Parametric instability in propagating flames and the impact of hydrogen enrichment on the onset of secondary instability

Abstract

A self-excited acoustic instability of laminar premixed flames propagating in an open-ended tube with a length of 700 mm and a radius of 10 mm was simulated by solving the reacting unsteady compressible Navier–Stokes equations, to understand the way of massive acoustic generation and its onset behaviors. Four fuel–air mixtures with an equivalence ratio of 1.2 were considered, namely, methane–air and methane–hydrogen–air mixtures, to identify the role of hydrogen in rich methane–air mixture. Parametric instability, which generated huge acoustic disturbance and violent flame pulsations, was observed only for a particular methane–hydrogen–air mixture with RH = 0.2, consistent with previously reported experimental observations. For the investigation of the reinforcement mechanism of acoustic instability under parametric instability, the flame surface area modulation was examined. It was found that violent subharmonic flame front pulsations could strongly modulate the flame surface area in the fundamental mode, resulting in a fluctuating heat release rate and increased thermoacoustic coupling. When hydrogen addition was small, attaining a higher level of primary instability, which is the precursor of the parametric instability, was more dominant than increasing the threshold level for the onset of the parametric instability. With larger hydrogen addition, the increase in the threshold level was more dominant than attaining a higher level of the primary instability. In particular, as the flame propagation time decreased, the level of the primary instability was saturated in larger hydrogen addition. This study elucidates the mechanism for the acoustic generation of propagating flames under the parametric instability, and the effects of hydrogen enrichment within rich methane–air mixtures.