Geometrical features and global radiant heat of double turbulent jet flames

Abstract

In energy industry, double jet fires are often reported to occur with a large release momentum at the leakage exit. The available literature considered the double buoyancy-controlled jet flames, and also neglected the restrictive effect of ground or tank surface. In this paper, an experimental setup is built to model the interaction of double turbulent jet fires with different spacings. Different nozzle diameters and exit velocities are chosen to achieve the transition from flame buoyancy to exit momentum for the dominance of turbulent jet flames. Comparative tests are also conducted between with and without a plate near the nozzle exit. It is found that the flame buoyancy, exit momentum and nozzle spacing significantly affect the flame merging behavior. A new dimensionless parameter coupling the Froude number (Fr) and the spacing is proposed to well fit the merging probability (Pm) of double jet flames dominated by the flame buoyancy (Fr < 105 for propane) and the exit momentum (Fr ≥ 105 for propane), respectively. The interaction of double jet flames leads to a less lift-off height than a single jet flame, and the lift-off height can also be reduced by a plate near the nozzle exit. A correlation coupling the spacing, the exit diameter and Froude number, is developed for the mean flame height of double jet fires. The distributions of radiant heat flux are intensively measured around the double jet flames, which can help to calculate the radiative fraction. The radiative fraction of double jet flames at the full merging state (Pm = 1) follows the law of a single jet flame, and it decreases at the intermittent (0 < Pm < 1) and no merging (Pm = 0) states, as compared to that of a single jet flame. In addition, the available line source radiation model of a single jet flame is revised to predict the thermal radiation of double jet flames in the three different merging states.