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Cyclic flame propagation in premixed combustion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2013

Philipp A. Boettcher,
Shyam K. Menon,
Brian L. Ventura,
Guillaume Blanquart and
Joseph E. Shepherd
Philipp A. Boettcher*
Affiliation:
Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Shyam K. Menon
Affiliation:
Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Brian L. Ventura
Affiliation:
Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Guillaume Blanquart
Affiliation:
Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Joseph E. Shepherd
Affiliation:
Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
*
†Philipp Boettcher is currently an Assistant Research Professor at Drexel University’s Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department. Email address for correspondence: philipp.boettcher@gmail.com
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Abstract

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In experiments of hot surface ignition and subsequent flame propagation, a puffing flame instability is observed in mixtures that are stagnant and premixed prior to ignition. By varying the size of the hot surface, power input, and combustion vessel volume, it was determined that the instability is a function of the interaction of the flame, with the fluid flow induced by the combustion products rather than the initial plume established by the hot surface. Pressure ranges from 25 to 100 kPa and mixtures of n-hexane/air with equivalence ratios between $\phi = 0. 58$ and 3.0 at room temperature were investigated. Equivalence ratios between $\phi = 2. 15$ and 2.5 exhibited multiple flame and equivalence ratios above $\phi = 2. 5$ resulted in puffing flames at atmospheric pressure. The phenomenon is accurately reproduced in numerical simulations and a detailed flow field analysis revealed competition between the inflow velocity at the base of the flame and the flame propagation speed. The increasing inflow velocity, which exceeds the flame propagation speed, is ultimately responsible for creating a puff. The puff is then accelerated upward, allowing for the creation of the subsequent instabilities. The frequency of the puff is proportional to the gravitational acceleration and inversely proportional to the flame speed. A scaling relationship describes the dependence of the frequency on gravitational acceleration, hot surface diameter, and flame speed. This relation shows good agreement for rich n-hexane/air and lean hydrogen/air flames, as well as lean hexane/hydrogen/air mixtures.

JFM classification

Convection: Buoyancy-driven instabilityReacting Flows: CombustionReacting Flows: Flames

Information

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 735 , 25 November 2013, pp. 176 - 202
Copyright
©2013 Cambridge University Press 

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