Simulation of the self-propagating hydrogen-air premixed flame in a closed-vessel by an open-source CFD code

Abstract

ABSTRACT The three-dimensional simulations of the combustion of self-propagating hydrogen-air premixed flame are performed by an open-source CFD code. The characteristics of the flame such as flame propagation behavior, flame radius, temperature, and pressure are analysed by varying the initial laminar flame speed and grid size. When the initial laminar speed increases, the thermal expansion effects become strong which leads the increase of flame radius along with the increase of flame surface area, flame temperature, and pressure. The fluctuation of pressure appears and it leads the temperature to fluctuate further. The increase in flame radius is directly related to the flame temperature. A new laminar flame speed model derived previously from the results of experiment is also introduced to the code and the obtained flame radii are compared with those from the experiments. The formation of cellular flame fronts is captured by simulation and the cell separation on the flame surface vividly appears when the grid resolution becomes sufficiently higher. The propagation behavior of cellular flame front and the flame radius obtained from the simulations have the reasonable agreement with the previous experiments.