Single Droplet Combustion Research Articles

Modelling NOx emissions of single droplet combustion

An approach for modelling and simulation of the generation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the gas phase surrounding single burning droplets is presented. Assuming spherical symmetry (no gravity, no forced convection), the governing equations are derived first. Then simplifications are introduced and it is proven that they are appropriate. The influences of the initial droplet diameter, the ambient conditions, and the droplet pre-vapourisation on NOx are investigated. The fuel of choice is n-decane (C10H22) as it resembles kerosene and diesel fuel best, and the complexity of the reaction mechanism is manageable. Combinations of C10H22 mechanisms and well-established NOx kinetics are evaluated in detail and validated for their applicability in the context of this work. The conducted simulations of droplet combustion in an atmosphere of hot exhaust gas show that NOx formation (by mass of fuel) increases linearly with the droplet diameter. There is a trade-off between available oxygen and ambient temperature. Increasing the equivalence ratio of the exhaust gas leads to higher NOx emissions in the very lean regime, but to lower emissions if the equivalence ratio exceeds 0.85. Pre-vapourisation of fuel at ambient conditions becomes beneficial with respect to NOx emissions only if the degree of vapourisation is above a minimum limit. If less fuel is vapourised before ignition, the NOx emissions remain almost unaffected.

Model and simulation of liquid rocket organic gel spray droplet evaporation

Gel propellant has the advantage of controllable flux as liquid propellant and long-term reservation as solid propellant, however, the evaporation and combustion problem of gel spray droplet bores with the gel propellant development and combustor design all the time, and hampers gel propellant practical engineering applications. In this paper, the gel single droplet combustion experiment system is designed and constructed, and then the evaporation and combustion mechanism is explored deeply based on the experimental phenomena of organic gel unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) single droplet burning in nitrogen tetroxide. The organic gel spray droplet multi-component evaporation model is developed for three different evaporation phases of the gel layer, i.e. the forming, expanding and bursting of the gel layer based on the single droplet evaporation characteristics in experiment, and then the gel single droplet vaporization in high temperature gas phase is numerically simulated and compared with the result of conventional liquid droplet using the elementary model parameters and physic property parameters. The result shows that the gel content on the droplet surface increases slowly at the beginning of evaporation, however it would increase rapidly to a mass fraction of 95% and form the gel layer in a limited time after exceeding a critical evaporation time, which results in surface mass flux dropping to 0 and surface temperature reaching the UDMH boil point rapidly. After the gel layer forming, the droplet radius and surface UDMH vapor mass fraction exhibit oscillation as the swelling-bursting phenomena in experiment. The gel droplet surface temperature holds above the boil point and the mass flux of gel droplet inner boiling evaporation is stronger than the conventional liquid droplet surface steady evaporation which makes the life time of gel droplet much shorter.

The internal structure of igniting turbulent sprays as revealed by complex chemistry DNS

A parametric study of spark ignition in a uniform monodisperse turbulent spray is performed with complex chemistry three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations in order to improve the understanding of the structure of the ignition kernel. The heat produced by the kernel increases with the amount of fuel evaporated inside the spark volume. Moreover, the heat sink by evaporation is initially higher than the heat release and can have a negative effect on ignition. With the sprays investigated, heat release occurs over a large range of mixture fractions, being high within the nominal flammability limits and finite but low below the lean flammability limit. The burning of very lean regions is attributed to the diffusion of heat and species from regions of high heat release, and from the spark, to lean regions. Two modes of spray ignition are reported. With a relatively dilute spray, nominally flammable material exists only near the droplets. Reaction zones are created locally near the droplets and have a non-premixed character. They spread from droplet to droplet through a very lean interdroplet spacing. With a dense spray, the hot spark region is rich due to substantial evaporation but the cold region remains lean. In between, a large surface of flammable material is generated by evaporation. Ignition occurs there and a large reaction zone propagates from the rich burned region to the cold lean region. This flame is wrinkled due to the stratified mixture fraction field and evaporative cooling. In the dilute spray, the reaction front curvature pdf contains high values associated with single droplet combustion, while in the dense spray, the curvature is lower and closer to the curvature associated with gaseous fuel ignition kernels.

Influence of heat and mass transfer on the ignition and NO x formation in single droplet combustion

The effect of heat and mass transfer on the ignition, and in a second step on the nitrogen oxide (NO x ) generation, of single burning droplets is examined in a numerical study. Spherical symmetry with no gravity and no forced convection is presumed; ambient temperature is set at 500 K, below the auto-ignition point. The essentials of a forced droplet ignition by an external energy source are introduced. Two methods are applied: heat introduction at a fixed radial position r and heat introduction at a fixed local equivalence ratio ϕ r . This study’s distinctiveness compared to previous research is its focus on and its combination of partially pre-vaporized droplets and detailed chemistry, both being technically relevant in kerosene and diesel fuel combustion. The fuel of choice is n-decane (C10H22), and NO x production is studied exemplarily as a representative group of pollutant emissions. The conducted simulations show a decrease of NO x formation with an increase of the pre-vaporization rate \(\Uppsi. \) This decrease is generally valid for both methods of heat introduction. However, results on flame stabilization and NO x production reveal a high sensitivity to parameters of the ignition model. The burning behavior during the initial stages is dominated by the ignition position. Extracting heat from the exhaust gas region of burning droplets shows no impact on the flame position nor on the relative NO x production. As a consequence, a well-founded modeling of the investigated droplet regime needs to resort to an iterative adaptation of the heat introduction parameters based on the findings of droplet burning and exhaust gas production.

G0700-5-1 FAME燃料単一油滴の燃焼およびスート生成特性(エンジンシステム部門一般講演(5))

G0700-5-1 FAME燃料単一油滴の燃焼およびスート生成特性(エンジンシステム部門一般講演(5))

Droplet combustion in presence of airstream oscillation: Mechanisms of enhancement and hysteresis of burning rate in microgravity at elevated pressure

The enhancement and hysteresis behavior of the burning rate of single droplet combustion in the presence of airstream oscillation observed in previously performed microgravity experiments at elevated pressure up to 1.0 MPa were numerically investigated. Excellent agreement with the experimental results was obtained and the mechanisms of these phenomena were examined based on precise numerical data on instantaneous droplet diameter variations corresponding to the unsteady airstream velocity, flow fields around the droplet, and flame movement during combustion. Results show that, depending on the oscillation Reynolds number, which is a function of pressure, flow amplitude and droplet diameter, there are three mechanisms involved in the enhancement of burning rate. In the cases of low oscillation Reynolds numbers, a diffusion-time-delay has a significant effect on the flame front movement and thus, on heat from the flame to the droplet. In the cases of high oscillation Reynolds numbers, a vortex generated outside the droplet flame promotes the motion of the flame, especially in the wake region, and thus enhancing the droplet burning rate. In addition to these two mechanisms, the forced convection during the acceleration period of the flow oscillation causes overshooting of the droplet burning rate due to instantaneous imbalances of the airflow momentum with the Stefan flow. These three mechanisms explain the predominant role of the highest velocity of the oscillatory airstream in determination of the mean burning rate constant and droplet lifetime. Results also show that the hysteresis behavior of the burning rate is a consequence of the different responses of the flame to the deceleration period compared with the responses to the acceleration period under the existence of those three mechanisms.

Performance and Emissions of a Diesel Engine Fueled by Biodiesel Derived from Different Vegetable Oils and the Characteristics of Combustion of Single Droplets

Performance and Emissions of a Diesel Engine Fueled by Biodiesel Derived from Different Vegetable Oils and the Characteristics of Combustion of Single Droplets

高湿度気流中における液滴火炎内のすす生成特性(熱工学,内燃機関,動力など)

高湿度気流中における液滴火炎内のすす生成特性(熱工学,内燃機関,動力など)

Development of Apparatus for Microgravity Experiments on Evaporation and Combustion of Palm Methyl Ester Droplet in High-Pressure Environments

New apparatus for microgravity experiments was developed in order to obtain fundamental data of single droplet evaporation and combustion of palm methyl ester (PME) for understanding PME spray combustion in internal combustion engines. n-hexadecane droplet combustion and evaporation experiments were also performed to obtain single-component fuel data. Combustion experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. For droplet evaporation experiments, ambient temperature and pressure were varied from 473 to 873 K and 0.10 to 4.0 MPa, respectively. Microgravity conditions were employed for evaporation experiments to prevent natural convection. Droplet diameter history of a burning PME droplet is similar to that of n-hexadecane. Droplet diameter history of an evaporating PME droplet is different from that of n-hexadecane at low ambient temperatures. In the latest stage of PME droplet evaporation, temporal evaporation constant decreases remarkably. At ambient temperatures sufficiently above the boiling temperature of PME components, droplet diameter history of PME and n-hexadecane are similar to each other. Corrected evaporation lifetime τ of PME at 873 K as a function of ambient pressure was obtained at normal and microgravity. At normal gravity, τ monotonically decreases with ambient pressure. On the other hand, at microgravity, τ increases with ambient pressure, and then decreases.

Interaction of the burning spherical droplets in oxygen-enriched turbulent environment

Three-dimensional numerical studies on the interaction of vaporizing and burning droplets were conducted to understand the burning characteristics of multiple droplets in a turbulent environment. The burning droplets characteristics, such as lifetime, surface temperature, vaporization, reaction, and burning rate were examined for various oxygen mole-fractions and geometrical arrangements of droplets. Results from a single droplet combustion test were first verified and validated against existing experimental data. Results indicate that turbulent intensity has a moderate effect on droplet burning rate, but not as prominent an effect as the oxygen mole-fraction. At high oxygen mole-fractions, droplet lifetime was short due to enhanced burning. It is shown that evaporation processes of multiple droplets are notably affected by the inter-space distance between droplets both in streamwise and spanwise directions. The burning rate as a function of oxygen mole-fraction and inter-space distance is determined and can be used as a guideline for future studies on spray combustion.

Identification of droplet burning modes in lean, partially prevaporized swirl-stabilized spray flames

Experimental and numerical investigations of single droplet burning modes in a lean, partially prevaporized swirl-stabilized spray flame are reported. In the experiment single droplet flames have been visualized by CH-PLIF and simultaneous recording of the Mie signal. Two single droplet burning modes were identified: the envelope flame is a spherical diffusion flame burning at near-stoichiometric conditions. The wake flame is a potentially lean, partially premixed flame located downstream of the droplet. The droplet burning mode is of practical relevance, since it has significant impact on NO formation due to incomplete prevaporization. The droplet burning mode is determined by the ratio of chemical and convective time scales. The convective time scale is related to the droplet slip velocity. The impact of turbulent gas phase velocity fluctuations on droplet mechanics and droplet burning is discussed, based on a previous numerical investigation. In the present study the droplet slip velocity was measured with the 3D Phase Doppler (3D-PD) technique. For the measured slip velocities and ambient conditions in the hot gas region of the spray flame, simulations of single droplet burning were performed utilizing detailed models for chemical reaction, diffusive transport and vaporization. An agreement between the droplet burning modes predicted by the simulation and the droplet burning modes observed in the experiments was found.

Microgravity experiments of single droplet combustion in oscillatory flow at elevated pressure

An experimental study for 1-butanol single droplet flames in constant and oscillatory flow fields was conducted under microgravity conditions at elevated pressure. In the constant flow experiments, flow velocities from 0 to 40 cm/s were tested. Using obtained data of d 2, the burning rate constants were evaluated. The burning rate constant in the quiescent condition was also calculated successfully at high pressure by the extrapolation method based on the Frössling relation. In the oscillatory flow experiments, the flow velocities were varied from 0 to 40 cm/s at the frequencies of 2–40 Hz. Results showed that the burning rate constant during the droplet lifetime varied following the quasi-steady relation at 0.1 MPa; however, in the conditions with higher frequencies at 0.4 MPa, the average burning velocity became larger than that for the constant flow case with the velocity equivalent to the maximum velocity in the oscillatory flow. Under the condition where the burning rate constant increased, it was observed that the flame did not sufficiently move back upstream, leading to enhancement of the heat transfer from the flame to the droplet surface. Therefore, the instantaneous burning rate constant increased. To investigate the mechanism of such flame behavior, the ratio of two characteristic times, τ f / τ D ( τ f : flow oscillation characteristic time, τ D : diffusion characteristic time), were compared. As the flow oscillatory frequency increased, τ f / τ D becomes smaller. τ f / τ D also became smaller at high pressure. If τ f / τ D is small due to the small mass diffusion rate, the droplet flame could not move back to the appropriate position for the minimum velocity in steady flow, leading to an increase of the burning rate constant, especially in the case of higher frequency at high pressure.

Numerical Investigation of the Time Scales of Single Droplet Burning

The effect of gas phase velocity fluctuations on single droplet burning is investigated numerically. The main objective of this study is to understand the effect of gas phase turbulence on nitric oxide formation in single droplet flames. Since the interaction of gas phase velocity fluctuations with droplet burning is of sequential character, a separate investigation of droplet momentum coupling and droplet burning is performed. Momentum coupling controls droplet relaxation against changes of the gas phase velocity along the droplet trajectory and, thereby, determines to what extend gas phase velocity fluctuations translate into droplet slip velocity fluctuations. This coupling effect acts as a high pass filter with a cutoff frequency determined by the droplet Reynolds number and diameter. In the simulation of single droplet burning detailed models for chemical reaction, diffusive species transport and evaporation are used. A significant effect of slip velocity fluctuations on the mean values of NO formation rate is observed. The effect of slip velocity fluctuations on the mean NO formation rate is frequency dependent. The frequency response of the droplet flame is similar to that of a low pass filter. The droplet flame time scale characterizing the response to slip velocity fluctuations is found to correlate with chemical time scales. This time scale is not affected by droplet diameter.

Surface temperature and time‐dependent measurements of black liquor droplet combustion

AbstractBlack liquor droplets, initially 1–3 mm in diameter, were burned while simultaneously measuring surface and internal temperature, mass loss, and diameter to gain insight into the physical processes of single droplet combustion. Data were collected by weighing a droplet hanging on a thermocouple wire within a heated furnace. Two‐color images of the droplet were obtained to determine a surface temperature and particle size. The data suggest that models of droplet combustion should treat drying, devolatilization, and char oxidation as occurring simultaneously, though typically in different regions of the particle. Isothermal models should be avoided as temperature differences in excess of 300 K exist between the surface and interior, with larger gradients along the surface. Droplet swelling increased at lower ambient temperatures, and is greater for softwood than hardwood liquors. Additional unidentified factors also influence swelling, meaning it is still highly unpredictable and may be a function of initial droplet shape, size, and chemical composition. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

The effect of magnetic field on a microgravity single droplet combustion

The effects of magnetic field on the microgravity combustion characteristics of a single methanol droplet in homogeneous flow are numerically investigated to develop an effective magnetic control method for microgravity droplet combustion and spray combustion systems. First, governing equations of microgravity single methanol droplet combustion under a homogeneous magnetic field based on an unsteady two-dimensional, spherically symmetric model including single-step chemistry are presented. Employing numerical modeling, several combustion behaviors are calculated taking into account the effect of the unsteady magnetic field profiles at the flame front. It is found that the flame front becomes deformed and is elongated in the direction of the magnetic field due to the inhomogeneous magnetic pressure distribution at the interface between the fuel vapor phase and the oxidizer phase. This nonuniformity of magnetic pressure is caused by the transient deformation of the magnetic field with refraction of magnetic flux at the flame front due to the difference of magnetic susceptibility between the diamagnetic fuel vapor phase and the paramagnetic oxidizer phase.

An analytical study of droplet combustion under microgravity: Quasi-steady transient approach

An analytical model based on an assumption of combined quasi-steady and transient behavior of the process is presented to exemplify the unsteady, sphero-symmetric single droplet combustion under microgravity. The model used in the present study includes an alternative approach of describing the droplet combustion as a process where the diffusion of fuel vapor residing inside the region between the droplet surface and the flame interface experiences quasi-steadiness while the diffusion of oxidizer inside the region between the flame interface and the ambient surrounding experiences unsteadiness. The modeling approach especially focuses on predicting; the variations of droplet and flame diameters with burning time, the effect of vaporization enthalpy on burning behavior, the average burning rates and the effect of change in ambient oxygen concentration on flame structure. The modeling results are compared with a wide range of experimental data available in the literature. It is shown that this simplified quasi-steady transient approach towards droplet combustion yields behavior similar to the classical droplet theory.

Combustion fundamentals of pyrolysis oil based fuels

The combustion behavior of emulsions of pyrolysis oil in commercial diesel oil was studied. The emulsions were different in terms of concentration and size of the dispersed phase. The study was carried out in a single droplet combustion chamber. The size of droplets varied between 400 μm and 1200 μm. They were suspended to a bare thermocouple and, hence, their temperature during combustion was measured. High-speed digital shadowgraphy was used to follow droplets evolution. The main features of the droplet combustion were recognized. The general combustion behavior of emulsions is intermediate with respect to pure PO and commercial diesel oil. Emulsion droplets underwent strong swelling and microexplosion phenomena. However, under the investigated conditions, the microexplosions were ineffective in destroying droplets. The size distribution of the dispersed PO droplets in the range 3–10 μm was not effective nor for determining the overall thermal behavior nor for the efficacy of the microexplosions. The homogeneous combustion phase resulted identical for emulsions and diesel oil despite the emulsions composition (i.e., concentration of oil, surfactant and co-surfactant, as well as the size of the oil droplets in the emulsion) and the different structure of the flame and also its time and spatial evolution.

4641 電磁波雰囲気中での単一燃料液滴の燃焼に関する研究(G06-8 燃焼(2),G06 熱工学)

4641 電磁波雰囲気中での単一燃料液滴の燃焼に関する研究(G06-8 燃焼(2),G06 熱工学)

Single droplet combustion of decane in microgravity: experiments and numerical modelling

This paper presents experimental data on single droplet combustion of decane in microgravity and compares the results to a numerical model. The primary independent experiment variables are the ambient pressure and oxygen mole fraction, pressure, droplet size (over a relatively small range) and ignition energy. The droplet history (D2 history) is non-linear with the burning rate constant increasing throughout the test. The average burning rate constant, consistent with classical theory, increased with increasing ambient oxygen mole fraction and was nearly independent of pressure, initial droplet size and ignition energy. The flame typically increased in size initially, and then decreased in size, in response to the shrinking droplet. The flame standoff increased linearly for the majority of the droplet lifetime. The flame surrounding the droplet extinguished at a finite droplet size at lower ambient pressures and an oxygen mole fraction of 0.15. The extinction droplet size increased with decreasing pressure. The model is transient and assumes spherical symmetry, constant thermo-physical properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity and species Lewis number) and single step chemistry. The model includes gas-phase radiative loss and a spherically symmetric, transient liquid phase. The model accurately predicts the droplet and flame histories of the experiments. Good agreement requires that the ignition in the experiment be reasonably approximated in the model and that the model accurately predict the pre-ignition vaporization of the droplet. The model does not accurately predict the dependence of extinction droplet diameter on pressure, a result of the simplified chemistry in the model. The transient flame behaviour suggests the potential importance of fuel vapour accumulation. The model results, however, show that the fractional mass consumption rate of fuel in the flame relative to the fuel vaporized is close to 1.0 for all but the lowest ambient oxygen mole fractions.

E151 微小重力環境下における直流電界中での単一液滴燃焼時の流れ場に関する検討(OS-3 微小重力環境を利用した燃焼解明I)

Velocity field around droplet was discussed during single droplet combustion in DC electric field. Tracer particles were inserted into combustion and electric field and velocities of them were measured using PTV method. Toluene droplets were burned between plate electrodes and DC voltages are applied between them. Experimental results show the velocity of tracer particle is uniform without flame, on the other hand, it is not uniform with flame. This indicates the tracer particles are considered to be charged in this case. This result also indicates that flame deforms the electric field because it contains many ions. This information is important because the deformation will induce ionic wind around droplet.