Turbulent flame-vortex dynamics of bluff-body premixed flames

Abstract

Abstract To better understand the coupled dynamics of turbulence and premixed flames, this study experimentally investigates the effects of turbulence on reacting vorticity dynamics. In this investigation, a bluff-body stabilized, turbulent, premixed flame is analyzed in a high-speed combustor. A custom-designed turbulence generator is used to vary the inflow turbulence conditions and understand the subsequent impacts on the flame-flow field. The turbulent reacting flow-field is measured using simultaneous high-speed particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) and CH* chemiluminescence. A Lagrangian tracking method is implemented to study flame-vortex dynamics. Lagrangian fluid elements are tagged from the experimental data and are tracked as they convect through the flame, from reactants to products. The components of the vorticity transport equation are decomposed along the Lagrangian trajectories to determine their relative balance under various turbulence conditions. The results confirm that altering the turbulence intensity influences flame-vortex interactions and the relative balance of the vorticity components. At high turbulence intensities, the baroclinic torque and dilatation decrease, while the magnitude of viscous diffusion increases, and vortex stretching dominates the reacting flow field. These results suggest that increasing the turbulence intensity alters the dominant physical processes in the reacting domain as the combustion-driven phenomena become less significant.