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Investigations of microwave stimulation of a turbulent low-swirl flame
- Source :
- Proceedings of the Combustion Institute; 36(3), pp 4121-4128 (2017), Proceedings of the Combustion Institute
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Elsevier, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Irradiating a flame by microwave radiation is one of several plasma-assisted combustion (PAC) technologies that can be used to modify the combustion chemical kinetics in order to improve flame-stability and to delay lean blow-out. One practical implication is that engines may be able to operate with leaner fuel mixtures and have an improved fuel flexibility capability including biofuels. In addition, this technology may assist in reducing thermoacoustic instabilities that may severely damage the engine and increase emission production. To examine microwave-assisted combustion a combined experimental and computational study of microwave-assisted combustion is performed for a lean, turbulent, swirl-stabilized, stratified flame at atmospheric conditions. The objectives are to demonstrate that the technology increases both the laminar and turbulent flame speeds, and modifies the chemical kinetics, enhancing the flame-stability at lean mixtures. The study combines experimental investigations using hydroxyl (OH) and formaldehyde (CH2O) Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and numerical simulations using finite rate chemistry Large Eddy Simulations (LES). The reaction mechanism is based on a methane (CH4)–air skeletal mechanism expanded with sub-mechanisms for ozone, singlet oxygen, chemionization, electron impact dissociation, ionization and attachment. The experimental and computational results show similar trends, and are used to demonstrate and explain some significant aspects of microwave-enhanced combustion. Both simulation and experimental studies are performed close to lean blow off conditions. In the simulations, the flame is gradually subjected to increasing reduced electric field strengths, resulting in a wider flame that stabilizes nearer to the burner nozzle. Experiments are performed at two equivalence ratios, where the leaner case absorbs up to more than 5% of the total flame power. Data from experiments reveal trends similar to simulated results with increased microwave absorption.
- Subjects :
- Turbulent combustion
Other Physics Topics
020209 energy
General Chemical Engineering
Nozzle
Analytical chemistry
Energy Engineering
02 engineering and technology
Combustion
01 natural sciences
7. Clean energy
Methane
010305 fluids & plasmas
chemistry.chemical_compound
Laser-induced fluorescence
0103 physical sciences
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Large eddy simulations
Premixed flame
Mechanical Engineering
Diffusion flame
Laminar flow
Mechanics
Plasma-assisted combustion
Adiabatic flame temperature
chemistry
13. Climate action
Combustor
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15407489
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the Combustion Institute; 36(3), pp 4121-4128 (2017), Proceedings of the Combustion Institute
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fc84f93d3fd9a6724d1fd3d65e818aa8