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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]

This study reports measurements of stability limits and exhaust NO mole fractions of technically-premixed swirl ammonia-air flames enriched with either methane or hydrogen. Experiments were conducted at different pressures from atmospheric to 5 bar, representative of commercial micro gas turbines. The full range of ammonia fractions in the fuel blend, x NH3 , was considered, from 0 (pure methane or hydrogen) to 1 (pure ammonia), covering very lean (φ = 0.25) to rich (φ = 1.60) equivalence ratios. Results show that increasing pressure widens the range of stable equivalence ratios for pure ammonia-air flames. Regardless of pressure, there is a critical ammonia fraction above which the range of stable equivalence ratios suddenly widens. This is because flashback does not occur anymore when the equivalence ratio is progressively increased towards stoichiometric and rich blowout occurs instead. This critical ammonia fraction increases with pressure and is larger for ammonia-hydrogen than for ammonia-methane. Provided that enough hydrogen is blended with ammonia (x NH3 < 0.9), flames with very lean equivalence ratios (φ < 0.7) can be stabilized and these yield competitively low NO emissions (<200 ppm), regardless of pressure. For this reason, very lean swirl ammonia-hydrogen-air flames are promising candidates for micro gas turbines. However, N 2 O emissions have the potential to be unacceptably large for these operating conditions if heat loss is too large or residence time is too short. As a consequence, the post flame region must be considered carefully. Due to the lower reactivity of methane compared to that of hydrogen, very lean swirl ammonia-methane-air flames could not be stabilized and good NO performance is limited to rich equivalence ratios for ammonia-methane fuel blends. The equivalence ratio above which good NO performance depends on pressure and bulk velocity. • Increasing pressure widens the range of stability of ammonia-air flames. • Increasing pressure increases the ammonia fuel fraction for which the transition from flashback to rich blowout occurs. • NO emissions from ammonia-hydrogen/methane-air flames decrease as pressure increases. • Good NO performance is found for very lean ammonia-hydrogen-air flames under elevated pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is a promising carbon-free fuel for power generation in gas turbines. However, this raises some challenges associated with the storage and distribution of pure hydrogen. Storing hydrogen chemically in the form of ammonia is a safe and efficient alternative. However, ammonia as a fuel features a low chemical reactivity compared to hydrogen and natural gas and, as a consequence, stabilizing turbulent ammonia-air flames is challenging. Offsetting this low reactivity by enriching ammonia with some amount of hydrogen, which is much more reactive, is a promising strategy. In this study, the stability limits of technically-premixed ammonia-hydrogen-air flames are measured in a laboratory-scale swirl combustor for a wide range of ammonia fractions in the ammonia-hydrogen fuel blend. Results are compared to that obtained in the same combustor for reference methane-hydrogen-air mixtures. Data show that increasing the ammonia fraction in the fuel blend promotes lean blowout but reduces the flames' propensity to flashback. The latter effect is even more pronounced if the volume fraction of ammonia in the fuel blend exceeds 0.7. In that case, increasing the equivalence ratio at a fixed bulk velocity does not yield flashback and rich blowout occurs instead, yielding a much wider range of stable equivalence ratios. This study also reports exhaust NO mole fractions, measured for large ranges of equivalence ratio and ammonia fraction in the fuel blend. Regardless of the ammonia fraction, data show that competitively low NO emissions occur for slightly rich equivalence ratios of φ ≥ 1.05, which is consistent with earlier studies. Stable flames and good NO performance are also found for very lean ammonia-hydrogen-air mixtures with φ ≤ 0.50, demonstrating the strong potential of fueling gas turbines with ammonia-hydrogen blends. • Ammonia-hydrogen-air flames feature wider stability limits than ammonia-air or hydrogen-air flames. • Nitrogen addition to ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends does not significantly alter stability limits. • Pure ammonia-air flames feature lower NO emissions than ammonia-hydrogen-air flames. • Good NO performance is found for "very" lean ammonia-hydrogen-air flames. [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]

Simultaneous, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO) and hydroxyl radical (OH) is evidenced with a single dye laser and two intensified CCD (ICCD) cameras. The technique is demonstrated on three premixed turbulent hydrogen-air flames, at atmospheric conditions, with several laser excitation wavelengths within the A 2Σ+ − X 2Π (0,0) and A 2Σ+ − X 2Π (1,0) vibrational bands of NO and OH, respectively. Via adjustments of the grating angle of the dye laser, the output wavelengths can be optimized so that both LIF signals are obtained simultaneously, or it can be tuned to reach the most common excitation wavelengths for OH-PLIF (i.e., near 283 or 284 nm) or NO-PLIF (i.e., 225 and 226 nm) alternatively. The flame visualization results, obtained with the different excitation strategies, are consistent for the three flame conditions and enable to characterize both the reaction zones and the nitric oxide formation. With appropriate selection of the wavelength pair, the technique shows its great potential to enhance the ability of existing lasers to simultaneously visualize and quantify distributions of two key species in reacting flows with only a single laser. [Display omitted] • Combined single-shot imaging of NO and OH with one dye laser in H 2 flames. • Most common excitation wavelengths also achievable alternatively. • Recommendation of optimal excitation wavelengths for future studies. • Flame structure confirmed with different excitation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an accurate measurement of the weak quadrupole S(2) 2-0 line in self-perturbed D 2 and theoretical ab initio calculations of both collisional line-shape effects and energy of this rovibrational transition. The spectra were collected at the 247–984 Torr pressure range with a frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectrometer linked to an optical frequency comb (OFC) referenced to a primary time standard. Our line-shape modeling employed quantum calculations of molecular scattering (the pressure broadening and shift and their speed dependencies were calculated, while the complex frequency of optical velocity-changing collisions was fitted to experimental spectra). The velocity-changing collisions are handled with the hard-sphere collisional kernel. The experimental and theoretical pressure broadening and shift are consistent within 5% and 27%, respectively (the discrepancy for shift is 8% when referred not to the speed averaged value, which is close to zero, but to the range of variability of the speed-dependent shift). We use our high pressure measurement to determine the energy, ν 0 , of the S(2) 2-0 transition. The ab initio line-shape calculations allowed us to mitigate the expected collisional systematics reaching the 410 kHz accuracy of ν 0 . We report theoretical determination of ν 0 taking into account relativistic and QED corrections up to α 5 . Our estimation of the accuracy of the theoretical ν 0 is 1.3 MHz. We observe 3.4 σ discrepancy between experimental and theoretical ν 0 . [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]

Ammonia has the potential of being a future fuel for carbon-free combustion to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emission. The heat release rate (HRR) information of ammonia flames is desired if the ammonia fuel is applied in real combustion devices, but direct measurement of HRR is almost impossible. In the present work, the HRR markers of ammonia-methane-air flames were investigated through the simulation of one-dimensional freely propagating flames (FPF) with a validated chemistry mechanism. Various HRR markers were proposed. The performance of the target HRR markers was tested with the defined criteria. It was found that the profiles of NH and HCO agree well with the HRR profiles, but only NH is a suitable HRR marker because the mole fraction of HCO could be too low for laser induced fluorescence (LIF) measurement. The products of two species, such as [OH][CH 2 O] and [NO][NH 2 ], were then proposed to circumvent the low mole fraction issues. Product [OH][CH 2 O], which was usually used as HRR marker in hydrocarbon flames, was found to have the best performance in identifying the HRR location and be the only one that has a positive correlation with the amount of HRR among the proposed products. Moreover, the performance of [OH][CH 2 O] is valid over a wide range of conditions, including the very high ammonia fuel fraction (X NH3 = 95%), without suffering from the low mole fraction issues. The observations were further analyzed by looking into the reaction pathways and examining the reactions that contributes the largest amount to the total HRR. The present findings provide a meaningful reference for future indirect measurement of HRR in ammonia-methane-air flames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations (MDS) are carried for the calculation of the collision kernels describing the velocity changes of H2 molecules induced by interactions with Ar atoms. These MDS results are first used for the test of a previously proposed three dimensional bi-parametric extension (KS-3D) of Keilson and Storer velocity-changing model. Semi-classical and close-coupling calculations of the speed-dependent collisional-broadening γ coll(v) and -shifting δ coll(v) coefficients are also made for the Q(1) line, using the best available H2–Ar potential energy surface. These data are compared with the corresponding values previously extracted from measured Raman spectra. Furthermore, the calculated values of , γ coll(v) and δ coll(v) are used to calculate the density dependence of the Q(1) line-width from the Doppler to the collisional regime and compare the results with experiments. The conclusions of this exercise are three fold. The first is that the KS-3D approach gives a satisfactory description of the velocity changes. The second is that the procedure used in a previous study in order to extract γ coll(v) and δ coll(v) from measured spectra was correct. The last, consistent with the findings of other independent studies, is that the H2–Ar interaction potential used needs refinements at short distances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report on the epitaxial growth and spectroscopic study of highly doped Y2SiO5:Yb3+ (YSO:Yb) thin films on YSO substrates. The realization of Ge, La and Gd-codoped high quality thin films, with thickness up to 100μm, is demonstrated. YSO:Yb layers have their fluorescence and absorption spectra similar to the bulk ones, with a globally higher crystalline quality. The Yb3+ lifetime evolution exhibits a particularly slow decrease with Yb doping, proof of a low extrinsic quenching centers concentration. The refractive index increase with respect to dopants concentration is measured, and a phenomenological law is proposed. Such highly doped YSO:Yb layers could be an interesting alternative for active integrated optics or laser devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this work11Based on a presentation at CFD 2000 (). is to present a new strategy for the transient simulation of fluid flow in geometries involving moving parts and small gaps. It is based upon a fictitious domain method and a mesh refinement technique that relies upon one single reference mesh. With this technique, at each time iteration, the reference mesh may be adapted locally according for instance to the position of the gaps in the computational domain. The method will be discussed in detail and applied to the two-dimensional (2D) simulation of fluid flow in twin-screw extruders where one of the key issues is the ability to predict accurately the shear rates in the gaps formed by the rotating screws. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The power consumption of a new coaxial mixer composed of a wall scraping arm and a series of rods and a pitched-blade turbine mounted on the same axis of revolution and operated in a contra-rotating mode has been characterized. The work is based on experimental measurements and 3D numerical simulations in the case of homogeneous Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in the laminar regime. Very good agreements between experimental and numerical results have been obtained. It has been shown that the Metzner–Otto concept can be extended to account for the speed ratio between the impellers, which allows to represent the power consumption results of the coaxial mixer on a single power master curve like with a single agitator mixer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Detailed analysis of flame structures in cracked ammonia jet flames. • Insights into N 2 O formation in ammonia flames through NH and NO multiplication. • Impact of cracking ratio on chemical reactivity, flame stability, and NO emissions. • PLIF-derived statistics contribute to validating turbulence-chemistry interactions. The combustion of cracked ammonia is crucial for enhancing flame stability and reducing pollutant emissions in ammonia-based combustion systems. This study investigated the flame structure and pollutant formation in cracked ammonia jet flames (CAJFs) to improve our understanding of the turbulence-chemistry interactions in ammonia combustion. A simultaneous NH and NO planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique was employed to analyze the flame structure of turbulent non-premixed CAJFs, emulated using ammonia-hydrogen–nitrogen mixtures. Experimental measurements were conducted across a range of pressures (1–5 bar) and cracking ratios (7 %-28 %). The results revealed the significant influence of the cracking ratio on the chemical reactivity and NH-layer characteristics of ammonia-hydrogen flames. NH effectively marked the heat release layer of CAJFs. Reducing the cracking ratio from 28 % to 7 % resulted in increased local extinction-induced NH-layer fragmentation and reduced reaction area. The reaction layer thickness exhibited low sensitivity to the cracking ratio and pressure, while the broadening of the NH layer displayed a slowdown pattern with increasing height, differing from premixed flames. The pollutant NO rapidly formed within the reaction zone, persisting in the outer hot products until reduced by turbulent mixing. The fragmented flame structure promoted decreased NO formation and potentially lower NO concentration. A novel approach of multiplying NH and NO was proposed to reflect the formation characteristics of another important pollutant N 2 O. The effect of turbulent disturbances on N 2 O formation needs to be considered in turbulent CAJFs because N 2 O formation is strongly suppressed when turbulent transport reduces local NO concentration. This research enhances understanding of turbulence-chemistry interactions in cracked ammonia combustion, benefiting ammonia flame stability and pollutant emission control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New method for populating line-by-line spectroscopic databases with beyond-Voigt lineshape parameters. • He-perturbed H2. • Ab initio quantum scattering calculations of beyond-Voigt line-shape parameters. • Simple and compact formula that allows the speed-dependence parameters to be calculated directly from the generalized spectroscopic cross sections. • Dataset compatible with the HITRAN database. • Temperature dependences of the beyond-Voigt line-shape parameters covering the range from 20 to 1000 K. We demonstrate a new method for populating line-by-line spectroscopic databases with beyond-Voigt line-shape parameters, which is based on ab initio quantum scattering calculations. We report a comprehensive dataset for the benchmark system of He-perturbed H 2 (we cover all the rovibrational bands that are present in the HITRAN spectroscopic database). We generate the entire dataset of the line-shape parameters (broadening and shift, their speed dependence, and the complex Dicke parameter) from fully ab initio quantum-scattering calculations. We extend the previous calculations by taking into account the centrifugal distortion for all the bands and by including the hot bands. The results are projected on a simple structure of the quadratic speed-dependent hard-collision profile. We report a simple and compact formula that allows the speed-dependence parameters to be calculated directly from the generalized spectroscopic cross sections. For each line and each line-shape parameter, we provide a full temperature dependence within the double-power-law (DPL) representation, which makes the dataset compatible with the HITRAN database. The temperature dependences cover the range from 20 to 1000 K, which includes the low temperatures relevant for the studies of the atmospheres of giant planets. The final outcome from our dataset is validated on highly accurate experimental spectra collected with cavity ring-down spectrometers. The methodology can be applied to many other molecular species important for atmospheric and planetary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction L'éosinophilie est un motif fréquent de consultation. Les étiologies sont dominées par les causes allergiques et médicamenteuses, néoplasiques et parasitaires. Lorsqu'elle est importante et durable, elle peut être symptomatique mais parfois les signes sont quasi inexistants. Cela ne dispense pas d'explorations afin de prévenir la survenue de signes systémiques. Observation Un patient de 38 ans aux antécédents de colique néphrétique consulte au service d'accueil des urgences pour douleur spontanée de l'hallux gauche d'horaire inflammatoire. La biologie de routine montre une éosinophilie à 11 G/L sans anomalie des autres lignées. Il n'y a pas d'altération de l'état général. Il a une toux chronique non productive invalidante. L'examen clinique est sans anomalie particulière. Il est convoqué pour des explorations. Dans l'intervalle, il a des douleurs du mollet gauche, sans phlébite objectivée. Le patient n'a jamais quitté la France. La NFS montre : hémoglobine 16 g/dL, plaquettes à 181 G/l, leucocytes 18,15 G/L, polynucléaires neutrophiles 2,05 G/L, polynucléaires éosinophiles 11 G/L, lymphocytes 3,65 G/L. Il n'a pas de syndrome inflammatoire. Les sérologies toxocarose, trichinellose sont négatives. Le sédiment urinaire ne montre pas de protéinurie ni d'hématurie, pas d'éosinophilie. Les ANCA, de même que les anticorps antinucléaires et le facteur rhumatoïde sont négatifs, le complément est normal. Les IgE totales sont négatives. La recherche du transcrit FIP1L1 PDGFRA (4q) par RT PCT revient positive. Sous IMATINIB, il est noté une rémission clinique avec disparition de la toux, de la douleur de l'hallux et des douleurs du mollet gauche ainsi qu'une diminution de l'éosinophilie et la négativation de la recherche du transcrit. Conclusion L'hyperéosinophilie essentielle FIP1L1/PDGFRA correspond à une délétion 4q12 responsable de la fusion entre les gènes FIP1L1 et PDGFRA. La protéine chimérique résultant de cette fusion a une activité tyrosine kinase constitutive, ce qui explique les rémissions cliniques et cytologiques des hyperéosinophilies essentielles traitées par un inhibiteur spécifique de tyrosine kinase, l'IMATINIB. Dans ce cas, les manifestations cliniques retrouvées sont dominées par des atteintes musculosquelettiques (douleur de hallux d'horaire inflammatoire, douleur du mollet sans phlébite objectivée), que l'on peut attribuer à l'éosinophilie, puisque régressives à 3 mois de l'initiation du traitement. Dans la majorité des études sur l'éosinophilie, cette atteinte n'est pas mentionnée. Elle est décrite néanmoins, dans la maladie de Shulman. Dans cette dernière, des myalgies spontanées ou provoquées sont rapportées à la phase initiale chez près de deux patients sur trois et jusqu'à 86 % des patients au moment du diagnostic. Ce cas nous amène à rechercher les atteintes musculosquelettiques dans les syndromes hyperéosinophilique, non uniquement dans la maladie de Shulman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of low-carbon transition, ammonia (NH 3) is considered as a promising zero-carbon fuel owing to its high hydrogen density, well-established storage, and transportation systems. However, its low reactivity and high nitrogen content could induce flame instability and high NO emission problems during combustion, which hinders its large-scale application in industrial furnaces, gas turbines, and engines. The reactivity of NH 3 can be effectively boosted by blending it with a more reactive fuel, such as methane (CH 4). In addition, it has been demonstrated that burning NH 3 at slightly rich equivalence ratios produces low NO emissions, but air-staging is needed to oxidize the unburned fuel in a secondary lean combustion zone. This paper carries out an experimental and numerical study for NH 3 /CH 4 premixed swirling flames in a model combustor with and without air-staging. The main objective is to investigate the potential of using air-staging for controlling NO emissions from NH 3 /CH 4 flames, and to examine the influence of key air-staging parameters, such as staged air ratio (SAR), height of staged-air (H) and number of staged-air nozzle (N), on flame typology as well as NO and CO emissions. Experimental results show that globally lean condition fails to generate satisfactory NO emission for NH 3 /CH 4 mixtures under non-staging mode, and the maximum NO emission is produced by the X NH 3 = 50% mixture which exhibits the largest challenge for NO control. By initiating air-staging for X NH 3 = 50% mixture, the flame topology as well as CO and NO emissions are strongly affected by the key air-staging parameters. In relatively large SAR (> 30%) and small H (< 80 mm) conditions, the staged-air impinging effect should be taken into consideration since it could destroy the locally rich atmosphere in the primary combustion zone, creating lean burning pockets and enhancing NO formation. Increasing N plays an accelerating role on NO generation due to improved mixing homogeneity in the vicinity of staged-air, while this effect can be counteracted by mitigating the staged-air impinging effect via decreasing the staged-air injection momentum. Moreover, an improved NH 3 /CH 4 reaction mechanism based on Okafor's is proposed which shows remarkably high accuracy in predicting NO emission for NH 3 /CH 4 mixtures under both non-staging and air-staging modes. This work provides new insights towards the understanding of NH 3 /CH 4 combustion using air-staging. • NH 3 /CH 4 combustion in air-staging and non-staging modes are studied. • Effects of key staged-air parameters on NO and CO emissions are investigated. • Optimal staged-air parameters for simultaneous low NO and CO emissions are determined. • An improved NH 3 /CH 4 reaction mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pure ammonia-air swirl flames can be stabilized for a wide range of equivalence ratios. • Ammonia addition to methane reduces the flames' propensity to flashback. • Ammonia addition to methane widens the stable range of operation. • Good NO performances are only achieved for slightly-rich equivalence ratios. Ammonia is a promising fuel for heat and power generation because it is carbon-free and it can be produced from abundant chemicals and renewable energy sources. However, ammonia-air mixtures feature a low reactivity and stabilizing turbulent ammonia-air flames is challenging. In this study, the stability limits of technically-premixed ammonia-methane-air mixtures are measured for a wide range of ammonia additions in a laboratory-scale swirl burner. Results are compared to that obtained for baseline methane-air mixtures. Data show that increasing the ammonia addition increases the equivalence ratio at the lean blowout limit but also reduces the flames' propensity to flashback. If the volume fraction of ammonia in the fuel blend exceeds a critical value, experiments also show that increasing the equivalence ratio at a fixed bulk velocity does not yield flashback and rich blow-out occurs instead. This significantly widens the range of equivalence ratios yielding stable flames. The critical ammonia volume fraction is a function of the Reynolds number and is x NH3 = 0.42 for Re = 7000 and x NH3 = 0.70 for Re = 3000. Because the ability to stabilize ammonia-methane-air flames is not practically relevant if NOx emissions are too large compared to that of conventional methane-air flames, exhaust NO concentrations are also measured. Consistent with previous studies, data show that, for non-marginal ammonia fuel fractions, good NO performances are not found for lean ammonia-methane-air mixtures and can only be achieved with slightly rich mixtures, which are within measured stability limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ab initio quantum scattering calculations. • Temperature dependences of the pressure broadening, pressure shift, speed dependence and the complex Dicke parameter. • Comparison of the four-temperature-ranges (4TR) and double-power-law (DPL) temperature dependence models. • Hartmann-Tran profile (HTP) parameterization. Temperature dependences of molecular line-shape parameters are important for the spectroscopic studies of the atmospheres of the Earth and other planets. A number of analytical functions have been proposed as candidates that may approximate the actual temperature dependences of the line-shape parameters. In this article, we use our ab initio collisional line-shape calculations for several molecular systems to compare the four temperature ranges (4TR) representation, adopted in the HITRAN database [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 2017;203:3] in 2016, with the double-power-law (DPL) representation. Besides the collisional broadening and shift parameters, we consider also the most important line-shape parameters beyond Voigt, i.e., the speed dependence of broadening and shift parameters, and real and imaginary parts of the complex Dicke parameter. We demonstrate that DPL gives better overall approximation of the temperature dependencies than 4TR. It should be emphasized that DPL requires fewer parameters and its structure is much simpler and more self-consistent than the structure of 4TR. We recommend the usage of DPL representation in HITRAN, and present DPL parametrization for Voigt and beyond-Voigt line profiles that will be adopted in the HITRAN database. We also discuss the problem of the Hartmann-Tran profile parametrization in which the correlation parameter, η , and frequency of the velocity-changing collisions parameter, ν vc , diverges to infinity when collisional shift crosses zero; we recommend a simple solution for this problem. [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]

• Piloted turbulent nonpremixed jet flames are studied at high pressure/Re. • Soot inception zone migrates upstream as pressure increases, even for constant U. • Corrugation of OH layer increases as Re increases through density. • Frequency of OH layer separation increases as pressure/Re increase. • OH layer fragments into smaller "islands" as Re increases. A recently commissioned high-pressure combustion duct is used to investigate a family of ten, piloted, sooting, turbulent nonpremixed flames over a range of pressures and Reynolds numbers. For all conditions, the central jet is composed of 35% ethylene and 65% nitrogen by volume. In one series of flames, the Reynolds number is kept constant while the pressure is increased, whereas in the other series, the bulk jet velocity is maintained. The maximum pressure, p , is 5 bar and the maximum Reynolds number, Re, is 50,000. A DSLR camera and 10-kHz OH-PLIF are used to characterized the near field. DSLR camera images show that the length of the blue region immediately downstream of the nozzle decreases as the pressure increases, rapidly in the constant Reynolds number series, and gradually in the constant velocity series. Analysis of OH-PLIF images in the near field show that corrugation of the flame front is fairly insensitive to changes in pressure if the Reynolds number is held constant. As the Reynolds number (and pressure) is increased, the flame front becomes more corrugated and the frequency of OH layer extinction increases. This leads to smaller "islands" of OH that are separated by shorter distances. However, despite increased local extinction, the flames remain attached even as the Reynolds number is increased to more than twice the maximum Reynolds number that is possible at atmospheric pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formic acid (FA) is a potential hydrogen energy carrier and low-carbon fuel by reversing the decomposition products, CO 2 and H 2, back to restore FA without additional carbon release. However, FA-air mixtures feature high ignition energy and low flame speed; hence stabilizing FA-air flames in combustion devices is challenging. This study experimentally investigates the flame stability and emission of swirl flames fueled with pre-vaporized formic acid-methane blends over a wide range of formic acid fuel fractions. Results show that by using a swirl combustor, the premixed formic acid-methane-air flames could be stabilized over a wide range of FA fuel fractions, Reynolds numbers, and swirl numbers. The addition of formic acid increases the equivalence ratios at which the flashback and lean blowout occur. When Reynolds number increases, the equivalence ratio at the flashback limit increases, but that decreases at the lean blowout limit. Increasing the swirl number has a non-monotonic effect on stability limits variation because increasing the swirl number changes the axial velocity on the centerline of the burner throat non-monotonically. In addition, emission characteristics were investigated using a gas analyzer. The CO and NO concentrations were below 20 ppm for all tested conditions, which is comparable to that seen with traditional hydrocarbon fuels, which is in favor of future practical applications with formic acid. • The premixed formic acid-methane-air flames are stabilized for equivalence ratios of 0.5–0.8. • The addition of the formic acid up to mole fraction of 0.6 increases both the flashback and blowout limit. • Increasing the Reynolds number does not affect blow out limits. • The swirl number has a non-monotonous effect on the flashback and lean blowout limits. • The NO and CO emission of the lean formic acid-methane-air flames are low (<20 ppmvd). [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]

In 2004, breast cancer screening will be effective in France. This evolution has a strong impact on our mammographic practice that becomes a real mission of public health. Digital mammography, compared to screen-film mammography, provides the same results for the detection of breast cancer; computer-aided detection systems represent the most relevant application of this technology at this time. The setting up of a quality control will allow the introduction of this technology in screening during 2004. Percutaneous imaging-guided procedures are now currently used for the diagnosis of nonpalpable breast lesions and allow the selection of patients for surgery. These procedures have emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach of the patients. Indications of MRI have not changed because of its moderated specificity and no relevant development of interventional-guided procedures. Work on standardization of radiological reports and assessment categories goes on. This classification is already applied for mammography, and new classifications for lesions detected by ultrasound or MRI will be published by the American College of Radiology (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System, 4th edition, available in 2003). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

• Experimental investigation of differential diffusion effects in NH3-H2-N2 jet flames using 1D quantitative Raman scattering measurements. • Introduction of a diff-diff parameter for ammonia combustion, providing a quantitative measure of the differential diffusion effects. • Identification of strong differential diffusion in the near field of turbulent flames, up to an axial distance of 10 diameters. • Influence of NH3 cracking ratio on the diff-diff parameter, with higher ratios leading to increased differential diffusion, particularly in the low-temperature region. • Persistence of differential diffusion effects in the far field, as reflected in NH3/H2 profiles converging to a Le = 1-like profile with an increased NH3/H2 ratio. Differential diffusion (diff-diff) effects are analyzed in both non-premixed laminar and turbulent NH 3 -H 2 -N 2 jet flames at 5 bar using 1D quantitative Raman scattering measurements. The two target flames feature fuel compositions simulating a 14% and a 28% NH 3 cracking ratio. A diff-diff parameter is introduced for ammonia combustion, analogous to the definition used for hydrocarbon flames. Measurements in laminar flames, compared to Chemkin simulation featuring multi-component transport show that the instrument is capable of measuring the mean diff-diff parameter, but that single-shot measurements are compromised by the large sensitivity of the parameter to errors in N 2 and NH 3 mass fractions. The analysis of the diff-diff parameter in turbulent flames shows that both flames have strong differential diffusion in the near field up to an axial distance of 10 diameters (Z/D = 10), then the turbulent mixing becomes dominant further downstream. The flame with a 28% NH 3 cracking ratio exhibits a higher diff-diff parameter especially in the low-temperature region (<1000 K) due to the higher H 2 content. The competition between differential diffusion and turbulent mixing in the near field is also reflected in the NH 3 , H 2 , and NH 3 /H 2 profiles, falling in between prediction for Le = 1 and multi-component transport. Interestingly the NH 3 /H 2 profiles in the far field converge to a profile matching that of Le = 1, but with an increased NH 3 /H 2 ratio, showing the persistence of the differential diffusion effects in the region dominated by turbulent mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report revisited experimentally retrieved and theoretically calculated He-broadened Lorentz half-width coefficients and He- pressure-shift coefficients of 45 carbon monoxide transitions in the 1←0 band. The spectra analyzed in this study were recorded over a range of temperatures between 79 and 296 K. The He-broadened line parameters and their temperature dependences were retrieved using a multispectrum nonlinear least squares analysis program. The line shape models used in this study include Voigt, speed dependent Voigt, Rautian (to take into account confinement narrowing) and Rautian with speed dependence, all with an asymmetric component added to account for weak line mixing effects. We were unable to retrieve the temperature dependence of line mixing coefficients. A classical method was used to determine the He-narrowing parameters while quantum dynamical calculations were performed to determine He-broadening and He-pressure shifts coefficients at different temperatures. The line mixing coefficients were also derived from the exponential power gap law and the energy corrected sudden approximation. The current measurements and theoretical results are compared with other published results, where appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MILD combustion of CH 4 is experimentally studied in model combustor. • Inverse-diffusion flame configuration improves flame stability in MILD combustion. • MILD combustion is not sustainable in smaller loads. • Flame response is more sensitive to operating parameters in swirling combustion. MILD (moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution) combustion is a promising technology for mitigating NOx emission from fuel combustion, but the combustion stability becomes an issue when using low-preheat air due to the slower reaction at the burner exit. In this study, an inverse-diffusion flame (IDF) burner configuration is proposed to enhance the combustion stability of MILD regime. The burner features an earlier preheat of fuel stream instead of usually adopted air stream, and can be also operated in traditional diffusion swirling combustion mode. Experiments are conducted in a model combustor to examine the effect of varying burner load (P) and equivalence ratio (φ) on flame topology, pollutant (CO and NO) emission performance, as well as flame emitting spectrum for this burner. It shows that increasing P can enhance the combustion stabilities of both swirling mode and MILD mode, and MILD combustion is found unable to be sustained when P is lower than 2 kW. Increasing φ enlarges the flame liftoff distance under swirling combustion, but has a much smaller effect on MILD combustion. Emission data shows a nearly 50 % reduction of NO by MILD combustion comparing to swirling combustion in all operating cases. Spectra analysis suggests a higher sensitivity of the flame response to the operating parameters under swirling combustion in respect to MILD combustion. A longer combustion chamber is found to produce a lower CO emission but has negligible effect on NO emission. Flow field and temperature distributions by further numerical simulation clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of fuel preheat by adopting IDF burner configuration for enhancing the flame stability when adopting normal temperature air in MILD combustion. [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]

The external- and self-excited premixed swirling flames are experimentally studied to understand the thermoacoustic instabilities under different injector sizes. We use high-speed CH* chemiluminescence, formaldehyde laser-induced fluorescence and particle image velocimetry to measure the dynamic characteristics of the flame surface and flow field. Reducing the size of the injector from 20 mm to 16 mm changes the thermoacoustic system's stability. The flame transfer function shows that reducing the size of the injector significantly reduces the phase delay, enhances the response amplitude, and annihilates the local gain extrema. The low-order network model analysis is performed, and it is found that the phase variation caused by changing injector size is the main reason for the induced thermoacoustic instability. The pixel-by-pixel decomposition of CH* images is used to extract the weighted gain and phase maps of local heat release oscillation. The swirling flame with a small injector size of 16 mm has a short time delay and a slow phase velocity, which results in strong in-phase interference of the local heat release oscillators and enhanced gains. Reducing the size of the injector strengthens the inner and outer shear layers, thereby suppressing the heat release fluctuation of the flame base. The enhanced vorticity supply of the shear layer increases the size and strength of the outer vortex ring, resulting in strong heat release fluctuations at the flame tip, which is responsible for its large unadulterated fluctuation intensity. These changes in the flow field change the relative heat release intensity and fluctuation amplitude between the flame base and tip. The out-of-phase interference among multiple vortices causes weak flame response at high frequencies. [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]