Auto-ignition of near-ambient temperature H2/air mixtures during flame-vortex interaction

International audienceThis paper demonstrates auto-ignition in reactants at approximately 350 K, upstream of curved H 2 /air flame surfaces during flame/vortex interaction. Temperature fields were measured using laser Rayleigh scattering during head-on interactions of toroidal-vortices with stagnation flames. Repeatable ignition occurred along the ring of the vortex-slightly towards the center-when it was approximately 1 mm upstream of the wrinkled flame surface. The resultant outwardly propagating toroidal flame led to approximately twice the volumetric heat release rate over the duration of the interaction. The ignition occurred in a region of low fluid dynamic strain rate that was farther from the flame than the region of maximum vorticity. Evidence of additional ignition pockets was found upstream of other flame wrinkles, preferentially near the highest magnitude flame curvatures. Different hypotheses for explaining this observation are discussed. The possibility of substantial heat release driven by auto-ignition and complicated diffusion has implications for reaction rate closure models and transport models used in turbulent combustion simulations

Isolating strain and curvature effects in premixed flame/vortex interactions

This study focuses on the response of premixed flames to a transient hydrodynamic perturbation in an intermediate situation between laminar stretched flames and turbulent flames: an axisymmetric vortex interacting with a flame. The reasons motivating this choice are discussed in the framework of turbulent combustion models and flame response to the stretch rate. We experimentally quantify the dependence of the flame kinematic properties (displacement and consumption speeds) to geometrical scalars (stretch rate and curvature) in flames characterized by different effective Lewis numbers. Whilst the displacement speed can be readily measured using particle image velocimetry and tomographic diagnostics, providing a reliable estimate of the consumption speed from experiments remains particularly challenging. In the present work, a method based on a budget of fuel on a well chosen domain is proposed and validated both experimentally and numerically using two-dimensional direct numerical simulations of flame/vortex interactions. It is demonstrated that the Lewis number impact neither the geometrical nor the kinematic features of the flames, these quantities being much more influenced by the vortex intensity. While interacting with the vortex, the flame displacement (at an isotherm close to the leading edge) and consumption speeds are found to increase almost independently of the type of fuel. We show that the total stretch rate is not the only scalar quantity impacting the flame displacement and consumption speeds and that curvature has a significant influence. Experimental data are interpreted in the light of asymptotic theories revealing the existence of two distinct Markstein numbers, one characterizing the dependence of flame speed to curvature, the other to the total stretch rate. This theory appears to be well suited for representing the evolution of the displacement speed with respect to either the total stretch rate, curvature or strain rate. It also explains the limited dependence of the flame displacement speed to Lewis number and the strong correlation with curvature observed in the experiments. An explicit relationship between displacement and consumption speeds is also given, indicating that the fuel consumption rate is likely to be altered by both the total stretch rate and curvature

Interaction entre une flamme de prémélange et une structure tourbillonnaire

Understanding and predicting the different mechanisms at play in turbulent premixed flames is a tremendously difficult issue for sizing or optimizing many combustion systems. Turbulent reactive flows are characterized by a complex interaction between the fluid motion, the inherent heat generated by the flame and turbulence. This challenge being extremely difficult to meet, the study of the interactions between a flat flame and a toroidal vortex provide an ideal canonical framework to better understand the physical mechanisms at play. In this perspective, experimental studies were carried out using a stagnation burner fed by a premixed fuel and air (methane/air,propane/air, hydrogen/air). A panel of experimental techniques as well as numerical tools have been used to characterize thoroughly the flame/vortex interactions. By modifying the equivalence ratio, the mixture composition and the vortex intensity, the temporal evolution of the interaction enable the extraction of the flame surface, the flame front stretch and curvature as well as the displacement/consumption speeds. In addition, the internal flame structure is deeply investigated by decomposing the flame front into a preheat zone and a reaction zone.Comprendre et prédire les différents mécanismes en jeu dans les flammes prémélangées turbulentes est un enjeu crucial pour le dimensionnement ou l’optimisation de nombreux systèmes de combustion. Les écoulements réactifs turbulents se caractérisent par une interaction complexe entre les mouvements hydrodynamiques, le dégagement de chaleur produit par la flamme et la turbulence. Ce défi étant extrêmement difficile à relever, l’étude préalable des interactions entre une flamme plane et une structure tourbillonnaire fournit un cadre canonique idéal pour mieux appréhender et comprendre les mécanismes physiques à l’oeuvre. Dans cette perspective, des études expérimentales ont été réalisées utilisant un brûleur à jet impactant alimenté par un prémélange (méthane/air, propane/air, hydrogène/air). Un panel de techniques expérimentales ainsi que des outils numériques ont été utilisés pour caractériser finement les interactions entre une flamme de prémélange et un vortex toroïdal. En modifiant la richesse et la composition du mélange ainsi que l’intensité du vortex, le suivi temporel de l’interaction a permis d’extraire différentes informations telles que la dynamique de la surface de flamme, de l’étirement et de la courbure du front de flamme ainsi que les vitesses de déplacement/consommation. De surcroit, la structure interne du front de flamme a été étudiée en la décomposant en une zone de préchauffage et une zone de réaction

A premixed flame interacting with a toroidal vortex

Comprendre et prédire les différents mécanismes en jeu dans les flammes prémélangées turbulentes est un enjeu crucial pour le dimensionnement ou l’optimisation de nombreux systèmes de combustion. Les écoulements réactifs turbulents se caractérisent par une interaction complexe entre les mouvements hydrodynamiques, le dégagement de chaleur produit par la flamme et la turbulence. Ce défi étant extrêmement difficile à relever, l’étude préalable des interactions entre une flamme plane et une structure tourbillonnaire fournit un cadre canonique idéal pour mieux appréhender et comprendre les mécanismes physiques à l’oeuvre. Dans cette perspective, des études expérimentales ont été réalisées utilisant un brûleur à jet impactant alimenté par un prémélange (méthane/air, propane/air, hydrogène/air). Un panel de techniques expérimentales ainsi que des outils numériques ont été utilisés pour caractériser finement les interactions entre une flamme de prémélange et un vortex toroïdal. En modifiant la richesse et la composition du mélange ainsi que l’intensité du vortex, le suivi temporel de l’interaction a permis d’extraire différentes informations telles que la dynamique de la surface de flamme, de l’étirement et de la courbure du front de flamme ainsi que les vitesses de déplacement/consommation. De surcroit, la structure interne du front de flamme a été étudiée en la décomposant en une zone de préchauffage et une zone de réaction.Understanding and predicting the different mechanisms at play in turbulent premixed flames is a tremendously difficult issue for sizing or optimizing many combustion systems. Turbulent reactive flows are characterized by a complex interaction between the fluid motion, the inherent heat generated by the flame and turbulence. This challenge being extremely difficult to meet, the study of the interactions between a flat flame and a toroidal vortex provide an ideal canonical framework to better understand the physical mechanisms at play. In this perspective, experimental studies were carried out using a stagnation burner fed by a premixed fuel and air (methane/air,propane/air, hydrogen/air). A panel of experimental techniques as well as numerical tools have been used to characterize thoroughly the flame/vortex interactions. By modifying the equivalence ratio, the mixture composition and the vortex intensity, the temporal evolution of the interaction enable the extraction of the flame surface, the flame front stretch and curvature as well as the displacement/consumption speeds. In addition, the internal flame structure is deeply investigated by decomposing the flame front into a preheat zone and a reaction zone

Development of an optically accessible apparatus to characterize the evolution of spherically expanding flames under constant volume conditions

International audienceFlame speed is extremely important as it affects the performances of many industrial systems. More- over, its significance makes it a major target for the validation of kinetic mechanisms, which explains the necessity to provide ever more accurate data. Flame speed dependence on pressure and temperature conditions is interestingly assessed using, among others, spherically expanding flame in constant volume chambers. In these conditions, the flame speed derivation, based solely on the pressure evolution in the chamber, requires empirical models. The current study describes a perfectly spherical chamber with full optical access allowing simultaneous recording of the pressure inside the chamber and, fully innovative, of the flame radius evolution until the flame vanishes at wall. A careful description of the new set-up and of the accuracy of the measurements, in particular of the flame radius, is presented here. In parallel with experiments, one-dimensional transient simulations were carried out to identify the limits of the proposed new method. Then, the simultaneous use of pressure and flame radius information is compared to the traditional constant volume method based on empirical models. A first advantage relies in the direct detection of the development of instabilities during the flame propagation. In addition, although the flame speed is extremely sensitive to the flame radius determination, the actual experimental accuracy allows significant improvements in terms of accuracy, notably as initial pressure and temperature are elevated. This new set-up will allow major advances in the measurement of laminar flame velocity under extreme thermodynamic conditions

Understanding the antagonistic effect of methanol as a component in surrogate fuel models: A case study of methanol/n-heptane mixtures

Methanol is a widely used engine fuel, blend component, and additive. However, no systematic auto-ignition data or laminar flame speed measurements are available for kinetic studies of the effect of methanol as a blending or additive component. In this work, both ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds of pure methanol, n-heptane and their blends at various blending ratios were measured at engine-relevant conditions. Results show that increasing methanol in a blend promotes reactivity at high temperatures and inhibits it at low temperatures, with the crossover temperature occurring at approximately 970¿980 K with it being almost independent of pressure. The experimental data measured in this work, together with those in the literature are used to validate NUIGMech1.1, which predicts well the experimental ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds of the pure fuels and their blends over a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, kinetic analyses were conducted to reveal the effects of methanol addition on the oxidation pathways of n-heptane and the dominant reactions determining the fuel reactivities. It is found that competition for ¿H radicals between methanol and n-heptane plays an important role in the auto-ignition of the fuel blends at low temperatures. At high temperatures, methanol produces higher concentrations of H¿2 radicals which produce two ¿H radicals either through the production of H2O2 and its subsequent decomposition or through direct reaction with ¿ atoms. This promotes the high temperature reactivity of methanol/n-heptane mixtures for ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds, respectively.This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51722603). The work at NUI Galway is supported by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) via grant awards 15/IA/3177 and 16/SP/3829. Yingtao Wu would like to thank the financial support from the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806280105). Jinhu Liang acknowledges the support from the International Scientific Cooperation Projects of Key R&D Programs (201803D421101).peer-reviewe