A numerical study of quasi-steady burning characteristics of a condensed fuel: effect of angular orientation of fuel surface

TLDR: In this article, a numerical study of laminar diffusion flames established over a condensed fuel surface, inclined at several angular orientations in the range of −90°⩽θ−+90° with respect to the vertical axis, under atmospheric pressure and normal gravity environment, is presented.

Abstract: A numerical study of laminar diffusion flames established over a condensed fuel surface, inclined at several angular orientations in the range of –90°⩽θ⩽+90° with respect to the vertical axis, under atmospheric pressure and normal gravity environment, is presented. Methanol is employed as the fuel. A numerical model, which solves transient gas-phase, two-dimensional governing conservation equations, with a single-step global reaction for methanol–air oxidation and an optically thin radiation sub-model, has been employed in the present investigation. Numerical results have been validated against the experimental data from the present study. Thereafter, the model is used to investigate the influence of angular orientation of fuel surface on its quasi-steady burning characteristics. Results in terms of fuel mass burning rate, flame stand-off distances, temperature field, velocity profiles and oxygen contours have been presented and discussed in detail. It is observed that orientation angles in the range of –...