Laser doppler velocimetry investigation of the turbulence structure of axisymmetric diffusion flames

Abstract

Measurements of mean velocity components, turbulent intensities, velocity probability density functions, power spectra and autocorrelation functions of axial velocity fluctuation, and spatial turbulence macroscale, are reported in a turbulent round jet flow, issuing vertically into stagnant air, in non-combusting and combusting situations. The fuel density (a mixture of methane and argon) is chosen to be equal to the cold flow gas density (a mixture of air and helium) in order to minimize cold fuel/cold gas mixture density difference effects on measured turbulence properties. The objectives are to study the influence of the combustion process on the turbulence structure of the combustible jet flows considered, and to provide data against which results of numerical prediction methods for such flows embodying various turbulence and combustion models can be compared, with a view to improving our understanding of relevant transport processes and on guiding modelling and prediction efforts of such flows. A one-dimensional laser velocimeter operating in forward scatter differential Doppler mode was used to obtain the measurements. Gas temperatures were measured by thermocouples. A visual study by schlieren photography has also been conducted. It is found that the existence of the flame suppresses turbulence in the upstream region of the jet flow and enhances it in the downstream region, where turbulence intensities are substantially higher than in the corresponding cold jet flow. However, the relative intensities, i.e. the ratio of the local turbulent intensity to the local mean velocity, are smaller in the jet diffusion flame and become comparable to relative turbulent intensities found in the cold jet flow in the downstream region of the flow. Turbulence in the jet diffusion flame is appreciably more anisotropic than in the corresponding cold jet in all regions of the flow, suggesting the eventual desirability of multi-stress models of turbulence for the prediction of such flames. The combustion process has been found to have also a marked influence on the turbulence macroscale. It is significantly smaller than in the cold jet flow in the upstream region and increases appreciably at downstream distances, the rate of this increase closely following the rate of temperature increase. The experimental results obtained will guide the development of an improved prediction method for such combusting systems.