Swirl diffusion flame control by the plasma swirler

In this paper, the design of plasma swirler is presented in detail. The experiments were carded out to verify the feasibility of using plasma swirler to control diffusion flame. The plasma swider consists of multiple electrodes with staggered arrangement on both sides of combustor＇s expansion section. The plasma swirler can enhance combustion stability through ionizing the air to produce active free radical and promoting the swirling air. In the experiments, the flame response to the plasma swider was examined with OH distribution by planar laser induced fluorescence （PLIF）. The experimental results showed that the flame reaction zone was broadened with the increase of the plasma exciting, and this demonstrated that the plasma swirler could be used to control diffusion flame. The design of plasma swirler is feasible.