Dynamics of periodically-excited vortices in swirling flames

Abstract

This work investigates the dynamics of periodically-excited vortices in swirling cold flow and hot flame using high-speed particle image velocimetry, for three different Strouhal numbers, 0.68, 1.02, and 1.70. The periodic upstream perturbation induces coherent vortices in the shear layers both inside and outside of the flame surface. We find that the outer vortex rings (OVRs) play a dominant role in tuning the flame dynamics and heat release, whereas the inner vortex rings (IVRs) are related to the formation of the center recirculation zone (CRZ) and suffer from much stronger dissipation. The evolutions of core vorticity, circulation, trajectory, and convective velocity are quantitatively analyzed for the OVRs to understand two key mechanisms: vortex formation and vortex detachment. The results show that the growing and shedding of the OVRs are governed by the inlet shear layer as well as the variations in inlet velocity and acceleration. Furthermore, both the circulation increment during vortex formation and the vortex convection after detachment are qualitatively captured by existing vortex models, demonstrating the prospect of vortex dynamics in understanding general flame-vortex interaction problems.