualization in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-induced incandescence (LII) was used to quantify the soot volume fraction in five piloted turbulent non-premixed C 2 H 4 -N 2 jet flames at elevated pressures. In one series of flames, the bulk jet velocity was held constant as the pressure was increased from 1 bar (Re = 10,000) to 3 bar (Re = 30,000), and then 5 bar (Re = 50,000). In the other series, a Reynolds number of 10,000 was held constant at 1 bar, 3 bar, and 5 bar. LII measurements were calibrated with laminar diffusion flames at each pressure using 2D diffuse line-of-sight attenuation. Mean and RMS soot volume fractions along the flame centerline exhibit Gaussian profiles for all of the flames. The magnitude of soot volume fraction and the spatial soot distribution are enhanced by increases in pressure. In both series of flames, the peak mean soot volume fraction scales with the pressure as p 2.2. In the constant velocity series, the scaling drops to p 1.5 if the volume-integrated mean soot volume fraction on a per fuel mass basis is considered instead. At 3 bar, a threefold increase in Re leads to a decrease in the mean soot volume fraction despite the decrease in soot intermittency. At 5 bar, a fivefold increase in Re results in soot intermittency near zero at the flame's center and a slight increase in the mean soot volume fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a technique that utilizes a single, tunable, pulsed dye laser and two intensified CCD cameras to image NH and NO simultaneously in turbulent ammonia-hydrogen-nitrogen jet flames. The NO radical is excited at 236.214 nm in its (0,1) band, while NH is excited in its A3Π-X3Σ–(1,0) band using the residual energy of the beam at 303.545 nm, necessary to yield 236.214 nm via mixing with the fundamental of the pump laser at 1064.ßnm. Data show that it is possible to image the instantaneous structure of these turbulent flames, specifically, NH delineates the reaction zone while NO also marks the location of burnt products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the first quantitative Raman measurements of temperature, mass fractions, and mixture fractions in two turbulent ammonia/hydrogen/nitrogen-air diffusion jet flames simulating 14% (CAJF14) and 28% (CAJF28) partial ammonia cracking ratio with Reynolds numbers of 11,200. The precision and accuracy of the system were validated in laminar counterflow and laminar jet flames to ensure data quality. The scalar structure in turbulent flames is examined using conditional mean and rms radial profiles, scatterplots in mixture fraction space, as well as statistics conditioned on mixture fraction and physical spaces. These results are compared with opposed diffusion flow 1D simulation with multi-component transport model and Le=1 transport model to visualize the effects of differential diffusion on the scalar structure at various axial positions. Finally, localized extinction was found in CAJF14 but not for the more stable CAJF28, and the probability of localized extinction was less than 2.5%. The dataset is provided as supplemental material and can be used for the validation of numerical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia has shown great potential as a carbon-free fuel, in particular for marine transportation and energy production. Its low laminar flame speed, and the tradeoff between ammonia slip and NOx emission, pose challenges for industrial applications, and a more in-depth understanding of the combustion of ammonia is therefore needed. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic often employed to investigate turbulence chemistry interactions and resolve the thermo-chemical structure of hydrogen and hydrocarbon-air flames. This work extends Raman spectroscopy to the instantaneous and spatially resolved measurement of major species concentrations and temperature in ammonia flames. The lack of detailed ammonia spectra at high temperatures, the strong flame luminosity, and fluorescence interference are the major obstacles to the implementation of Raman spectroscopy to ammonia flames. This paper introduces a novel approach to estimate the temperature dependence of the Raman signal and of fluorescence interference contributions from a series of counterflow diffusion flames. This approach was first validated in high-pressure hydrogen flame, and then extended this approach to high-pressure ammonia flames to obtain the Raman response of ammonia and its crosstalk. A high-contrast optical shutter is sufficient to suppress flame luminosity. Finally, species concentrations and temperature profiles from measurements are shown, and their accuracy and precision are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the chemiluminescence footprint of premixed ammonia-methane-air flames. The chemiluminescence spectrum of laminar twin-flames stabilized with a counterflow burner were measured between 200 and 457 nm for large ranges of equivalence ratio (0.60 ≤ ϕ ≤ 1.30), ammonia fraction (pure methane to pure ammonia), and strain rate (55/s ≤ a ≤ 300/s). Relevant excited radicals were identified, namely, NO*, OH*, NH*, CN*, CH*, and CO 2 * and evolutions of their chemiluminescence intensity were analyzed as a function of equivalence ratio, ammonia fraction, and strain rate. These measurements produced an unprecedented database on the chemiluminescence of ammonia-methane-air flames, which could be used in the future for model validation. A total of 15 ratios of chemiluminescence intensity were also considered and 5 ratios showing promise for the development of chemiluminescence-based flame sensors were identified. The CN*/OH* ratio is a potential surrogate for equivalence ratio even if the ammonia fuel fraction in the fuel blend is not known accurately – as long as it exceeds 0.3 by volume. The CN*/NO* ratio is another possible surrogate for equivalence ratio if the ammonia fraction in the fuel blend is below 0.5. The OH*/CH* ratio, often used to sense equivalence ratio in hydrocarbons flames, is not recommended for ammonia-methane flames. The NH*/CN* ratio is a potential surrogate for the ammonia fraction in the fuel blend if equivalence ratio is larger than ϕ = 0.7 and if the ammonia fraction in the fuel blend is below 0.4. Other ratios may be combined to provide a simultaneous measure of equivalence ratio and ammonia fraction in the fuel blend with an extended range of validity, for example NH*/OH* and CN*/NH*. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]