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Hydrogen addition has been widely used to improve the combustion performance of low-reactivity fuels such as NH 3. In this study, a series of two-dimensional NH 3 /H 2 flames in mixing layers were investigated numerically. The aim is to assess and interpret the effects of H 2 addition on the structure and dynamics of ammonia flames. Detailed chemistry and transport models were considered in the simulations. It was shown that for pure hydrogen or ammonia flames, a classical tribrachial structure was observed. The non-premixed branch in the tribrachial flame of NH 3 combustion features high heat release rate (HRR), while the two premixed branches are weak. The mixture fraction corresponding to the maximum HRR of NH 3 combustion is significantly lower than the stoichiometric mixture fraction. When blending ammonia with hydrogen, a tetrabrachial flame structure consisting of two premixed branches and two non-premixed branches was observed, where one non-premixed branch corresponds to the reaction of NH 3 , while the other is formed due to the reaction of H 2. It was suggested that the formation of the tetrabrachial flame is related to the preferential diffusion of hydrogen. After decreasing artificially the diffusivity of hydrogen to suppress the preferential diffusion effect, the flame exhibits only three branches with the merging of the two non-premixed branches. By analyzing the flame dynamics at the leading edge, it was found that the flame speed (S d ∗) is negatively correlated with the flame stretch (κ) and scalar dissipation rate (χ), with S d ∗ decreasing almost linearly with κ or χ , consistent with previous studies of methane and hydrogen flames. As the H 2 concentration is increased, the values of S d ∗ increase due to the enhanced reactivity. • Effect of H 2 addition on NH 3 flame structure and dynamics in a mixing layer is studied. • Tetrabrachial flame of NH 3 /H 2 combustion is identified for the first time. • Influence of preferential diffusion of H 2 on the structure of NH 3 flame is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean premixed (LPM) combustion is very effective at mitigating emissions but is vulnerable to strong thermoacoustic instabilities. A porous insert in the shape of an annular ring placed at the dump plane of the combustor has been proven to be an effective passive technique for mitigating these instabilities across a wide range of operating conditions. However, it is unclear if the change results from the insert geometry or porosity of the insert. In this study, swirl-stabilized LPM combustion is investigated for three configurations--without any insert, with a porous insert, and with a geometrically similar solid insert. Acoustics, flow, and heat release rate behavior of the three test geometries are investigated using diagnostics including dynamic pressure and acoustic probes, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and OH* chemiluminescence (OH*CL) imaging. Synchronized measurements at a fixed equivalence ratio were acquired at 40 kHz using sound probes and at 3.5 kHz using PIV and OH*CL. Results include time-series and spectral measurements of pressure, velocity, and OH*CL, and mode analysis by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). In addition, the dynamics of the instability are investigated by high-resolution phase reconstructions of velocity and OH*CL data using a novel implementation of POD introduced in this work. Results show two different instability modes: a longitudinal instability for the solid insert case and a helical, precessing vortex driven instability for the no insert case. In both cases, the flow field and heat release rate oscillations are coupled to produce the instability. No such coupling or oscillations is observed for the porous insert case. These results ascertain the unique capabilities of the porous insert in protecting against instability from different, simultaneous driving mechanisms and demonstrate that the insert porosity and flow dynamics associated with it are the primary mitigating factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MILD combustion technology is expected to enable safe and stable low-emission combustion of hydrogen-doped fuels, or pure hydrogen fuels, in gas turbines designed for zero-carbon emissions. To improve combustion stability at high hydrogen content while maintaining low NO x emissions, a MILD model combustor was modified, specifically the upstream fuel/air distribution and mixing method. And the combustion stability of the modified MILD combustor was significantly extended. Here, the combustion characteristics of the modified MILD combustor are experimentally investigated at 0–100% hydrogen contents. The investigation results demonstrate that unlike the combustion stability region at low hydrogen concentrations, a narrow thermoacoustic instability region occurs at 60% hydrogen content. As the hydrogen content increases, the instability region becomes narrower while shifting towards lower equivalence ratios. The change in hydrogen content is accompanied by a significant peak energy migration of the dynamic pressure. The OH* chemiluminescence images showed that the heat release zone became more concentrated with increasing hydrogen content. And the dominance of high-frequency peak energy correlates to lateral motion, whereas the dominance of low-frequency peak energy corresponds to axial motion. This transition in flame dynamics occurs not only for different hydrogen contents but also for different equivalence ratios of pure hydrogen combustion. In contrast, NO x emissions are not sensitive to hydrogen content. At the same time, the MILD model combustor produces low emissions, with NO x emissions of less than 10 ppm@15%O 2 at adiabatic flame temperatures ranging from 1200 K to 2100 K. These results show that the MILD model combustor has favorable fuel suitability. • The high-speed jet-induced MILD model combustor is capable of stable combustion over a wide range of loads with hydrogen content ranging from 0 to 100%. • The energy of the dynamic pressure of the combustion system has migration at different hydrogen contents. • POD analysis of OH* images revealed the phenomenon of transit flame dynamics under various operation conditions. • NO x emissions are within 10 ppm@15%O 2 at adiabatic flame temperatures of 1200 K–2100 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature characteristics of a filtration combustion wave propagating upstream against a fresh mixture in a one-layer porous medium is studied experimentally using thermal imaging. The design of a model porous burner allows one to obtain data on the time evolution of the temperature distribution of the solid phase at the pore scale. It is shown that the macroscale propagation of a flame is accompanied by local distortions of its front and the emergence and movement of hot spots and low-temperature regions at the scale of several pores. The most common pattern of the local dynamic behavior of the filtration combustion wave is identified and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a state-of-the-art review of micro-combustion flame dynamics and micro propulsion systems. In the initial section, we focus in on the different challenges of micro-combustion, investigating the typical length and time scales involved in micro-combustion and some critical phenomena such as flammability limits and the quenching diameter.We present an extensive collection of studies on the principal types of micro-flame dynamics, including flashback, blow-off, steady versus non-steady flames, mild combustion, stable flames, flames with repetitive extinction, and ignition and pulsatory flame burst. In the final part of this review, we focus on micropropulsion systems, their performance metrics, conventional manufacturing methods, and the advancements in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further study the gas-coal dust explosion hazards under complex conditions. Experiments were conducted in pipe-line systems containing explosive pipe-line and pressure relief pipe-line. The effect of coal dust concentration and particle size on the flame dynamics of gas-coal dust explosion was investigated. The flame structure in the explosion pipe-line is divided into two-stages: spherical and round-finger. In the pressure relief pipe-line, the flame structure e varies at working conditions. Flame front position increases with time, showing a class exponential growth trend. The flame front velocity increases in the explosion pipe-line, has a short drop during the entry into the pressure relief pipe-line, and then increases. With the increase of coal dust concentration, flame propagation time has been increasing in the pipe-line system and the explosion pipe-line, with the shortest time at 25 g/m³. Flame propagation time first increases and then decreases in the pressure relief pipe-line, the shortest time at 50 g/m³. The maximum flame front velocity first increases and then decreases. The maximum flame front velocity is maximized at 50 g/m³. With the increase of coal dust particle size, flame propagation time has been increasing in the pipe-line system, and in the explosion pipe-line, flame propagation times have been decreasing in the pressure relief pipe-line. The maximum flame front velocity first increases, then decrease, and increases again. The maximum flame front velocity is minimal at 45 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the flame structures of a fuel-rich premixed H 2 –air mixture issued from a divergent micronozzle were numerically studied and compared with their counterparts. The flame dynamics of the divergent micronozzle at relatively low jet velocities were also analyzed. A flame pattern of "dual flames with a smaller one surrounded by a larger one" was discovered for both the straight and divergent micro-nozzles at high jet velocities. This flame structure began to appear at a lower jet velocity (V in) as the divergence angle (θ) decreased. Specifically, it first appeared at V in = 7.5 and 20 m/s for θ = 0° and 5°, respectively. In addition, a flame mode consisting of dual flames with a smaller one inside the nozzle occurred only for divergent micronozzles under low and medium jet velocities. This flame structure could emerge at a higher jet velocity as the divergence angle increased. For example, it could occur until V in = 5 m/s and 17.5 m/s for θ = 1° and 5°, respectively. A global map of all flame patterns was drawn based on the results obtained by varying the jet velocity and divergence angle. Moreover, periodic flame dynamics appeared when the jet velocity was less than the critical value (<1.7 m/s). Specifically, a small flame (i.e., secondary flame) split from the jet flame (i.e., main flame) and propagated towards the nozzle inlet; however, its propagation direction was inverted and it finally extinguished owing to the heat loss to the nozzle wall. The next cycle was initiated after a short duration. The analysis revealed that the periodic flame dynamics are a result of the thermal interactions between the flame and nozzle wall. Using H 2 or natural gas/H 2 blends as the fuel of domestic gas stoves is a promising technology to reduce CO 2 emission. In this study, the flame characteristics of pure H 2 jet flame issued from a micro divergent nozzle was numerically investigated. As shown in the figure above, new flame dynamics have been observed. A small flame splits from the bottom of H 2 jet flame and propagates towards the inlet of divergent nozzle, then alters its direction and extinguishes owing to the heat loss to the wall. Such flame dynamics occur periodically. [Display omitted] • A smaller flame surrounded by a larger one appears at high jet velocities. • A smaller flame occurs in the divergent nozzle at low and medium jet velocities. • A global flame pattern map is drawn by varying jet velocity and divergence angle. • Periodic flame dynamics appear under low jet velocities for divergent nozzles. • The flame dynamics are a result of thermal coupling of the flame and nozzle wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the combustion instability characteristics of gaseous methane–gaseous oxygen atmospheric flame were investigated. A swirl coaxial injector was used under external modulation with a central methane flow and a loudspeaker. The flame transfer function with a photomultiplier tube was examined for possible errors, and an injector transfer function was defined to study the influence of the input perturbation on the cold gas flow without combustion. Both the results of flame transfer function and injector transfer function were affected by acoustic resonance. However, a higher mode of resonance did not appear in the flame transfer function. To analyze this difference, the flame movement was visualized using a high-speed camera by capturing the OH* chemiluminescence signal. Furthermore, a local flame transfer function was defined to examine the flame response zone-by-zone through a light signal. A higher-mode reaction appeared again in the local flame transfer function. It was found that flame separation due to modulation was the cause of the difference among the flame transfer function, injector transfer function, and local flame transfer function. By capturing the entire flame, its periodicity could be lost; hence, the local flame transfer function could prevent misinterpretation of the flame fluctuation. • A difference between dynamic response of cold gas flow and hot firing test is found. • In the flame transfer function results, the higher mode of resonance disappeared. • Using divided flame signal image, the response at high frequency is found again. • Separated flame clusters emit flame transfer function signals individually. • With interaction of each cluster signals, periodicity of flame could be missed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents experimental investigations of the polyurethane foam influence on the combustion dynamics of hydrogen-air flames propagating in a channel with a sudden change in cross-section (i.e. expansion). The channel is open at both ends. Porous media of various lengths and pore size are considered. The porous inserts are placed downstream of the sudden expansion, inside the diagnostic section of dimensions 20 × 40 mm. A Schlieren visualization technique is used to monitor flame shape and propagation dynamics. Various equivalence ratios ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 are tested. The results show that depending on the equivalence ratio, porous length and pore size, the mixture can either propagate throughout the foam or be quenched. In propagating regime, it is found that the output velocity just behind the foam increases linearly with porous matrix length, indicating that the tortuous flow within the foam plays a significant role in the propagation of the flame. These results could be used both to increase the efficiency of gaseous combustion and to ensure the explosion safety of the gas equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the use of nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) glow discharges to mitigate thermoacoustic fluctuations was investigated. Two strategies in applying the discharges were compared: continuous forcing and closed-loop gated forcing. It was found that NRP glow discharges could mitigate thermoacoustic fluctuations in a wall-stabilized methane-air flame either by applying the discharges continuously or using a closed-loop control scheme. A parametric study was done to investigate the role of the forcing phase, the applied voltage (6.3–6.8 kV), the pulse repetition frequency (15–30 kHz), the duty cycle (24–50%), and the forcing frequency on the performance of the plasma actuator. The most effective control of the thermoacoustic fluctuations was obtained when using the closed-loop control scheme with an applied voltage of 6.8 kV, a forcing frequency matching the instability frequency, close to phase opposition with the instability, and a power input of 0.8% of the flame thermal power. It was also found that the duty cycle in the tested range did not have a significant effect on the performance of the scheme when the number of discharges per cycle was constant. Phase-locked imaging of the flame was employed and showed that the flame's base location, surface area, and surface area gradient oscillated over the thermoacoustic period. For the best discharge forcing, the oscillations in the flame's base location and surface area were suppressed making the flame temporally and spatially stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thickened flame models are prolific in the literature and offer an effective method of resolving flame dynamics on coarse LES meshes. The current state of the art relies heavily on the use of efficiency functions to compensate for impaired wrinkling of the thickened flame. However in practice these functions can involve parameters that are difficult to determine, perform poorly outside of certain ranges or require a posteriori analysis to evaluate performance. An alternative based on a generalised thickening is evaluated across a range of canonical configurations. The approach is demonstrated to perform well across a large range of thickening factors in capturing phenomena such as localised quenching and pinch off as well as generation of flame surface. Including good performance even in the case of large flame dynamics under acoustic forcing where the model has a clear advantage over DNS in achieving grid independence. Finally the approach is unified into an Large Eddy Simulation/Adaptive Mesh Refinement framework and applied to a turbulent Bunsen flame. The results show that even if the internal flame structure is poorly resolved on the original mesh, the global system behaviour is well predicted and compares favourably with other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a state-of-the-art review of micro-combustion flame dynamics and micro propulsion systems. In the initial section, we focus in on the different challenges of micro-combustion, investigating the typical length and time scales involved in micro-combustion and some critical phenomena such as flammability limits and the quenching diameter.We present an extensive collection of studies on the principal types of micro-flame dynamics, including flashback, blow-off, steady versus non-steady flames, mild combustion, stable flames, flames with repetitive extinction, and ignition and pulsatory flame burst. In the final part of this review, we focus on micropropulsion systems, their performance metrics, conventional manufacturing methods, and the advancements in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems manufacturing.

A nonlinear phenomenological model of two coupled oscillators is proposed, which is able to describe the rich nonlinear behaviour stemming from an unstable pure intrinsic thermo-acoustic (ITA) mode of a simple combustion system. In an experimental bifurcation analysis of a pure ITA mode, it was observed that for increasing mean upstream velocity the flames loose stability through a supercritical Hopf bifurcation and subsequently exhibit limit cycle, quasi-periodic and period-2 limit cycle oscillations. The quasi-periodic oscillations were characterised by low frequent amplitude and frequency modulation. It is shown that a phenomenological model consisting of two coupled oscillators is able to reproduce qualitatively all the different experimentally observed regimes. This model consists of a nonlinear Van der Pol oscillator and a linear damped oscillator, which are nonlinearly coupled to each other. Furthermore, a parameter estimation of the model parameters is conducted, which reveals a good quantitative match between the model response and the experimental data. Hence, the presented phenomenological dynamical model accurately describes the nonlinear self-excited acoustic behaviour of premixed flames and provides a promising model structure for nonlinear time-domain flame models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat release rate (HRR) is the most critical parameter in characterizing the fire behavior and thermal effects of a burning item. However, traditional fire calorimetry methods are not applicable due to the lack of equipment in most fire scenarios. This work explores the real-time fire heat release rate prediction by using fire scene images and deep learning algorithms. A big database of 112 fire tests from the NIST Fire Calorimetry Database is formed, and 69,662 fire scene images labeled by their transient heat release rate are adopted to train the deep learning model. The fire tests conducted in the lab environment and the real fire events are used to validate and demonstrate the reliability of the trained model. Results show that regardless of the fire sources, background, light conditions, and camera settings, the proposed AI-image fire calorimetry method can well identify the transient fire heat release rate using only fire scene images. This work demonstrates that the deep learning algorithms can provide an alternative method to measure the fire HRR when traditional calorimetric methods cannot be used, which shows great potential in smart firefighting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of hydrodynamically unstable premixed flames are studied using the nonlinear Michelson–Sivashinsky (MS) equation, modified appropriately to incorporate effects due to gravity. The problem depends on two parameters: the Markstein number that characterises the combustible mixture and its diffusion properties, and the gravitational parameter that represents the ratio of buoyancy to inertial forces. A comprehensive portrait of all possible equilibrium solutions are obtained for a wide range of parameters, using a continuation methodology adopted from bifurcation theory. The results heighten the distinction between upward and downward propagation. In the absence of gravity, the nonlinear development always leads to stationary solutions, namely, cellular flames propagating at a constant speed without change in shape. When decreasing the Markstein number, a modest growth in amplitude is observed with the propagation speed reaching an upper bound. For upward propagation, the equilibrium states are also stationary solutions, but their spatial structure depends on the initial conditions leading to their development. The combined Darrieus–Landau and Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities create profiles of invariably larger amplitudes and sharper crests that propagate at an increasingly faster speed when reducing the Markstein number. For downward propagation, the equilibrium states consist in addition to stationary structures time-periodic solutions, namely, pulsating flames propagating at a constant average speed. The stabilising influence of gravity dampens the nonlinear growth and leads to spatiotemporal changes in flame morphology, such as the formation of multi-crest stationary profiles or pulsating cell splitting and merging patterns, and an overall reduction in propagation speed. The transition between these states occurs at bifurcation and exchange of stability points, which becomes more prominent when reducing the Markstein number and/or increasing the influence of gravity. In addition to the local bifurcation characterisation the global bifurcation structure of the equation, obtained by tracing the continuation of the bifurcation points themselves unravels qualitative features such as the manifestation of bi-stability and hysteresis, and/or the onset and sustenance of time-periodic solutions. Overall, the results exhibit the rich and complex dynamics that occur when gravity, however small, becomes physically meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrogen/air flame propagation and the development of tulip-shaped flame in 2D tubes of different aspect ratios with both closed ends and in a half-open rectangular channel were studied using high resolution direct numerical simulations of the fully compressible Navier – Stokes equations coupled with a detailed chemistry. Flame propagation in a 3D rectangular channel was studied using large eddy simulations and compared with the results of direct numerical simulations of flame propagation in a 2D rectangular channel with the same aspect ratio. It is shown that the interaction of the rarefaction wave generated by the flame at the deceleration stage with the "positive" flow of unburned gas generated by the flame at the previous accelerating stage leads to a significant decrease of the velocity of the unburned gas flow in the near field zone ahead of the flame front. As a result, the thickness of the boundary layer in the near-field zone ahead of the flame increases significantly, and the profile of the axial velocity of the unburned gas in the near-field zone ahead of the flame front takes the form of a tulip or an inverted tulip, which leads to corresponding changes in the velocities of different parts of the flame front, the flame front inversion, and the formation of a tulip-shaped flame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A premixed and thermo-diffusively unstable turbulent hydrogen-air flame-in-a-box case is simulated in conjunction with the flame particle tracking (FPT) method. The flame is located in the flamelet regime. The focus lies on the assessment of memory effects in local flame dynamics. By tracking flame particles on an iso-surface of the flame during flame-turbulence interaction, the time history of flame speed and flame stretch can be recorded for each point on the flame iso-surface in a Lagrangian reference frame. The results reveal a time delay between the local flame speed and flame stretch signal, showing that previous values of flame stretch affect currently observed values of flame speed. Furthermore, by choosing flame particles whose trajectories are dominated by single frequencies, the time delay can be quantified. While plotting instantaneous values of flame speed and flame stretch results in a large scattering for turbulent flames, a quasi-linear correlation can be achieved by shifting the time signal of flame stretch according to the time delay. The time delay itself depends on the local flow time scale, which is expressed as a local Damköhler number. There is, however, an important difference between consumption and displacement speed. While most analyses in the literature are limited to the flame displacement speed, the flame consumption speed is evaluated for each flame particle in this work as well, which shows a strong correlation with the local equivalence ratio even at unsteady conditions. As the flame particles move toward regions with more negative flame stretch, the consumption speed decreases as the flame locally extinguishes. At the same time, the diffusive component of the displacement speed increases, as the tangential component of the diffusive flux increases in regions with strong negative flame curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to the continuous computational power increase, the use of high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations is nowadays customary, especially in the gas turbines design process. The extraordinary temporal and spatial detail of such analyses generate large datasets, which must be carefully studied to correlate different quantities and gain information to characterize the behavior of combustor designs. Several advanced post-processing tools have been proposed; however, the Extended-POD (E-POD) holds the greatest potential for turbulent combustion applications when the mutual influence of different quantities is the main goal of the investigation. The present work investigates the application of the E-POD to an LES model of a perfectly-premixed, swirl-stabilized, methane-air flame approaching Lean-Blow-Out. Leveraging the validation against the experimental data at two different operating conditions on a laboratory test case, the numerical model has been used to collect several quantities of interest for shedding light on the flow-flame interaction near the blow-out. The post-processing algorithm has been used to highlight the differences between two conditions approaching the extinction at distinct air-flow velocities. It has been found that, when the burner is operated with a higher velocity, the flame is subjected to a cyclic low-frequency breakdown around the internal recirculation zone, leading to an ingestion of cold products from the external parts of the combustor toward the center. Although other local effects acting on the flame brush have been found in both conditions, they are related mainly to higher order coherent structures with a lower energy content. As a result, their impact onto flame stability is found to be of secondary importance since their limited interaction with flame stabilization. The work shows that E-POD represents a powerful tool for investigating the key features of flame dynamics even at near-blow-out conditions, constituting a valid algorithm for interpreting the results of CFD analyses on gas turbines combustors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work compares the respective advantages and disadvantages of compressible and incompressible computational fluid dynamics (CFD) formulations when used for the estimation of the acoustic flame response. The flame transfer function of a turbulent premixed swirl-stabilized burner is determined by applying system identification (SI) to time series data extracted from large eddy simulation (LES). By analyzing the quality of the results, the present study shows that incompressible simulations exhibit several advantages over their compressible counterpart with equal prediction of the flame dynamics. On the one hand, the forcing signals can be designed in such a way that desired statistical properties can be enhanced, while maintaining optimal values in the amplitude. On the other hand, computational costs are reduced and the implementation is fundamentally simpler due to the absence of acoustic wave propagation and corresponding resonances in the flame response or even self-excited acoustic oscillations. Such an increase in efficiency makes the incompressible CFD/SI modeling approach very appealing for the study of a wide variety of systems that rely on premixed combustion. In conclusion, the present study reveals that both methodologies predict the same flame dynamics, which confirms that incompressible simulation can be used for thermoacoustic analyses of acoustically compact velocity-sensitive flames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effects of the inner and outer pilot swirlers on the flame structures and thermo-acoustic instabilities in the triple-swirler staged combustors under various inner and outer pilot swirl numbers. We obtain energetic modes in the combustor's velocity and the OH radical mass fraction fields, utilizing the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique. With the increment of the pilot inner swirl number, the vortex shedding mode and flame radial propagation mode for the flame fluctuation is enhanced, and the axial propagation mode is weakened. Nevertheless, the increased pilot outer swirl number primarily impacts the vortex shedding mode's enhancement while positively influencing the other flame fluctuation modes. Specifically, the vortex shedding in the inner shear layer is the leading factor affecting the thermo-acoustic instability in the combustion chamber. Nevertheless, coupling this mode and the pressure oscillation weakens the area downstream of the central recirculation zone. Thus, due to the comprehensive impacts of the vortex shedding mode, spatial distribution, and the premixed flame area proportion, the impact of this mode's energy ratio on the thermo-acoustic instability increases non-linearly with the increased pilot swirl number.

Given unsteady operating conditions, the combustion process in gas turbine combustor often suffers from equivalence ratio fluctuations (ERFs), which induce combustion instability. In this study, the effects of ERFs on a swirl-stabilized premixed flame were studied by large eddy simulation (LES). A new combustion model with turbulence modification and a two-step methane oxidation mechanism were employed to simulate the interaction between turbulence and chemical reactions. In this study, LES was first validated by comparing the simulation results with the corresponding experimental data of a baseline case. Furthermore, two types of ERFs with different frequencies (40 and 160 Hz) were set on the inlet surface of the combustor, and flame responses were predicted by LES. With fluctuation frequencies of 40 and 160 Hz, the inner shear layer was strengthened, and evident corresponding vortices were generated. Furthermore, a more conspicuous variation was observed at 40 Hz, and it meant that a stronger combustion instability was induced by ERFs with a lower frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combustion instability constitutes the primary loss source of combustion chambers, gas turbines, and aero engines, and it affects combustion performance or results in a sudden local oscillation. Therefore, this study investigated the factors affecting flame fluctuation on unsteady combustion flow fields through large-eddy simulations. The effects of primary and secondary holes in a triple swirler staged combustor on flame propagation and pressure fluctuation in a combustion field were studied. Moreover, the energy oscillations and dominant frequencies in the combustion field were obtained using the power spectral density technique. The results revealed a variation in the vortex structure and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the combustion field, along with a variation in the pressure pulsation during flame propagation under the influence of the primary and secondary hole structures. Additionally, the spatial distributions of pressure oscillation and heat release rate amplitude were obtained, revealing that the foregoing increased owing to the primary and secondary holes in the combustion field, reaching a peak in the shear layer and vortex structure regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impinging jet flame is studied experimentally and numerically accounting for the complex flame-wall interactions in practical combustion devices. Flame dynamics and heat transfer with the effect of impinging wall are analyzed. The 3-D large eddy simulation coupled with detailed chemical reaction mechanism and particle image velocimetry experiment based on cross-correlation measurement principle are performed for verification and further analysis. Results show that vortices are generated due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability originated from velocity gradient. The 3-D vortex interactions involving vortex rings and spirals are also indicated by vorticity and the convection of streamwise vorticity is responsible for the effect of vortex spirals associated with turbulent flow transition. In addition, results calculated from four wall thermal conditions are compared and analyzed. Dirichlet condition is inferred to be more suitable for the case of wall materials with higher thermal conductivity. It is indicated that wall thermal condition mainly affects the heat transfer in the near-wall region, but has little effect on the momentum transfer. This study provides references for the adoption of wall conditions in numerical simulation and near-wall treatment in combustion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azimuthally forced spinning modes on a single ethylene-air swirl flame in an annular combustor were investigated using phase-averaged three-dimensional (3D) Computed Tomography of Chemiluminescence. Strongly spinning azimuthal modes in the clockwise (CW) and anticlockwise (ACW) directions were introduced by means of carefully controlled acoustic forcing. Tomographic reconstructions were calculated based on 25 independent views for an unforced, and CW and ACW forced cases. Using only a single flame in an annular enclosure resulted in a flame shape that differed from previous multi-flame investigations. The flame experiences significantly less flame-wall and no flame-flame interactions. Results at high and low equivalence ratio indicate that in the absence of significant enclosure effects, the global heat release rate (HRR) response is the same for both forcing directions. The 3D HRR oscillation distributions were investigated in detail, and the local flame response to modes with opposite spin direction was shown to feature 180 ∘ rotational symmetry. High magnitude HRR oscillations are formed close to the flame base, but due to the combined azimuthal and axial excitation the response on one side of the flame is significantly higher in magnitude, and concentrations of HRR oscillations are seen close to the inner or outer annular walls during CW or ACW excitation respectively. Swirl also causes these high magnitude structures to rotate slowly with downstream distance, although the spatial redistribution of HRR oscillations through this effect is subtle. This improves our physical understanding of previous observations of differing global flame responses to CW and ACW azimuthal excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction mechanism of internally-staged-swirling stratified flame is complex, and the pilot flame has a manifest influence on flame stability. To study this, a series of experimental investigations for the pilot flame has been carried out in a model swirl combustor by only supplying the pilot fuel. The CH* chemiluminescence images of the pilot flame are acquired by a high-speed camera with a CH* bandpass filter, whose dynamic characteristics are identified by image statistical analysis and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis. And the fast algorithm based on matrix theory proposed in this paper increases the operation efficiency and operability of POD. With the pilot equivalence ratio Φ increase, the pilot flame gradually shows an unstable state, whose POD energy distribution is significantly different. In the unstable state, the flame dynamics include three modes—spiral motion mode, flame shedding mode, and axial oscillation mode, whose formation reasons have also been further analyzed in combination with the experimental characteristics. And the fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis of the time coefficients for the first four POD modes indicates all the dominant frequency is 280 Hz, which means the model combustor is in resonance. In addition, a sensitivity analysis based on the different image resolutions further reveals the robustness of the POD method and its optimization direction. These results emphasize the important influence of the pilot fuel flow rate on the stability of the pilot flame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of flame spread models as a tool in fire safety engineering practice is subject to uncertainties arising from the assumptions inherent in the models and the input parameters required to implement them. Research on flame spread continues to add complexity to existing models, which places a greater onus on suitable input parameters to provide the knowledge needed to implement them. This approach is appropriate when experimental datasets are available for the validation of models for research purposes. However, it can be detrimental for design applications when there is limited knowledge about the underlying parameters for model verification in a broad range of design applications. Therefore, increasing complexity in flame spread models has the potential to reduce the strength of any such decisions made. In this article we provide a comprehensive review of the complexity of different flame spread models. This review classifies model approaches based on their inherent assumptions and sub-models to describe the complexity of the problem. It shows that, while complex modelling approaches may be necessary to adequately represent complex phenomena such as flame spread, the impact of uncertainties associated with the additional inputs is not always quantified or justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-flow reactors and porous media burners are prone to instability in the form of flame with repetitive extinction and ignition (FREI) near the region of a temperature gradient. Although significant progress has been made in this field, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the nature of such stable-to-unstable transition. Some studies reported a smooth and continuous instability transition in microchannels, interpreting this phenomenon as a supercritical bifurcation. Meanwhile, others have observed that the transition is subcritical, with rapid, stepwise evolution of the stable flame to FREI. This study aims to rigorously determine the transition character theoretically and numerically using a two-dimensional model with a precise resolution of the bifurcation parameter (flow velocity) near the critical point and gradual wall temperature ramp. The results indicate that the transition is a subcritical bifurcation with strong hysteresis. However, the amplitude of the limit cycle born in the bifurcation point could be small compared to FREI-like oscillations. Moreover, further development of the instability depends significantly on the channel width. In relatively wide channels, the stable regime transforms immediately into the extinction/ignition one with rapid growth in amplitude. In moderate channels, complex transitional dynamics were observed with an evident pulsating regime, which evolved into FREI through mixed-mode oscillations. In narrow channels, the amplitude of transitional pulsating flame becomes comparable to the fully-developed extinction/ignition cycles, and the bifurcation diagram has a continuous character with no significant jumps or discontinuities. Such qualitative variation of transition character provides a possible explanation for contradictory interpretations presented in the literature. Novelty and Significance Statement Currently, there is no consensus about the character of transition between the stable and extinction/ignition regimes in microchannels. Some studies have reported a continuous instability transition with an evident pulsating regime, interpreting it as a supercritical bifurcation, while others have observed subcritical bifurcation with a rapid transition. The novelty of this research lies in the rigorous determination of the bifurcation type and further instability development in microchannels of different widths based on an accurate simulation of flame dynamics near the critical point with very small steps of the flow velocity variation, along with the bifurcation theory. The study contributes to understanding the instability transition nature and may explain the different interpretations of the transitional phenomenon found in the literature. The results offer valuable insights for designing micro-scale and porous media combustion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the promotion of DME (dimethyl ether) liquefaction transportation technology and in-station hydrogen production technology, the explosion risk of DME/H2 blended gas caused by unintended or uncontrollable leakage has become the focus of attention. To assess the explosion risk, the explosion dynamics and chain mechanism of DME/H2 blended gas at typical fuel-lean/rich concentrations were investigated with experiments and numerical simulations. The results show that the maximum explosion overpressure Pmax increases and then decreases with increasing equivalence ratio for Φ = 0.6–2.0, and Pmax is maximal for Φ = 1.0 (the maximum increase is 20.3%). In the zone away 2.85 m from the ignition point, the effect of fuel-rich concentrations on flame temperature lift and explosion risk enhancement gradually emerges, which is because that the fuel concentration here is diluted to near stoichiometric concentration. The fuel-rich concentration caused a secondary flame acceleration and further flame propagation in the outfield zone, and the flame propagation distance is increased by 22.6% compared to the fuel-lean concentration. The high temperature caused by the incorporation of hydrogen makes the pyrolysis reaction CH3OCH3(+M)CH3O + CH3(+M) promotes the explosion most effectively. The sensitivity coefficients of most elementary reactions reach maximum at the stoichiometric concentration, thereby promoting or inhibiting explosions most effectively. At Φ = 1.0–1.1, the equilibrium molar fractions of H and OH radicals are maximal, the chemical reactivity gets highest, and the explosion risk is greatest.

The effect of hydrogen (H2) addition on the flame dynamics of premixed methane/air mixtures in a microchannel was investigated through two-dimensional numerical computations using a detailed chemistry model. Detailed numerical simulations were performed in a 2 mm diameter tube with 120 mm length and a hyperbolic wall temperature gradient condition. All numerical computations were performed at stoichiometric mixture conditions with a fixed inlet velocity of 15 cm/s. Flame repetitive extinction and ignition (FREI) has been observed to appear at various mixture conditions. The frequency of FREI shows a non-monotonic variation for CH4/air mixtures with H2 addition. The time taken for completion of one FREI cycle increases with H2 addition. The maximum temperature and heat of the reaction were observed to decrease with hydrogen addition. The effect of diameter on the FREI cycle was studied by comparing the numerical results for 1, 1.5, and 2 mm diameter tubes. As the diameter is reduced from 2 mm to 1 mm, the FREI frequency increased, and the maximum temperature decreased owing to increased heat loss through channel walls. The location of the ignition and extinction shifted downstream for 1 mm tube, as compared to a 2 mm diameter tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an investigation of the stabilisation of premixed laminar flames by means of an isolated highly conductive bluff-body, a circular cylinder, placed in a uniform flow of a combustible mixture. It is shown that the problem has non-unique steady-state solutions for certain values of the parameters. Moreover, we solve the time-dependent equations to check the stability of the solutions and demonstrate the possibility of controlling the convergence to a certain steady-state solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the impact of radiation modelling in under-resolved fire simulations, the paper presents LES of free-burn scenarios. The work aims to evaluate the performance of the current fire modelling capabilities of the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) code and to identify the best practices for FDS practitioners in terms of simulating radiative heat transfer. To this purpose, both optically thin and optically thick approaches are considered and their predictive capabilities over different grid sizes is evaluated. The impact of various radiation modelling parameters with the optically thick approach (i.e., path length, number of solid angles) is also considered. Comparisons of the predicted centreline flame temperatures and axial velocities as well as of the predicted radiative heat fluxes at different locations are presented. Overall, there were obvious differences between the two approaches with the optically thin being more accurate when compared to both experimental data and empirical correlations available in the literature. • The impact of radiation modelling on under-resolved FDS free-burn cases is explored. • Both optically-thin and optically-thick radiation approaches are considered. • A simple approach to estimate a priori the path length, L, of the fire plumes is reported. • Overall, the optically-thin approach performed qualitatively and quantitatively better. • The default gray model with a new L was the best among the optically-thick approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental study on dynamic response of a forced low-swirl methane/air premixed flame with external acoustic excitation over a wide range of driving frequency. Global flame response in terms of gain and phase delay between flame intensity and incoming velocity perturbation is determined. Local flame response is investigated in detail at three typical frequencies: 55 Hz, 105 Hz and 155 Hz. The effect of swirl number on the flame response is also discussed. Proper orthogonal decomposition is applied to identify the large coherent structures in the forced flame. Experimental results show flame response gain exhibits a successive of valleys and peaks which is dependent on swirl number. Time delay decreases as swirl number is increased. The low-swirl flame oscillates back and forth mainly in the axial direction at low excitation frequency and it turns into radially dominated direction at high frequency. Flame intensity fluctuation is mainly dominated by the tail of the flame at 55 Hz and 155 Hz while the flame response is controlled by a combined effect of the base and tail region at 105 Hz. Further POD analysis shows symmetric, anti-symmetric and helical modes in the flame. The most energetic modes (mode 1 and mode 2) feature a symmetric wave-like structure at low excitation frequency while it tends to be in antisymmetric modes at high frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study on the effects of methane -oxygen partially -premixed input flow characteristics in a mesoscale reactor with constant length and geometry was investigated in the present work. For this research, two partially -premixed ratios of 25% and 50% are considered. The reactor is mounted horizontally, made from quartz material and its geometric characteristics are internal diameter: 5 mm, wall thickness: 1 mm, and length: 10 cm. In this research, we have tried to determine the factors affecting flame regimes. The range of flame regimes, flame dynamics, the outer wall temperature distribution of the reactor, frequency, and oscillation of oscillating flames, along with the intensity of the Repetitive Extinction and ReIgnition (RERI) extinguishing sound, were analyzed and reported. This flame's dynamics are more affected by changes in mixing ratio, oxygen volume flow rate, and fuel volume flow rate, causing changes in inlet flow velocity and equivalence ratio, respectively. Examination of the results of acoustic oscillations indicates an increase in oscillating flame velocity with increasing volumetric flow and mixing ratio. Loud extinguishing sound of flames when quenching is caused by converting a portion of the thermal energy of the flame into sound in the flame arrestor and the acoustic vibration waves resulting from the extinguishing of the flame and the difference in gas velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear response to harmonic acoustic excitation of the total heat release rate in technically premixed flames (Flame Transfer Function, FTF) is studied in case of an ideal swirl burner. The analysis is based on the linearization of the production rate for the mean reaction progress variable modelled with a turbulent flame speed closure. Three main components of the FTF are identified which are generated by: I) direct fluctuations in the fuel mixture fraction (formation enthalpy contribution), II) direct fluctuations in the turbulent flame speed and III) flame surface area fluctuations driven by velocity and turbulent flame speed fluctuations. The velocity fluctuation is separated into an irrotational acoustic displacement and a rotational convective component. The effect of the rotational velocity component on the FTF is modelled here in a semi-empirical way, related to swirl number fluctuations at the flame base due to the phase shift between convected tangential velocity fluctuations and acoustically propagating axial velocity fluctuations. It is finally shown that fuel mixture fraction fluctuations can be generated not only by air mass flow rate fluctuations but also by fuel flow rate fluctuations which depend upon the air side impedance at the fuel injection location. It is shown that this impedance changes with the geometry of the plenum placed upstream the burner affecting in this way also the FTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the flame dynamics of swirl stabilized lean premixed combustion is investigated for kerosene and natural gas operation. A natural gas swirl burner is retrofitted with a twin-fluid nozzle to allow performing all experiments with the identical burner hardware. The mixture preparation complexity is stepwise increased from perfectly premixed natural gas to technically premixed natural gas and lastly technically premixed kerosene combustion. Flame transfer functions (FTFs) for the three configurations are presented and compared with each other. This approach allows to experimentally decompose the FTF and isolate the contributions of equivalence ratio fluctuations and droplet dynamics. Furthermore, FTF data for a systematic variation of equivalence ratio and air mass flow in kerosene operation is presented and the impact of spray quality and convective delay time on the FTF is discussed. For all operation points, stationary flame images are provided and evaluated as basis for the FTF interpretation. Additionally, NO emissions are measured in order to determine the degree of premixing in kerosene operation. Through a systematic FTF comparison, it was found that the frequency range in which droplets react to acoustic forcing can be read from the FTF phase. The spray quality was found to have a significant impact on the FTF whereas a change in the convective delay time does not affect the FTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combustion instability constitutes the primary loss source of combustion chambers, gas turbines, and aero engines, and it affects combustion performance or results in a sudden local oscillation. Therefore, this study investigated the factors affecting flame fluctuation on unsteady combustion flow fields through large-eddy simulations. The effects of primary and secondary holes in a triple swirler staged combustor on flame propagation and pressure fluctuation in a combustion field were studied. Moreover, the energy oscillations and dominant frequencies in the combustion field were obtained using the power spectral density technique. The results revealed a variation in the vortex structure and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the combustion field, along with a variation in the pressure pulsation during flame propagation under the influence of the primary and secondary hole structures. Additionally, the spatial distributions of pressure oscillation and heat release rate amplitude were obtained, revealing that the foregoing increased owing to the primary and secondary holes in the combustion field, reaching a peak in the shear layer and vortex structure regions.

The replacement of hydrocarbon fuels by ammonia in industrial systems is challenging due to its low burning velocity, its narrow flammability range, and a large production of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide when burned close to stoichiometric conditions. Cracking a fraction of ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen prior to injection in the combustion chamber is considered a promising strategy to overcome these issues. This paper focuses on evaluating how different levels of ammonia cracking affect the overall burning velocity, the lean blow-off limit, the concentration of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, and the flame response to acoustic perturbations. Swirl stabilized premixed flames of pure ammonia–air and ammonia–hydrogen–nitrogen–air mixtures mimicking 10%, 20%, and 28% of cracking are experimentally investigated. The results show that even though ammonia cracking is beneficial for enhancing the lean blow-off limit and the overall burning velocity, its impact on pollutant emissions and flame stability is detrimental for a percentage of cracking as low as 20%. Based on an analysis of the flame dynamics, reasons for these results are proposed.

The present work introduces an annular combustion chamber operated at intermediate pressures. The combustor is operated with CH 4 -H 2 blends leading to a variety of azimuthal combustion instabilities. The influence of the hydrogen content, the air mass flow rate and the equivalence ratio on the instabilities is investigated over a wide range of operating conditions with mean chamber pressures from 1.5 to 3.3 bar. This leads to a range of exit boundary conditions, from partially to fully reflecting. It is found that pure methane and methane-hydrogen mixtures with low hydrogen contents result in stable combustion. However, when the hydrogen content reaches 25% by volume high-amplitude instabilities are excited, which exhibit higher order harmonics with significant pressure amplitude contributions. Such harmonic response was not previously observed in atmospheric annular combustors. The amplitudes decrease slightly when the H 2 content is increased further. The harmonic response is found to be amplitude dependent with fewer significant harmonic contributions occurring at low-amplitudes and a cut-on amplitude of the fundamental mode at which higher harmonics become significant. The interaction between the harmonic components of the pressure amplitudes is shown to follow a quadratic relationship. The modal response was analyzed and it was found that all high-amplitude instabilities feature clockwise spinning modes whereas lower-amplitude instabilities feature counter clockwise spinning modes. Finally, a low- and high-amplitude case were investigated in detail and phase-averaged images are discussed. The low-amplitude instabilities result in flame dynamics similar to those observed in atmospheric combustors previously whereas the high-amplitude instabilities exhibit large oscillations in the flame height and intensity. A characterization of the boundary conditions is also provided for numerical simulations which includes temperature measurements, acoustic characterization and cold flow velocity profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Impacts of H 2 -enrichment and pilot flames on CH4/H2/air flames in a swirl burner are investigated. • Simultaneous PIV and OH-PLIF measurements are performed to characterize the flame and flow structures. • H 2 -enrichment and pilot flames increase flame front wrinkling and enhance flame stability. • Close-to-LBO, H 2 /CH 4 flames exhibit significant local extinction. • Close-to-LBO, the reaction zones are in the inner recirculation zone (IRZ). This work investigates the impact of pilot flame and fuel composition on the structures and stabilization of swirling turbulent premixed methane/hydrogen/air flames in a lab-scale gas turbine model combustor. Simultaneous measurements of the velocity field and OH radicals distribution in the combustor were conducted using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) methods, respectively. Flames under stable and close to lean blow-off (LBO) conditions were studied for two fuel mixtures, with a hydrogen mole ratio of 0 and 50 % in the hydrogen/methane mixture, respectively. The studied flames were at a constant Reynolds number of 20,000 with different equivalence ratios. Two pilot-to-global fuel ratios were investigated (2 % and 6 %) while keeping the pilot-to-global air ratio constant at 2 %. Data for non-piloted flames were also acquired for comparison. The pilot flames were shown to extend the operability range. The LBO equivalence ratio of the main flame decreased with increasing fuel mass flow rate in the pilot flames due to the increased amount of hot gases with high concentrations of OH radicals in the outer recirculation zone (ORZ), which significantly enhanced the stabilization of the main flame. The stable flame reaction zone was in the high-speed shear layer between the ORZ and the inner recirculation zone (IRZ). When approaching LBO, the reaction zone was pushed downstream to the IRZ and subsequently decreased the size of IRZ, indicating a strong flow/flame interaction. Hydrogen enrichment was shown to reduce the LBO equivalence ratio. When close to LBO, the OH radicals in the hydrogen-enriched flames were observed in isolated pockets due to differential diffusion, which enhanced resilience to LBO. The flame front curvature, mean progress variable, and flame surface density were calculated from the acquired OH-PLIF data to quantify the impact of fuel composition and pilot flames on the flame structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the self-excited thermoacoustic instability of hydrogen/methane premixed flames using a variable-length combustor (300–1100 mm). The global dynamic pressure, heat release rate oscillation, together with the flame dynamics were studied. Results showed that both the hydrogen concentration and the chamber length were critical in determining the acoustic oscillation mode and instability trend. Low-frequency primary acoustic modes (<200 Hz) were mainly excited when the hydrogen concentration was low, whereas primary acoustic modes with relatively higher frequencies (~400 Hz) tended to occur in cases with a high hydrogen proportion (>40%). For primary acoustic modes lower than 200 Hz, the primary oscillation frequency tended to increase linearly with a rising hydrogen proportion. Heat release oscillation and flame dynamics analyses demonstrated that for the flame with large-scale shape deformation, the initial addition of hydrogen would intensify the heat release oscillation. Nevertheless, a further increase in the hydrogen level tended to inhibit the heat release oscillation by weakening the flame shape deformation. Eventually, a sufficient high-level of hydrogen addition would weaken the primary acoustic modes that have similar frequencies. • Studied the effect of hydrogen addition on self-excited thermoacoustic instability. • A variable-length combustor with a length in the range of 300–1100 mm was used. • Primary acoustic modes changed with an increasing hydrogen percentage. • A sufficient level of hydrogen addition would inhibit the heat release oscillation. • Flame dynamics were examined to understand the heat release oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the cross-correlation method (CCM) has been investigated in detail and applied to analyze the dynamic response of premixed methane and biogas flames. CCM mapping was proposed in a recent study as an effective, and notably simple, method to evaluate the actual contribution of different flame zones to its global dynamic response. The physical interpretation of cross-correlation maps has been further investigated and validated by means of spatially resolved measurements of the local flame transfer function along the flame. The results obtained are consistent with vortex shedding being the phenomenon governing the dynamics of the flames studied. Methane and biogas flames exhibited different response to fluctuations. The analysis of cross-correlation maps revealed changes in the location of regions with strongest response to velocity fluctuations. Furthermore, this method was applied to determine the variations in the convective length associated with the phase delay between the oscillations in velocity and in heat release rate. In spite of the broad differences among the flames studied, all of them were consistent with the perturbations traveling along the flame at approximately one half of the flow velocity, in coincidence with the findings of some recent works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of laminar flame speed on the flame dynamics in two-dimensional half open tubes is investigated through a two-dimensional laminar combustion model. Several single-step reaction mechanisms are established to alter the corresponding laminar flame speed. The simulation results show that the similarity of flame propagation only holds during the acceleration phase. In the flame acceleration phase, the flame shape and flame tip position corresponding to each dimensionless moment are almost the same. This similarity gradually disappears after the flame touches the wall. When the flame decelerates, the periodic oscillation of the flame tip velocity is related to the laminar flame speed. The higher the laminar flame speed, the longer the corresponding dimensionless oscillation period. The destruction of this similarity is also reflected in the correlation between the flame surface area and the growth rate of burnt gas volume. In addition, the dimensionless evolution correlation of the flame surface area during the acceleration phase is given in this paper. The moving speed of the flame skirt at different laminar flame speeds and the time interval of flame inversion in the two-dimensional half open tubes are also presented. • Simulation of flame dynamics in a two-dimensional tube under different laminar flame speed. • Simplified mechanisms were established to ensure that only laminar flame speeds were changed in the simulation. • The similarity of flame propagation is destroyed after the flame touches the wall. • The relationship between the volume growth rate of the burned gas and the flame surface was found to be different in the four stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the experimental study of partially premixed combustion of pure methane/ oxygen has been implemented in a 5 mm diameter meso-scale quartz reactor that has 1 mm wall thickness and 5, 10, and 15 cm lengths. Mixing ratios of 25 %, 50 % and 75 % have been used for partially premixed combustion tests. Experimental results including the factors affecting flame regimes, formation range, flame dynamics, and the outer wall temperature distribution of the reactor have been analyzed. The tests were performed in an axisymmetrically centered cylinder combustion chamber (uniform co-axial flow) and laminar flow regimes. In most partially premixed combustion experiments, the Repetitive Extinction and Re-Ignition (RERI) flame, which had an optimal heat distribution throughout the reactor, have been observed. The flame dynamics were mostly affected by changes in mixing ratio, reactor length, oxygen flow rate, and finally fuel flow rate (equivalence ratio) respectively. Also, observations revealed that by increasing the reactor length due to the appropriate time for homogenization of the mixture, differences in the flame formation interval were reduced in different ratios of the reactant pre-mixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convective velocity perturbations (CVPs) are known to play an important role in the response of flames to acoustic perturbations and in thermoacoustic combustion instabilities. In order to elucidate the flow-physical origin of CVPs, the present study models the response of laminar premixed slit flames to low amplitude perturbations of the upstream flow velocity with a reduced order flow decomposition approach: A linearized G-equation represents the shape and heat release rate of the perturbed flame, while the velocity perturbation field is decomposed into irrotational and solenoidal contributions. The former are determined with a conformal mapping from geometry and boundary conditions, whereas the latter are governed by flame front curvature and flow expansion across the flame, which generates baroclinic vorticity. High-resolution CFD analysis provides values of model parameters and confirms the plausibility of model results. This flow decomposition approach makes it possible to explicitly evaluate and analyze the respective contributions of irrotational and solenoidal flows to the flame response, and conversely the effect of flame perturbations on the flow. The use of the popular ad hoc hypothesis of convected velocity perturbation is avoided. It is found that convected velocity perturbations do not result from immediate acoustic-to-hydrodynamic mode conversion, but are generated by flame-flow feedback. In this sense, models for flame dynamics that rely on ad-hoc models for CVPs do not respect causality. Furthermore, analysis of the flame impulse response reveals that for the configuration investigated, flame-flow feedback is also responsible for “excess gain” of the flame response, that is, the magnitude of the flame frequency response above unity.

Large Eddy Simulations are used to study the heat-release response to fuel inflow acoustic harmonic oscillations, in a coaxial jet flame where both reactants (O 2 and CH 4) are injected in a dense cryogenic state. The geometry is that of the academic test rig Mascotte, operated by ONERA (France), which high pressure operating conditions are relevant for the characterization of flame dynamics in Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs). The simulations, which are carried out with a real-gas fluid solver using a detailed kinetic scheme for CH 4 high-pressure oxycombustion, provide a thorough insight into the flame response for a wide range of forcing frequencies, spanning from approximately 1kHz to 20kHz. Local Flame Transfer Functions (FTF) are computed and analyzed: regions of preferential heat-release response are observed to be highly dependent on the forcing frequency. An analysis based on a flame sheet assumption is conducted to distinguish the main sources of heat release fluctuations: the primary contribution comes from the species diffusivity oscillations, while the density variations have a negligible effect. The second largest contributor is either the mixture fraction gradient or the flame surface area, depending on the forcing frequency. The FTFs are expected to be useful for thermoacoustic Low-Order Models or Helmholtz solvers, and the subsequent analysis has the potential to guide future development of analytical models for flame dynamics in LREs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new laboratory scale pressurised annular combustion experiment is introduced and used to generate self-excited longitudinal and azimuthal instabilities. The experiments are operated at mean pressures ranging from approximately 2 to 3 atmospheres in order to maintain a well defined acoustic boundary at exit. A range of operating conditions is studied parametrically, and it is observed that at high equivalence ratios, the flame stabilisation location propagates upstream, significantly altering the flame structure. The change in flame stabilisation location promotes a transition from a dominant longitudinal to a dominant azimuthal instability. Investigation of the azimuthal instabilities highlights a rich array of frequency content, with significant amplitude pressure and heat release responses observed for not only the fundamental (n = 1), but also higher harmonics (n = 2 , 3). These higher harmonics are also shown to exhibit distinct characteristic modal dynamics, shown through probability density functions of the spin ratio. The flame dynamics for three distinct operating states, corresponding to longitudinal modes at two different stabilisation locations, and one corresponding to strong azimuthal modes are studied. These highlight the difference between longitudinal and azimuthal modes, and demonstrate the presence of significant higher harmonic content. The characterisation of both longitudinal and azimuthal modes in a pressurised laboratory scale annular combustor for the first time provides a unique opportunity for understanding the nature of such instabilities in practically relevant configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly-resolved numerical simulations employing detailed reaction kinetics and molecular transport have been applied to flame-wall interaction (FWI) of laminar premixed flames. A multiple plane-jet flame (2D) has been considered, which is operated with premixed methane/air mixtures at atmospheric conditions and with different equivalence ratios. Free flame (FF) and side-wall quenching (SWQ) conditions have been accomplished by defining one lateral boundary as either a symmetry plane for FF or a cold wall with fixed temperature for SWQ. An equidistant grid with a resolution of 20 µm is used to resolve the FWI zone. The GRI-3.0 mechanism is used for computing chemical reaction rates. The flame is tangentially compressed when approaching the cold wall, and elongated in the FF case, causing an inversion of the sign of the tangential strain rate Ka s and a considerable decrease of the total stretch rate Ka tot for the SWQ flame. The flame consumption speed S L decreases with decreasing normal stretch due to curvature Ka c while approaching the cold wall, but it increases with decreasing Ka c for the FF case, leading to an inversion of the Markstein number Ma tot based on Ka tot from positive in FF to negative in the SWQ case. The results reveal a strong correlation of flame dynamics during transitions from FWI to freely propagating flames, which may bring a new perspective for modeling FWI phenomena by means of flame dynamics. To do this, the quenching effect of the wall may be reproduced by an inversion of the Markstein number from positive to negative in the FWI zone and applying the general linear Markstein correlation, leading to a decrease of the flame consumption speed. In addition, the quenching distance evaluated from S L has been found to be almost equal to the unstretched laminar flame thickness, which compares quantitatively well with measured data from literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front propagation speeds from fully resolved unsteady one dimensional simulations with dimethyl-ether (DME)/methane (CH 4)/air mixtures under engine relevant conditions are presented using complex kinetics and transport. Different time-scales of monochromatic inhomogeneities in DME concentration with varying DME/CH 4 blending ratios are simulated to unravel the fundamental aspects of auto-ignition and flame propagation under the influence of reactivity stratification. To understand the influence of different stratification time-scales on the flame-ignition interaction, two sets of conditions are simulated such that low temperature chemistry is present in only one of them. For a given amplitude of stratification, it is found that the instantaneous propagation speed is significantly affected by the level of CH 4 concentration in the binary fuel blend. Specifically, for cases with low temperature chemistry, at relatively smaller time-scales, the overall fluctuation in the instantaneous propagation speed is found to subside as the level of CH 4 concentration in the mixture is increased. However, for both sets of conditions, at comparatively larger time-scales, a rapid change in the instantaneous propagation speed is observed with an increase in the level of CH 4 concentration in the mixture. The intrinsic effects of stratification time-scales on the low temperature chemistry and the high temperature chemistry are further examined to assess the flame-ignition interaction. A displacement speed analysis is also carried out to elucidate the underlying combustion modes that are responsible for such a variation in flame response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]