Laminar Flat-flame Burner Research Articles

The effects of various flame retardants on the combustion of polypropylene: Combining optical diagnostics and pyrolysis fragment analysis

The assessment of the efficacy and mode of action of flame retardants in polymers requires a thorough knowledge of the coupling of the presence of chemical inhibitors with the underlying heat and mass transport processes. In this experimental work, we combine a thermal decomposition analysis with optical combustion diagnostics in different test environments to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relevant sub-processes and demonstrate how this approach provides future opportunities for the research regarding the mode of action of flame retardants. Four different composites of polypropylene (PP) and 10 wt% of selected flame retardants as well as neat PP are prepared. Flame retardants include pentaerythritol spirobis(methylphosphonate) (PSMP), zinc diethylphosphinate (DEPZn), aluminum hydroxide (i.e. aluminum trihydrate, ATH) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The released substances in the gas phase are investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis coupled to Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR), and the burning behavior regarding carbon monoxide concentration and heat release rate (HRR) is studied in cone calorimeter experiments. The ignition and combustion of flame retarded micrometer-sized particles of PP are experimentally investigated in a laminar flat flame burner by means of simultaneous scanning planar laser-induced fluorescence of OH radicals (OH-PLIF) and diffuse back-illumination (DBI) at a repetition rate of 10 kHz. Particles with gas-phase activity show a decreased normalized OH signal intensity during combustion. A dependency of the dimensionless flame radius on the particle size is found which can be linked to the faster heating and pyrolysis of smaller particles compared to large particles and agglomerations. Eventually, the interaction with an external premixed flame and the subsequent extinction of self-sustaining flames of polymer sticks is investigated using OH-PLIF in an adapted horizontal burning test suited for the application of optical diagnostics. This approach allows to link the findings of investigations encompassing multiple scales, resulting in a thorough understanding of both polymer chemistry and combustion dynamics in flame retarded polymers.

Visible chemiluminescence of ammonia premixed flames and its application for flame diagnostics

We report a spatially resolved spectroscopic study of the visible chemiluminescence emission from different premixed ammonia-air-oxygen flames stabilized on a laminar flat flame burner, with equivalence ratio ranging from 0.7 to 1.35 and an O2/N2 ratio of 0.4. In the reaction zone of the observed flames, the visible emission was recognized to be the chemiluminescence of excited NH2* radicals, while in the post-flame zone, two types of chemiluminescence were observed: NO2* chemiluminescence dominated in the fuel-lean flames and NH2* chemiluminescence dominated in the fuel-rich flames. The high-resolution spectra of the NO2* and NH2* chemiluminescence in the visible region (400-700 nm) were recorded. The intensity of both spectra increased gradually with wavelength. However, the NO2*-chemiluminescence spectrum appeared to be continuous and unstructured, while the NH2*-chemiluminescence spectrum consisted of groups of distinct emission lines. Based on the spectral feature, the ratios of the integrated chemiluminescence intensities over the 598-603 nm wavelength range to the intensities over the 586-592 nm range and 447-453 nm range were used to sense equivalence ratio. In addition, slightly different colors of the fuel-lean and fuel-rich flames were observed, due to the fact that NO2* chemiluminescence had a relatively stronger signal in the blue region than NH2* chemiluminescence. The difference was used to infer flame equivalence ratio using the flame images recorded by a RGB digital camera, where the ratio of the signal from the red channel to the signal from the blue channel was calculated.

Numerical investigation and assessment of flamelet-based models for the prediction of pulverized solid fuel homogeneous ignition and combustion

The homogeneous ignition and volatile combustion of pulverized solid fuel in single-particle and particle group configurations were studied numerically in a laminar flat flame burner. Simulations with increasing particle streams were performed to investigate the influence of the interactions in particle groups on homogeneous ignition and combustion. An extensive set of simulations are conducted considering models with different levels of detail for both the gas-phase and solid fuel chemistry. The reference simulations employ the chemical percolation devolatilization model coupled with a detailed chemistry model for gas-phase reactions. The particle-fluid interactions were modeled with a fully coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian framework. Increased ignition delay times for higher particle streams were successfully validated against available experimental measurements. Furthermore, the transition from single-particle ignition to a conically shaped volatile flame with suppressed reactions near the flame base in particle group combustion was observed in both experiments and simulations. The subsequent detailed investigations revealed that the increased heat transfer to particles and, therefore, lower gas temperature for higher particle number densities together with the local oxygen depletion are the primary reasons for this transition. Based on the reference simulation, different simplified model combinations were assessed. The systematic model reduction investigation started with assessing the fixed volatile composition as a required assumption for flamelet models. Finally, the effects of gas-phase chemistry and different simple devolatilization models on ignition and combustion chemistry were studied. Overall, all model combinations provide reasonable predictions of volatile combustion with minor local deficits in the studied conditions.

Investigation on ignition behaviors of pulverized coal particles in a tubular swirl burner

This paper intensively investigated the ignition of turbulent coal flames in a novel fully-mixed tubular swirl burner. The Nikon D300s digital camera was used to capture the statistical ignition behavior of dispersed coal particle streams in different ambiences. Meanwhile, the combustion dynamics of individual coal particles were also recorded by means of high-speed photography. Two low-rank coal samples, Hulunbel lignite and Zhundong coal, were tested in this study. The ignition delay times of coal particles in the swirl burner were compared with those in a flat-flame burner. In contrast to previous work on a laminar flat-flame burner, the current experimental results show that the turbulent ambience significantly enhances the ignition of all coal samples, which is exceptionally pronounced under high temperature and low oxygen conditions. In addition, the sensitivity analysis suggests that both the enhanced heat and mass transfer contribute to the early ignition in turbulence. The effect of elevated mass transfer coefficient turns prominent in low oxygen fraction ambience, wherein the volatile barrier effect is suppressed by the enhanced mixing process. The combined effect of turbulence favors the shifting of ignition modes to the heterogeneous-dominant region. Last but not least, the ceased volatile flame that visualized in turbulent low oxygen ambience further confirms the important role of heterogeneous ignition.

Modeling soot formation from solid complex fuels

A detailed model is proposed for predicting soot formation from complex solid fuels. The proposed model resolves two particle size distributions, one for soot precursors and another for soot particles. The precursor size distribution is represented with a sectional approach while the soot particle-size distribution is represented with the method of moments and an interpolative closure method is used to resolve fractional methods. Based on established mechanisms, this model includes submodels for precursor coagulation, growth, and consumption, as well as soot nucleation, surface growth, agglomeration, and consumption. The model is validated with comparisons to experimental data for two systems: coal combustion over a laminar flat-flame burner and biomass gasification. Results are presented for soot yield for three coals at three temperatures each, and for soot yield from three types of biomass at two temperatures each. These results represent a wide range of fuels and varying combustion environments, demonstrating the broad applicability of the model.

Improving Signal-To-Interference Ratio in Rich Hydrocarbon—Air Flames Using Picosecond Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering

There is growing interest in the use of short-pulse lasers for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) to minimize non-resonant background (NRB) contributions in a variety of applications. Using time-coincident picosecond (ps) pump and Stokes beams and a time-delayed ps probe beam, we show that a three orders of magnitude reduction in NRB interference can be achieved in rich hydrocarbon-air flames while preserving 60% to 80% of the CARS signal. This represents a significant improvement in signal-to-interference ratio compared with previous measurements in room temperature air and is attributable to reduced rates of collisional dephasing and relaxation at flame temperatures. Measurements within the flame zone of a laminar flat-flame burner are used to investigate the characteristics of time-coincident and probe-delayed broadband ps N(2)-CARS spectra for C(2)H(4)-air equivalence ratios of 0.5 to 1.2. Up to three ro-vibrational bands of N(2) are excited with each laser shot using 135 ps pump and 106 ps Stokes beams, and the CARS signal is generated using a 135 ps probe beam delayed by 165 ps. The enhanced signal-to-interference ratio achieved in the current work is one to two orders of magnitude higher than that previously achieved using polarization-selection techniques without sensitivity to the effects of birefringence caused by density gradients or test cell windows. Moreover, the use of a 135 ps laser source in this study enables frequency domain "broadband" CARS with sufficient resolution to extract ro-vibrational spectral features under various flame conditions. The effect of probe delay and NRB suppression on characteristics of these broadband CARS spectra are investigated, and evidence of preferential collisional dephasing and relaxation of different ro-vibrational transitions is not detected. This is a promising but preliminary result to be investigated further in future work.

Two-dimensional temperature determination in the exhaust region of a laminar flat-flame burner with linear Raman scattering

For planar temperature measurements in combusting flows, the well-established laser Raman technique has been further developed to provide two-dimensional local resolution. After excitation with a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, the anti-Stokes and the Stokes Raman signals of the vibrational Q branch of molecular N(2) were detected at 473.3 and 607.3 nm, respectively. From the ratio of the two images, two-dimensional temperature distributions have been obtained by application of an analytical function, which was determined from theoretically calculated Raman spectra. Time-averaged measurements have been performed in the exhaust region of an atmospheric-pressure laminar CH(4)/air flat-flame burner for different equivalence ratios. The accuracy and precision of the results are discussed in combination with the prospects for time-resolved single-pulse measurements.

Combustion-driven flow reactor studies of thermal DeNO x reaction kinetics

A combustion-driven flow reactor (CDFR) has been developed and employed in an investigation of Thermal DeNo x reaction kinetics. The CDFR consists of a laminar flat-flame burner, an ammonia injection section, and a plug-flow reactor section. Concentrations of NO, NH 3, OH, and reactor temperature were measured along the CDFR centerline, providing a Thermal DeNO x data base over the temperature range 1050K to 1450K, for β between 1 and 3 ( β ≡ injected [NH 3] initial [NO] ). The data were modeled using a 55 reaction chemical kinetics mechanism, taken primarily from the work of Miller and coworkers. Key reactions in the model were found to be NH 2 + OH = NH 2 + H 2O , NH 2 + OH = NH + H 2O , N 2H + M = N 2 + H + M . Optimal fits to data were achieved with a radical branching ratio α, defined by α ≡ k 21 (k 22 + k 21) , with α = 0.48 at 1050K, rising to α ≥ 0.8 at 1400K, and with k 10 = 6.0 × 10 12 mole/cm 3 s.