Experimental characterization and 3D simulations of turbulent flames assisted by nanosecond plasma discharges

Abstract

This paper presents quantitative experimental data generated for the validation of plasma-assisted combustion (PAC) simulations. These data are then used to validate the phenomenological model of Castela et al. They are also useful to test other PAC models. In the experiment presented here, Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed (NRP) discharges are applied to a lean-premixed turbulent methane-air flame initially near the lean blow-off limit. The discharges significantly enhance the combustion and stabilize the flame after a few pulses. Electrical and optical diagnostics are employed to extensively quantify the transient and steady state of the plasma-stabilization process. The flame shape is characterized by OH* chemiluminescence imaging. In the discharge region, OH density profiles are obtained by 1D laser-induced fluorescence, and the gas temperature is measured by optical emission spectroscopy measurements. The local gas temperature increases by 1250 K, and the OH number density rises sevenfold when NRP discharges are applied. These results evidence the cumulative thermal and chemical effects of NRP discharges, which are especially challenging to replicate numerically. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of the experiment is performed. Combustion chemistry is modeled by an analytically reduced mechanism, while the plasma discharge is described by the low-CPU cost phenomenological model of Castela et al., which aims to capture the main thermal and chemical effects induced by the discharges. The model of Castela et al. is validated in the burnt gases by the remarkable agreement between the simulations and the experiments regarding the flame shape, the local gas temperature, and the OH number density. More generally, this work demonstrates the relevance of simplified plasma models in LES solvers to simulate complex plasma-assisted burners.