Dynamic properties of outwardly propagating spherical hydrogen-air flames at high temperatures and pressures

Abstract

Computational experiments on fundamental unstretched laminar burning velocities and flame response to stretch (represented by the Markstein number) of hydrogen-air flames at high temperatures and pressures were conducted in order to understand the dynamics of the flames including hydrogen as an attractive energy carrier in conditions encountered in practical applications such as internal combustion engines. Outwardly propagating spherical premixed flames were considered for a fuel-equivalence ratio of 0.6, pressures of 5 to 50 atm, and temperatures of 298 to 1000 K. For these conditions, ratios of unstretched-to-stretched laminar burning velocities varied linearly with flame stretch (represented by the Karlovitz number), similar to the flames at normal temperature and normal to moderately elevated pressures, implying that the “local conditions” hypothesis can be extended to the practical conditions. Increasing temperatures tended to reduce tendencies toward preferential-diffusion instability behavior (increasing the Markstein number) whereas increasing pressures tended to increase tendencies toward preferential-diffusion instability behavior (decreasing the Markstein number).