Showing papers in "Combustion Theory and Modelling in 2014"

Development and validation of an n-dodecane skeletal mechanism for spray combustion applications

Abstract: n-Dodecane is a promising surrogate fuel for diesel engine study because its physicochemical properties are similar to those of the practical diesel fuels. In the present study, a skeletal mechanism for n-dodecane with 105 species and 420 reactions was developed for spray combustion simulations. The reduction starts from the most recent detailed mechanism for n-alkanes consisting of 2755 species and 11,173 reactions developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An algorithm combining direct relation graph with expert knowledge (DRGX) and sensitivity analysis was employed for the present skeletal reduction. The skeletal mechanism was first extensively validated in 0-D and 1-D combustion systems, including auto-ignition, jet stirred reactor (JSR), laminar premixed flame and counter flow diffusion flame. Then it was coupled with well-established spray models and further validated in 3-D turbulent spray combustion simulations under engine-like conditions. These simulations were compared with the re...

Comparison of well-mixed and multiple representative interactive flamelet approaches for diesel spray combustion modelling

Abstract: The application of detailed chemistry to the computational fluid dynamics simulation of combustion process in diesel engines has many potentials, including the possibility to predict auto-ignition, diffusion flame structure, stabilisation and soot formation in a wide range of operating conditions, also taking into account the effects of different fuel types. Among the approaches that were proposed over the years, the ones that are mostly used in practical calculations can be divided into two main categories: the first assumes each cell to be a well-stirred reactor, while the second employs the flamelet assumption to describe both auto-ignition and turbulent diffusion flame propagation. Despite the fact that both types of model have been widely validated over the years, a detailed comparison between them appears to be very useful in order to understand better the relevant parameters governing auto-ignition, flame stabilisation and the formation of pollutant emissions. This work is focused on a comparison of two different combustion models that were recently implemented by the authors in an open-source code. The first assumes each cell to be a homogeneous reactor and neglects interaction between turbulence and chemistry, while in the second, multiple laminar flamelets are used to represent the structure of a turbulent diffusion flame. Suitable techniques for online reaction rate tabulation and chemical mechanism reduction are also incorporated, to make the use of bigger mechanisms possible (up to 150 species). The two models are compared and validated by simulating constant-volume diesel combustion in a wide range of operating conditions, including variations of ambient temperature and oxygen concentration. Comparison between the computed and experimental data on flame structure, auto-ignition and flame lift-off enables an understanding of the main relevant differences between the models in the way both auto-ignition and flame stabilisation processes are predicted.

Modelling of turbulent lifted jet flames using flamelets: a priori assessment and a posteriori validation

Abstract: This study focuses on the modelling of turbulent lifted jet flames using flamelets and a presumed Probability Density Function (PDF) approach with interest in both flame lift-off height and flame brush structure. First, flamelet models used to capture contributions from premixed and non-premixed modes of the partially premixed combustion in the lifted jet flame are assessed using a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data for a turbulent lifted hydrogen jet flame. The joint PDFs of mixture fraction Z and progress variable c, including their statistical correlation, are obtained using a copula method, which is also validated using the DNS data. The statistically independent PDFs are found to be generally inadequate to represent the joint PDFs from the DNS data. The effects of Z–c correlation and the contribution from the non-premixed combustion mode on the flame lift-off height are studied systematically by including one effect at a time in the simulations used for a posteriori validation. A simple model inc...

Influence of turbulence–chemistry interaction for n-heptane spray combustion under diesel engine conditions with emphasis on soot formation and oxidation

Abstract: The influence of the turbulence–chemistry interaction (TCI) for n-heptane sprays under diesel engine conditions has been investigated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The conditional moment closure approach, which has been previously validated thoroughly for such flows, and the homogeneous reactor (i.e. no turbulent combustion model) approach have been compared, in view of the recent resurgence of the latter approaches for diesel engine CFD. Experimental data available from a constant-volume combustion chamber have been used for model validation purposes for a broad range of conditions including variations in ambient oxygen (8‑21% by vol.), ambient temperature (900 and 1000 K) and ambient density (14.8 and 30 kg/m3). The results from both numerical approaches have been compared to the experimental values of ignition delay (ID), flame lift-off length (LOL), and soot volume fraction distributions. TCI was found to have a weak influence on ignition delay for the conditions simulate...

Effects of combined dimension reduction and tabulation on the simulations of a turbulent premixed flame using a large-eddy simulation/probability density function method

Abstract: A turbulent lean-premixed propane–air flame stabilised by a triangular cylinder as a flame-holder is simulated to assess the accuracy and computational efficiency of combined dimension reduction and tabulation of chemistry. The computational condition matches the Volvo rig experiments. For the reactive simulation, the Lagrangian Large-Eddy Simulation/Probability Density Function (LES/PDF) formulation is used. A novel two-way coupling approach between LES and PDF is applied to obtain resolved density to reduce its statistical fluctuations. Composition mixing is evaluated by the modified Interaction-by-Exchange with the Mean (IEM) model. A baseline case uses In Situ Adaptive Tabulation (ISAT) to calculate chemical reactions efficiently. Its results demonstrate good agreement with the experimental measurements in turbulence statistics, temperature, and minor species mass fractions. For dimension reduction, 11 and 16 represented species are chosen and a variant of Rate Controlled Constrained Equilibrium (RCCE...

High-order algorithms for compressible reacting flow with complex chemistry

Abstract: In this paper we describe a numerical algorithm for integrating the multicomponent, reacting, compressible Navier–Stokes equations, targeted for direct numerical simulation of combustion phenomena The algorithm addresses two shortcomings of previous methods First, it incorporates an eighth-order narrow stencil approximation of diffusive terms that reduces the communication compared to existing methods and removes the need to use a filtering algorithm to remove Nyquist frequency oscillations that are not damped with traditional approaches The methodology also incorporates a multirate temporal integration strategy that provides an efficient mechanism for treating chemical mechanisms that are stiff relative to fluid dynamical time-scales The overall methodology is eighth order in space with options for fourth order to eighth order in time The implementation uses a hybrid programming model designed for effective utilisation of many-core architectures We present numerical results demonstrating the conver

The role of cool-flame chemistry in quasi-steady combustion and extinction of n-heptane droplets

Abstract: Experiments on the combustion of large n-heptane droplets, performed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the International Space Station, revealed a second stage of continued quasi-steady burning, supported by low-temperature chemistry, that follows radiative extinction of the first stage of burning, which is supported by normal hot-flame chemistry. The second stage of combustion experienced diffusive extinction, after which a large vapour cloud was observed to form around the droplet. In the present work, a 770-step reduced chemical-kinetic mechanism and a new 62-step skeletal chemical-kinetic mechanism, developed as an extension of an earlier 56-step mechanism, are employed to calculate the droplet burning rates, flame structures, and extinction diameters for this cool-flame regime. The calculations are performed for quasi-steady burning with the mixture fraction as the independent variable, which is then related to the physical variables of droplet combustion. The predictions with t...

Inverse analysis and regularisation in conditional source-term estimation modelling

Abstract: Conditional Source-term Estimation (CSE) obtains the conditional species mass fractions by inverting a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. In the present work, a Bayesian framework is used to compare two different regularisation methods: zeroth-order temporal Tikhonov regulatisation and first-order spatial Tikhonov regularisation. The objectives of the current study are: (i) to elucidate the ill-posedness of the inverse problem; (ii) to understand the origin of the perturbations in the data and quantify their magnitude; (iii) to quantify the uncertainty in the solution using different priors; and (iv) to determine the regularisation method best suited to this problem. A singular value decomposition shows that the current inverse problem is ill-posed. Perturbations to the data may be caused by the use of a discrete mixture fraction grid for calculating the mixture fraction PDF. The magnitude of the perturbations is estimated using a box filter and the uncertainty in the solution is determined bas...

A posteriori testing of the flame surface density transport equation for LES

Abstract: Flame Surface Density (FSD) models for Large Eddy Simulation (LES) are implemented and tested for a canonical configuration and a practical bluff body stabilised burner, comparing common algebraic closures with a transport equation closure in the context of turbulent premixed combustion. The transported method is expected to yield advantages over algebraic closures, as the equilibrium of subgrid production and destruction of FSD is no longer enforced and resolved processes of strain, propagation and curvature are explicitly accounted for. These advantages might have the potential to improve the ability to capture large-scale unsteady flame propagation in situations with combustion instabilities or situations where the flame encounters progressive wrinkling with time. The initial study of a propagating turbulent flame in wind-tunnel turbulence shows that the Algebraic Flame Surface Density (FSDA) method can predict an excessively wrinkled flame under fine grid conditions, potentially increasing the consump...

Kinetic parameters, collision rates, energy exchanges and transport coefficients of non-thermal electrons in premixed flames at sub-breakdown electric field strengths

Abstract: The effects of an electric field on the collision rates, energy exchanges and transport properties of electrons in premixed flames are investigated via solutions to the Boltzmann kinetic equation. The case of high electric field strength, which results in high-energy, non-thermal electrons, is analysed in detail at sub-breakdown conditions. The rates of inelastic collisions and the energy exchange between electrons and neutrals in the reaction zone of the flame are characterised quantitatively. The analysis includes attachment, ionisation, impact dissociation, and vibrational and electronic excitation processes. Our results suggest that Townsend breakdown occurs for E/N = 140 Td. Vibrational excitation is the dominant process up to breakdown, despite important rates of electronic excitation of CO, CO2 and N2 as well as impact dissociation of O2 being apparent from 50 Td onwards. Ohmic heating in the reaction zone is found to be negligible (less than 2% of peak heat release rate) up to breakdown field stre...

Acoustic timescale characterisation of a one-dimensional model hot spot

Abstract: Hot spots have been shown to be the autoignition centre in reactive mixtures. Linear temperature gradients and thermal stratification are used to characterise their behaviour. In this work, a model hot spot is considered by combining a linear temperature gradient with a constant temperature plateau. This approach retains the simplicity of a linear temperature gradient, but captures the effects of a local temperature maximum of finite size. A one-step Arrhenius reaction for H2–air is used to model the reactive mixture. Plateaus of three different initial sizes spanning two orders of magnitude are simulated. Each length corresponds to a different ratio of excitation time to acoustic time. It is shown that ratios less than unity react at nearly isochoric conditions while ratios greater than unity react at nearly isobaric conditions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the gasdynamic response is characterised by the a priori prescribed hot spot acoustic timescale ratio. Based upon the prescribed timescale ra...

Localised forced ignition of globally stoichiometric stratified mixtures: A numerical investigation

Abstract: Localised forced ignition of globally stoichiometric stratified mixtures (i.e. =1.0) has been analysed here based on direct numerical simulations for different initial values of velocity and equivalence ratio fluctuations (i.e. u′ and φ′), and the Taylor micro-scale lφ of equivalence ratio φ variation. The localised ignition is accounted for by a source term in the energy transport equation which deposits energy over a stipulated time interval. It has been found that combustion takes place predominantly under premixed mode in the case of successful ignition. The initial values of φ′ and lφ have been found to have significant effects on the extent of burning of stratified mixtures following localised ignition. It has been found that an increase in u′(φ′) has adverse effects on the burned gas mass, whereas the effects of lφ on the extent of burning are non-monotonic and dependent on φ′. Detailed physical explanations have been provided for the observed u′, φ′ and lφ dependences on the extent of burnin...

Application and theoretical analysis of the flamelet model for supersonic turbulent combustion flows in the scramjet engine

Abstract: In the framework of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulation, supersonic turbulent combustion flows at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) combustor and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) integrated scramjet engine are numerically simulated using the flamelet model. Based on the DLR combustor case, theoretical analysis and numerical experiments conclude that: the finite rate model only implicitly considers the large-scale turbulent effect and, due to the lack of the small-scale non-equilibrium effect, it would overshoot the peak temperature compared to the flamelet model in general. Furthermore, high-Mach-number compressibility affects the flamelet model mainly through two ways: the spatial pressure variation and the static enthalpy variation due to the kinetic energy. In the flamelet library, the mass fractions of the intermediate species, e.g. OH, are more sensible to the above two effects than the main species such as H2O. Additionally, in the combustion flowfield where the pressure is larger th...

The differential diffusion effect of the intermediate species on the stability of premixed flames propagating in microchannels

Abstract: The propagation of premixed flames in adiabatic and non-catalytic planar microchannels subject to an assisted or opposed Poiseuille flow is considered. The diffusive–thermal model and the well-known two-step chain-branching kinetics are used in order to investigate the role of the differential diffusion of the intermediate species on the spatial and temporal flame stability. This numerical study successfully compares steady-state and time-dependent computations to the linear stability analysis of the problem. Results show that for fuel Lewis numbers less than unity, LeF < 1, and at sufficiently large values of the opposed Poiseuille flow rate, symmetry-breaking bifurcation arises. It is seen that small values of the radical Lewis number, LeZ, stabilise the flame to symmetric shape solutions, but result in earlier flashback. For very lean flames, the effect of the radical on the flame stabilisation becomes less important due to the small radical concentration typically found in the reaction zone. Cellular ...

High fidelity radiative heat transfer models for high-pressure laminar hydrogen–air diffusion flames

Abstract: Radiative heat transfer is studied numerically for high-pressure laminar H2–air jet diffusion flames, with pressure ranging from 1 to 30 bar. Water vapour is assumed to be the only radiatively participating species. Two different radiation models are employed, the first being the full spectrum k-distribution model together with conventional Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) solvers. Narrowband k-distributions of water vapour are calculated and databased from the HITEMP 2010 database, which claims to retain accuracy up to 4000 K. The full-spectrum k-distributions are assembled from their narrowband counterparts to yield high accuracy with little additional computational cost. The RTE is solved using various spherical harmonics methods, such as P1, simplified P3 (SP3) and simplified P5 (SP5). The resulting partial differential equations as well as other transport equations in the laminar diffusion flames are discretized with the finite-volume method in OpenFOAM®. The second radiation model is a Photon Monte...

Impact of acoustic pressure on autoignition and heat release

Abstract: A feedback mechanism for thermoacoustic pulsations in gas turbine reheat combustors is proposed and investigated, namely the impact of acoustic pressure waves on the reaction kinetics of autoignition. An analytical model framework is developed, which represents the combustor as a plug flow reactor. This analogy allows one to derive modulations of the heat release rate as a result of the history of pressure perturbations during the autoignition process. Numerical studies are conducted on homogeneous reactors with detailed chemistry simulations, in order to assess quantitatively the pressure sensitivity of the reaction kinetics of autoignition. From such sensitivities, flame transfer functions of autoignition flames are derived. The expressions obtained are successfully compared with time-domain simulations in one-dimensional space, and used in acoustic network models for stability predictions. The wider applicability of the model is demonstrated by extending it to nonlinear dynamics, transverse modes and t...

Modelling the combustion of a sub-micron aluminium particle

Abstract: We pose the following question: ‘Within the context of the classical shrinking-core model for sub-micron aluminium combustion, allowing only for the diffusion of atomic oxygen (no aluminium diffusion), but with two non-classical ingredients (large Knudsen number heat losses to the ambient atmosphere and a fractal reacting surface), are the solutions consistent with four experimental facts and data sets: (i) burn times; (ii) particle temperatures; (iii) maximum temperatures independent of particle size for small Damkohler numbers; and (iv) also for small Damkohler numbers a burn law of the form d1 − ν–t (where d is the particle diameter and ν ∼ 0.7 or so)?’ In the analysis we first consider a non-fractal model and scale the lengths with (where is the diffusion coefficient and k is the reaction-rate constant) and time with (where ρ− is the aluminium density and co is a characteristic value of the O density within the alumina). Burn times are calculated which follow a linear d–t law for small values of kL/D(...

Analyses of spray break-up mechanisms using the integral form of the conservation equations

Abstract: We present further uses of a theoretical framework based on the integral form of the conservation equations, to gain insight and predictive capabilities for the spray break-up regimes, turbulence effect on drop size, and secondary break-up processes. Quantitatively and qualitatively, the results indicate that the current analysis method can be useful in understanding and predicting various aspects of spray break-up processes. Correct Weber number boundaries for Rayleigh, wind-induced, and atomisation regimes are calculated using a Weber-Reynolds number relationship obtained from first principles. Good agreements with experimental data for turbulence and secondary break-up effects on the drop size are also achieved. It is projected that small modifications of the source terms within this framework can render possible analyses of other important processes, such as swirl sprays and air-blast atomisation.

Non-diffusive ignition of a gaseous reactive mixture following time-resolved, spatially distributed energy deposition

Abstract: Systematic asymptotic methods are applied to the compressible conservation and state equations for a reactive gas, including transport terms, to develop a rational thermomechanical formulation for the ignition of a chemical reaction following time-resolved, spatially distributed thermal energy addition from an external source into a finite volume of gas. A multi-parameter asymptotic analysis is developed for a wide range of energy deposition levels relative to the initial internal energy in the volume when the heating timescale is short compared to the characteristic acoustic timescale of the volume. Below a quantitatively defined threshold for energy addition, a nearly constant volume heating process occurs, with a small but finite internal gas expansion Mach number. Very little added thermal energy is converted to kinetic energy. The gas expelled from the boundary of the hot, high-pressure spot is the source of mechanical disturbances (acoustic and shock waves) that propagate away into the neighbouring ...

Modelling detonation of heterogeneous explosives with embedded inert particles using detonation shock dynamics: Normal and divergent propagation in regular and simplified microstructure

Abstract: This paper discusses the mathematical formulation of Detonation Shock Dynamics (DSD) regarding a detonation shock wave passing over a series of inert spherical particles embedded in a high-explosive material. DSD provides an efficient method for studying detonation front propagation in such materials without the necessity of simulating the combustion equations for the entire system. We derive a series of partial differential equations in a cylindrical coordinate system and a moving shock-attached coordinate system which describes the propagation of detonation about a single particle, where the detonation obeys a linear shock normal velocity-curvature (Dn–κ) DSD relation. We solve these equations numerically and observe the short-term and long-term behaviour of the detonation shock wave as it passes over the particles. We discuss the shape of the perturbed shock wave and demonstrate the periodic and convergent behaviour obtained when detonation passes over a regular, periodic array of inert spherical parti...

Triple flame: Inherent asymmetries and pentasectional character

Abstract: A two-dimensional triple-flame numerical model of a laminar combustion process reflects flame asymmetric structural features that other analytical models do not generate. It reveals the pentasectional character of the triple flame, composed of the central pure diffusion-flame branch and the fuel-rich and fuel-lean branches, each of which is divided into two sections: a near-stoichiometric section and a previously unreported near-flammability-limits section with combined diffusion and premixed character. Results include propagation velocity, fuel and oxidiser mass fractions, temperature and reaction rates. Realistic stoichiometric ratios and reaction orders match experimental planar flame characteristics. Constant density, a one-step reaction, and a mixture fraction gradient at the inlet as the simulation parameter are imposed. The upstream equivalence ratio or the upstream reactant mass fractions are linear or hyperbolic functions of the transverse coordinate. The use here of experimental kinetics data di...

Numerical investigation of laminar cross-flow non-premixed flames in the presence of a bluff-body

Abstract: A knowledge of flame stability regimes in the presence of cylindrical bluff-bodies of various dimensions is essential to design non-premixed burners. The reacting flow field in such cases is reported to be three-dimensional and unsteady. In the literature, only a few experimental investigations with limited measurements are available. Therefore, in this work, a detailed numerical study of laminar cross-flow non-premixed methane–air flames in the presence of a square cylinder is presented. The flow, temperature, species and reaction fields have been predicted using a comprehensive transient three-dimensional reacting flow model with detailed chemical kinetics and variable thermo-physical properties, in order to get a good insight into the flame stabilisation phenomena. Further, analyses of quantities such as local equivalence ratio, cell Damkohler number, species velocity, net consumption rate of methane, which are not easily obtained through experiments even with detailed diagnostics, have been carried ou...

Acoustic timescale characterisation of symmetric and asymmetric multidimensional hot spots

Abstract: In this work, two-dimensional hot spots are modelled by combining a linear temperature gradient with a constant temperature plateau. This approach retains the simplicity of a linear temperature gradient, but captures the effects of a local temperature maximum of finite size. Symmetric and asymmetric plateau regions are modelled using both rectangular and elliptical geometries. A one-step Arrhenius reaction for H2–air is used to model the reactive mixture. Plateaus with different ratios of excitation to acoustic timescales, spanning two orders of magnitude, are simulated. Even with clear differences in behaviour between one and two dimensions, the a priori prescribed hot spot timescale ratio is shown to characterise the 2-D gasdynamic response. The relationship between one and two dimensions is explored using asymmetric plateau regions. It is shown that 1-D behaviour is recovered over a finite time. Furthermore, the duration of this 1-D behaviour is directly related to the asymmetry of the plateau.

Thermo-chemical modelling of a village cookstove for design improvement

Abstract: Cookstove operation comprises three basic processes, namely combustion of firewood, natural air draft due to the buoyancy induced by the temperature difference between the hearth and its surroundings, and heat transfer to the pot, stove body and surrounding atmosphere. Owing to the heterogenous and unsteady burning of solid fuel, there exist nonlinear and dynamic interrelationships among these process parameters. A steady-state analytical model of the cookstove operation is developed for its design improvement by splitting the hearth into three zones to study char combustion, volatile combustion and heat transfer to the pot bottom separately. It comprises a total of seven relations corresponding to a thorough analysis of the three basic processes. A novel method is proposed to model the combustion of wood to mimic the realities closely. Combustion space above the fuel bed is split into 1000 discrete parts to study the combustion of volatiles by considering a set of representative volatile gases. Model res...

Precursors in two-phase detonation: An elementary model for the channel effect

Abstract: The paper is concerned with the channel effect: detonation-propelled shocks occurring in tubular charges. It is shown that some salient aspects of the phenomenon may be successfully reproduced within a simple one-dimensional model assuming the gas–solid system to be isothermal and the volume fraction of the solid phase to be small. Two modes of the channel effect, dependent on the level of the ignition pressure, are identified. Although the emerging detonations appear to be of the Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) type, their velocities are controlled by the system’s gasification kinetics rather than its thermodynamics. The structure of the emerging CJ detonation differs from that of conventional ZND detonation. There is no shock attached to the reaction zone. The precursor shock is the only shock in the event.

On combustion in a closed rectangular channel with initial vorticity

Abstract: This article examines the detailed combustion process in a theoretical model with applicability to combustion in a wave rotor or wave disc engine. The model comprises a single channel into which an initial loading of methane and air is admitted and ignited after all inlet and exit ports have been closed. Combustion takes place at constant volume. However, the initial gaseous mixture in the channel is not at rest. The initial opening and closing of the ports generates significant vorticity which influences the evolution of the combustion process. Numerical evaluations are provided for the detailed flame shape for simplified (one-step) chemistry and a simulation using the detailed 235-step San Diego scheme. Quantities examined are the evolution of vorticity, pressure fluctuations, mass consumption rate, flame surface area and the influences on combustion of adiabatic and non-adiabatic channel walls. Combustion regimes are identified and compared with simpler model studies (no initial flow). Pointwise quanti...

Diffusively anisotropic model for the deflagration-to-detonation transition

Abstract: To elucidate the key mechanisms responsible for the transition from deflagrative to detonative combustion in smooth-walled channels, a reactive flow with anisotropic thermal and molecular diffusivities is considered. Setting the transverse diffusivities large compared to longitudinal diffusivities, the initially formed deflagration (despite no-slip boundary conditions) appears to be nearly planar and not accelerating. This, however, does not prevent its eventual abrupt transition to Chapman–Jouguet detonation.

Assessment of the presumed mapping function approach for the stationary laminar flamelet modelling of reacting double scalar mixing layers

Abstract: This paper assesses the Presumed Mapping Function (PMF) approach in the context of the Stationary Laminar Flamelet Modelling (SLFM) of a reacting Double Scalar Mixing Layer (DSML). Starting from a prescribed Gaussian reference field, the PMF approach provides a presumed Probability Density Function (PDF) for the mixture fraction that is subsequently employed to close the Conditional Scalar Dissipation Rate (CSDR) upon doubly-integrating the homogeneous PDF transport equation. The PMF approach is unique in its ability to yield PDF and CSDR distributions that capture the effect of multiple fuel injections of different composition. This distinct feature overcomes the shortcomings of the classical SLFM closures (the β-distribution for the PDF and the counterflow solution for the CSDR). The current study analyses the impact of the binary (two-stream) and trinary (three-stream) PMF approaches on the structure of laminar flamelets in a DSML formed by the mixing of a fuel stream and an oxidiser stream separated b...

Effects of Lewis number, density ratio and gravity on burning velocity and conditional statistics in stagnating turbulent premixed flames

Abstract: DNS is performed to analyse the effects of Lewis number (Le), density ratio and gravity in stagnating turbulent premixed flames. The results show good agreement with those of Lee and Huh (Combustion and Flame, Vol. 159, 2012, pp. 1576–1591) with respect to the turbulent burning velocity, ST, in terms of turbulent diffusivity, flamelet thickness, mean curvature and displacement speed at the leading edge. In all four stagnating flames studied, a mean tangential strain rate resulting in a mean flamelet thickness smaller than the unstretched laminar flame thickness leads to an increase in ST. A flame cusp of positive curvature involves a superadiabatic burned gas temperature due to diffusive–thermal instability for an Le less than unity. Wrinkling tends to be suppressed at a larger density ratio, not enhanced by hydrodynamic instability, in the stagnating flow configuration. Turbulence is produced, resulting in highly anisotropic turbulence with heavier unburned gas accelerating through a flame brush by Rayle...