Combined experimental and computational study of laminar, axisymmetric hydrogen–air diffusion flames

Abstract

We investigate the structure of two-dimensional, axisymmetric, laminar hydrogen–air flames in which a cylindrical fuel stream is surrounded by coflowing air, using laser-diagnostic and computational methods. Spontaneous Raman scattering and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) are used to measure the distributions of major species and temperature. Computationally, we solve the governing conservation equations for mass, momentum, energy, and species, using detailed chemistry and transport. The fuel is diluted with nitrogen (1:1) to reduce heat transfer to the burner, to match the zero temperature gradient at the fuel exit. Three average fuel exit velocities are studied: 18, 27, and 50 cm/s. Comparisons of the measured and computed results are performed for radial profiles at a number of axial positions, and along the axial centerline. Peak major species mole fractions and temperatures are quantitatively predicted by the computations, and the axial species profiles are predicted to within the experimental uncertainty. In the radial profiles studied, base-case computations excluding thermal diffusion of light species were in excellent agreement with the measurements. While the addition of thermal diffusion led to some discrepancy with the measured results, the magnitude of the differences was no more than 25%. The computations predicted the axial centerline profiles from the burner exit to the maximum temperature well, though the experimental temperatures in the downstream mixing region decreased somewhat faster than the computed profiles. Radiative losses are seen to be negligible in these flames, and changes in transport properties and variations in initial flow velocities generally led to only modest changes in the axial profiles. The results also show that the detailed axial profiles of major species and temperature at different fuel jet velocities scale quantitatively with the jet velocity.