Flame Structure of a Jet Flame with Penetration of Side Micro-jets

In this paper, an innovative jet lifted flame with side micro-jets has been proposed and its effects on the flame structure have also been investigated. Due to the changes of the initial combustion conditions, mixing and aerodynamics which resulted from the perturbation of the side micro-jets, such a lifted jet flame has different flame structure compared with the common premixed flame. Results demonstrate that use of the micro-jets can control, to a certain extent, the flame structure, including the flame length, lift-off distance and blow-off limit. With the same fuel and air flow rate, the flame length with the side micro-jets will decrease about 5%-40% as the air volume ratio a increases from 58%-76%. Compared with the common diffusion flame, the jet flame with the side micro-jets demonstrates to be easier to be a momentum-dominated flame. The flame length with 2 micro-jets is about 5% less than with 6 micro-jets under the same fuel and air flow rate. With the same a, the fewer number of the controlled jets lead to the flame with relatively shorter length, not easier to be blown off and higher NOx emission. With certain fuel flow rate, the critical air volume ratio is largest for the flame with 3 micro-jets, which is more difficult to be blown off than the cases with 2, 4 or 6 micro-jets.

A numerical investigation in buoyancy effects on micro jet diffusion flame

The buoyancy effect on micro hydrogen jet flames in still air was numerially studied.The results show that when the jet velocity is relatively large(V≥0.2 m/s),the flame height,width and temperature decrease,whereas the peak OH mass fraction increases significantly under normal gravity(g=9.8 m/s^2).For a very low jet velocity(e.g.,V=0.1 m/s),both the peak OH mass fraction and flame temperature under g=9.8 m/s^2 are lower than the counterparts under g=0 m/s^2.Analysis reveals that when V≥0.2 m/s,fuel/air mixing will be promoted and combustion will be intensified due to radial flow caused by the buoyancy effect.However,the flame temperature will be slightly decreased owing to the large amount of entrainment of cold air into the reaction zone.For V=0.1 m/s,since the heat release rate is very low,the entrainment of cold air and fuel leakage from the rim of tube exit lead to a significant drop of flame temperature.Meanwhile,the heat loss rate from fuel to inner tube wall is larger under g=9.8 m/s^2 compared to that under g=0 m/s^2.Therefore,the buoyancy effect is overall negative at very low jet velocities.

A dual timescale model for micro-mixing and its application in LES-TPDF simulations of turbulent nonpremixed flames

The numerical simulation of modern aero-engine combustion chamber needs accurate description of the interaction between turbulence and chemical reaction mechanism. The Large Eddy Simulation(LES) method with the Transported Probability Density Function(TPDF) turbulence combustion model is promising in engineering applications. In flame region, the impact of chemical reaction should be considered in TPDF molecular mixing model. Based on pioneer research, three new TPDF turbulence-chemistry dual time scale molecular mixing models were proposed tentatively by adding the chemistry time scale in molecular mixing model for nonpremixed flame. The Aero-Engine Combustor Simulation Code(AECSC) which is based on LES-TPDF method was combined with the three new models. Then the Sandia laboratory's methane-air jet flames: Flame D and Flame E were simulated. Transient simulation results show that all the three new models can predict the instantaneous combustion flow pattern of the jet flames. Furthermore,the average scalar statistical results were compared with the experimental data. The simulation result of the new TPDF arithmetic mean modification model is the closest to the experimental data:the average error in Flame D is 7.6% and 6.6% in Flame E. The extinction and re-ignition phenomena of the jet flames especially Flame E were captured. The turbulence time scale and the chemistry time scale are in different order in the whole flow field. The dual time scale TPDF combustion model has ability to deal with both the turbulence effect and the chemistry reaction effect, as well as their interaction more accurately for nonpremixed flames.

Auto-ignition and stabilization mechanism of diluted H_2 jet flame

The controllable active thermo-atmosphere combustor(CATAC) has become a utilizable and effective facility because it benefits the optical diagnostics and modeling. This paper presents the modeling research of the auto-ignition and flames of the H2/N2(H2/CH4/N2,or H2/H2O2/N2) mixture on a CATAC,and shows curves varying with temperatures of auto-ignition delay,the height of the site of auto-ignition of lifted flames,and flame lift-off height. The results of auto-ignition delay and the lift-off height are compared the experimental results to validate the model. A turning point can be seen on each curve,identified with criterion temperature. It can be concluded that when the co-flow temperature is higher than the criterion temperature,the auto-ignition and lifted flame of the mixture are not stable. Conversely,below the criterion temperature,the mixture will auto-ignite in a stable fashion. Stabilization mechanisms of auto-ignition and lifted flames are analyzed in terms of the criterion temperature.

Stability of Gas Diffusion Flame in Laterally Confined Space

Lateral-confined coaxial jet diffusion flame is common in micro thrusters,and the specific impulse is mainly obtained through thermodynamic calculations with an assumption of fuel combustion with an equivalence ratio,regardless of the stability of the combustion process.However,the flame behavior plays an important impact on the performance of a micro thruster through the varied combustion efficiency.The stability of confined coaxial jet diffusion flames with air coflow was studied by experiments and numerical simulation.Methane,hydrogen,and propane were used as fuels.Flame attachment,liftoff,blowout(extinction limits of lifted flame),and blowoff(extinction limits of attached flame) behaviors with the effect of confinement ratios and fuel properties were focused on.Among the range of the jet flow velocity in this research,the hydrogen flame is always attached to the jet exit,the flame tip goes from closed to open as the jet velocity increases,while the flame transitions from attachment to liftoff in the case of CH_(4) and C_(3)H_(8) .Further,in a narrow confined space,the attached flame for both CH4 and C_(3)H_(8) undergoes liftoff followed by blowout.However,in a space with a high confinement ratio,the CH4 flame transitions directly from attachment to blowoff.The critical modified Craya-Curtet number,which is used to predict the onset of the recirculation,is determined through simulation and experiment,and the number is about 1.77.This work provides valuable data on flame stability inside a confined space and gives insights into the design of a thruster.