Flame Morphology Research Articles

Modelling flame-to-fuel heat transfer by deep learning and fire images

In numerical fire simulations, the calculation of thermal feedback from the flame to the solid and liquid fuel surface plays a critical role as it connects the fundamental gas-phase flame burning and condensed-phase fuel gasification. However, it is a computationally intensive task in CFD fire modelling methods because of the requirement of a high-resolution grid for calculating the interface heat transfer. This paper proposed a real-time prediction of the flame-to-fuel heat transfer by using simulated flame images and a computer-vision deep learning method. Different methanol pool fires were selected to produce the image database for training the model. As the pool diameters increase from 20 to 40 cm, the dominant flame-to-fuel heat transfer shifts from convection to radiation. Results show that the proposed AI algorithm trained by flame images can predict both the convective and radiative heat flux distributions on the condensed fuel surface with a relative error below 20%, based on the input of real-time flame morphology that can be captured by a larger grid size. Regardless of growing or decaying fires or puffing flames induced by buoyancy, this method can further predict the non-uniform distribution of heat transfer coefficient on the interface rather than using empirical correlations. This work demonstrates the use of AI and computer vision in accelerating numerical fire simulation, which helps simulate complex fire behaviours with simpler models and smaller computational costs. Highlights A total framework between AI model and fire simulation software is designed to further enhance the reliability of AI-based fire simulations. A standard pool fire simulation database is built using numerical model recommend by the IAFSS Computation Group. A deep learning model is developed to predict both the convective and radiative heat flux distributions on the condensed fuel surface using numerical images database. The demonstration showcases the application of AI and computer vision to accelerate numerical fire simulation.

Experimental investigation on flame morphology and wall-attached flame temperature of jet flame under the coupled effect of nozzle angle and nozzle-wall spacing

Jet flames caused by fuel leaks in engineering often occur in complex environments. A total of 140 experiments were conducted to investigate the coupling effect of nozzle angle and nozzle-wall distance on the jet flame characteristics. The results indicate that for upward-tilted jet flame (0° ≤ θ ≤ 90°), the flame trace length has an overall decreasing trend with increasing nozzle angle; when the nozzle is further rotated to a downward slope (θ = 120°), the effect of the nozzle angle on the flame trace length is not consistent as the heat release rate (HRR) increases. In addition, the growth rate of the flame trace length and the flame vertical length are relatively low compared to the growth rate of HRR. Moreover, it was found that the wall-attached flame temperature had a similar trend of decay along the wall upward for different HRRs; and the maximum wall-attached flame temperature showed an overall decreasing trend as the nozzle-wall spacing increased. Furthermore, new physical models were developed to describe the flame trace length, flame vertical length and temperature rise of wall-attached flame. This work may contribute positive significance to the study of the mechanism of impingement jet flames and the search for preventive solutions.

Study on effects of ethylene or acetylene addition on the stability of ammonia laminar diffusion flame by optical diagnostics and chemical kinetics

Improvement of ammonia combustion characteristics by carbon-based combustion promoters is currently emphasized, but the impact of carbon‑carbon multi-bond structure on ammonia combustion characteristics and reaction mechanisms has not been sufficiently investigated. In order to investigate the mechanism of molecular structures (C=C and C≡C) of combustion promoters on the stability of ammonia flames, the flame morphology, flame structure, NH3-H2 cracking, and C-N cross-reaction of ammonia/ethylene and ammonia/acetylene laminar diffusion flame are investigated based on a Gu¨lder burner by utilizing high-speed photography, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and laser spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) techniques. The results show that acetylene addition is more effective than ethylene to improve the flame stability. Combined with the flame structure analysis, it is shown that C=C mainly enhances the low-temperature reaction stage intensity of laminar flame, while C≡C can both enhance the intensity of low-temperature and high-temperature reaction stages, thereby enhancing the flame combustion exothermic process. Besides, C=C mainly strengthens the exothermic reactions in the upstream of the flame whereas C≡C can strengthen the exothermic reactions in the upstream and downstream of the flame simultaneously. Investigation of the NH3-H2 cracking reactions reveals that C≡C promotes H2 generation mainly by increasing NH3→H2 cracking, whereas C=C promotes H2 generation mainly by increasing NH2→H2 and NH→H cracking, hence improving the flame stability. Further analysis through the reaction flows revels that C=C acts mainly on H-containing species HCN/HNCO whereas C≡C mainly acts on non-H-containing species CN/NCO to influence the reaction pathways, but C-N cross-reaction does not play an important role in the characteristics of ammonia composite combustion (ACC).

Novel graphene iron organic nanocomposites for enhancing combustion and safety properties of AP-HTPB propellant

Graphene iron tannate and graphene iron gallate nanocomposites (G-D-Fe and G-M-Fe) were designed, synthesized and characterized to deal with the performance requirement of AP-HTPB propellent. Effects of the G-D-Fe and G-M-Fe on the thermal decomposition of AP, laser ignition, combustion and safety characteristics of AP-HTPB propellant were explored. By taking Catocene as the benchmark (156.80 mJ), the G-D-Fe improves the safety performance of propellant, and the ignition energy (E50) is increased by 17.25 mJ. Besides, the G-D-Fe and G-M-Fe have positive effects on enhancing the burning rate and the reducing the pressure exponent of propellant, and the influence of G-D-Fe is more significant. The burning rate enhances from 13.87 to 16.92 mm·s−1 at 15 MPa and the pressure exponent reduces from 0.47 to 0.32 in 4∼15 MPa after the introduction of G-D-Fe. The catalytic mechanism of G-D-Fe were analyzed on the basis of flame morphology, combustion wave structure, in-situ FTIR and gas-phase FTIR-MS. The outstanding catalytic property of G-D-Fe is due to its promotion effect on AP pyrolysis and the formation of stable products, which is conductive to the intense reactions of gas products and the thermal transmission between burning surface and gas phase, and reflecting in the significant enhanced burning rate.

Combustion and plume-plasma characteristics of cesium-based solid propellant

The high-temperature plume of solid propellant has spawned considerable amount of highly ionized plasma, which can be used to increase the specific impulse of propellant with the external physical field, as well as serve as the charged particles for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator on the thruster. Unfortunately, the deficiency of workable deal to promote the electrical performance of the plume hinders the development of the above technologies. In this work, cesium-based composite solid propellants (CCSP) were designed and fabricated by introducing cesium-based oxidants into the AP/HTPB/Al propellant as the highly ionized seed. The propulsion properties and plume conductivity of CCSP were preliminarily calculated through theoretical method. The comprehensive combustion-plasma characteristics (plume conductivity, flame morphology and combustion temperature) of CCSP were further investigated, utilizing plume-plasma diagnostic system. Profiting from the high electron derailment capacity of cesium atom with high temperature, the density of charged particles in the plume of CCSP significantly multiplied. The conductivity of CCSP plume with a value of >1000 S/m presented several orders of magnitude enhancement compared with the plume of baseline propellant (3.9 S/m). Additionally, partially replacing AP with CN/CP contributed to the combustion adequacy of Al MPs. The investigation on the burning rate pressure-index of CCSP and baseline using the high-pressure combustion chamber indicated that 0<nbaseline<nCCSP<1, proving the application ability on SRM and the ability to regulate the burning rate over a wide pressure range for CCSP. Overall, the presented work provided a novel method for improving the plume-plasma performance of propellant, exhibiting the admirable application prospects for Rocket-MHD generator technology and enhancement technology of thrust/specific impulse by physical energy field.

The properties of sustainable aviation fuel II: Laminar flame speed

This work reports on the study of flame characteristics and laminar flame speeds (LFS) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and conventional fuels (Jet-A1 and JP-5) premixed with air at elevated pressures. The experimental facilities included the constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) and used a shadowgraph system to quantify the LFS. The effects of equivalence ratio and ambient pressure on the flame speeds were examined by varying the initial pressure 1, 2, and 3 bar (in addition to 0.1 and 0.5 bar for flame morphology) and the equivalence ratio from 0.8 to 1.8 at 423 K of temperature. The results indicated that JP-5 had the highest LFS value (90.1 cm/s) compared to the other two fuels. Jet-A1 and SAF have the same LFS result, which is less than a 15% difference, excluding the high equivalence ratio and initial pressure. The higher the initial pressure, the lower the LFS for all conditions. The equivalence ratio of 1.2 resulted in the highest LFSs. In addition, in order to understand the laminar flame speed of SAF and its combustion chemical kinetics. Therefore, the sensitivity analysis of SAF was performed. Results indicated that the chain branching reaction (O2 + HOH + O) positively enhanced flame speed as equivalence ratios (φ) increased, while chain propagation reactions, notably O2 + HHO2 (+M), had a negative effect on flame speed, particularly diminishing their influence at higher φ due to limited oxygen availability.

Flame morphology of hydrous ethanol combustion under EGR dilution for port fuel injection and direct injection in a spark ignition optical engine

The increasing popularity of plug-in hybrid vehicles has prompted investigation of options such as range extender units, which may include small engines powered by biofuels. To minimize energy consumption, the best technologies must be chosen, including the use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR, as a charge dilution technique) and the best alternative for fuel injection systems. Therefore, a combustion evaluation was conducted on an optically accessible engine fueled with hydrous ethanol to determine the effects of different injection modes, such as direct injection (DI) and port fuel injection (PFI), combined with EGR. The study employed high-speed camera imaging to analyze flame morphological characteristics and understand their impact on in-cylinder thermodynamics and engine emissions. The DI mode presented more stability than PFI, although the dilution limit was lower for DI.

Laminar burning velocity of Ammonia/Air mixtures at high pressures

Ammonia (NH3) is one solution for decarbonizing the economy. This study used high-speed schlieren imaging to investigate the NH3/air flame morphology and propagation characteristics (laminar burning velocity (LBV) and flame thickness) inside a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC), at conditions relevant to different types of combustors used in power generation. Experiments were carried out for equivalence ratios (ϕ) from 0.7 to 1.3, initial pressures from 1 atm to 10 atm, and an initial temperature of 298 K using a variable gap ignition system. A novel passivation method that minimized the effect of NH3 adsorption on stainless steel surfaces was used during the CVCC filling to reduce the uncertainty in the actual ϕ before ignition. Results showed that the low speed of NH3/air flames increased the effect of buoyancy on the flame shape, especially at high initial pressures or near the flammability limits when flames adopted a bean-shaped structure. A comparison of Rayleigh and Peclet numbers (indicators of buoyancy and diffusion phenomena in flames, respectively) supported these findings. Maximum LBV was measured at ϕ = 1.1 and decreased non-linearly with the initial pressure. Similarly, flame thickness decreased with pressure, and it was thinnest at ϕ = 1.1 for all the examined conditions. Numerical simulations using Cantera produced similar LBV values as the experiment. A sensitivity analysis indicated that reactions involving NH2 and NO have an important role on LBV. Reactions leading to H, O, and OH radicals generation had the strongest effects on LBV enhancement, while LBV-inhibiting reactions had more accentuated effects at high pressures at which LBV is lower.

Explosive Characteristics Analysis of Gasoline–Air Mixtures within Horizontal Oil Tanks

Horizontal oil tanks, like other oil storage containers, carry the risk of explosion when gasoline–air mixtures are ignited. With the widespread application of horizontal oil tanks in the petrochemical industry, attention to safety risks is increasing. However, currently, a limited amount of experimental research on such tanks exists. To explore the characteristics of gasoline–air mixtures combustion within the confined space of horizontal oil tanks, this study constructed a medium-scale simulated horizontal oil tank (L/D = 3, V = 1.0 m3) platform. By investigating the effects of different initial gasoline–air mixture volume fractions and ignition positions on explosion overpressure characteristic parameters, an analysis of the combustion characteristics was conducted. It was found that the most dangerous gasoline–air mixture volume fraction is 1.9% when ignited at the top position and 2.1% at the middle. It was also observed that the ignition position has a significant impact on the variation in explosion overpressure characteristic parameters, with ignition at the middle position resulting having a greater explosive force compared to ignition at the top position. Furthermore, using ignition at the middle position as an example, a study was conducted on the flame morphology characteristics at initial gasoline–air mixture volume fractions of 1.1%, 1.9%, and 2.7%. The conclusions from this research deepen our understanding of the explosion characteristics of different containers, providing theoretical insights for the safe storage and transportation of oil materials in horizontal oil tanks.

Large eddy simulations fire modeling of JIS A 1310 façade calibration test with respect to sidewall

AbstractThe full‐scale façade standard test is widely employed as a comprehensive method to assess the façade fire spread. Within this approach, the calibration test without combustible façade decouples the intricate interaction between gas‐phase combustion and material pyrolysis, which simplifies diagnostics and provides an ideal scenario for model validation. This paper presents large eddy simulations (LES) accompanied by comparisons of calibration tests in accordance with JIS A 1310. The calibration tests were conducted to obtain the flame morphologies, gas‐phase temperature, and heat flux of over‐ventilated façade fires, and the LES modeling is complemented by the modified eddy dissipation model for combustion, the one‐equation model for the sub‐grid scale turbulence, and the discrete ordinate method with the gray mean absorption‐emission approach for thermal radiation. The accuracy of LES data is discussed by comparing with measurements, and the mesh resolution is optimized as 2.5 cm for achieving mesh independency with good qualitative agreement. Furthermore, simulations are conducted to investigate the impact of sidewall distances on façade flame spread. The results highlight that the enhancement of sidewall in façade flame spread occurs under external heat release rate, and the 0.2 m sidewall distance for the designated JIS test is identified as a critical threshold increasing façade thermal load.

Flame Morphology during Self-excited Combustion Instability using Swirl Coaxial Injector

Flame Morphology during Self-excited Combustion Instability using Swirl Coaxial Injector

Co-firing ammonia and hydrogen with butane under methane-equivalent calorific value and Wobbe index: Insights into transition in flame propagation and swirl flame characteristics

Fuel flexibility stands as a critical requirement for the development of combustors in future carbon-free energy systems. Carbon-free fuels including ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen (H2) are substantial supports for achieving this target, raising strong needs to counterbalance their distinct fuel thermochemical properties from methane (CH4), such as volumetric calorific value (CV) and Wobbe index (WI). In this work, butane (C4H10) which is an emerging renewable synthetic fuel is proposed to co-fire NH3 and H2 under methane-equivalent calorific value (MECV) and Wobbe index (MEWI). Laminar flame propagation of NH3/H2/C4H10 mixtures under MECV and MEWI are investigated in a cylindrical constant-volume combustion vessel. C4H10 co-firing can simultaneously tune the fuel thermochemical properties to CH4 levels and regulate the laminar flame propagation of NH3 and H2. Kinetic simulation and modeling analysis are performed to provide insights into the dominant kinetics and transition in laminar flame propagation. CV-compensated transition variables can generally well constrain the transition profiles of laminar burning velocity (LBV), while WI-compensated transition variables can linearize the transition profile from NH3 to C4H10 but meet challenges in constraining the transition profiles of H2-blending mixtures. Chemical effects are found to play the dominant role in the transition of laminar flame propagation, while thermal effects also have positive contributions. Test experiments in a gas turbine model combustor are also conducted to assess the swirl flame characteristics of NH3/H2/C4H10 mixtures under MECV and MEWI. The measured swirl flame morphologies and lean blowout limits indicate enhanced fuel reactivity and flame stability with the transition in fuel content, which is in accordance with the observed trends in LBV. Furthermore, comparison with CH4 provides a comprehensive evaluation of NH3/H2/C4H10 mixtures from the aspects of combustion characteristics and thermochemistry.

Experimental investigation of flame morphology and instabilities in turbulent wind-driven flames

This paper investigates the effect of freestream turbulence on flame profile parameters and streak behavior for boundary layer flames stabilized over a liquid fuel-soaked wick. In contrast to conventional gaseous burners, the study utilized a condensed fuel surface to better emulate realistic burning scenarios, thereby increasing the reliability of the obtained results. This study explores the impact of crossflow velocity (ranging from 1 m/s to 2 m/s) and turbulent intensity (varying between 1.8 % and 16 %) on the dynamic evolution of flame geometry and streak profile. For a given flow velocity, the results indicate a reduction in flame length and flame attachment length with turbulence intensity; in contrast, an increase in tilt angle was observed with increasing turbulence intensity. However, the rate of their increase or decrease was found to vary across different ranges of freestream turbulence intensity. Also, the flame exhibits a curling action in higher turbulence intensity scenarios that influence the global flame structure. The average mass burning rate was also found to be positively related to the flow turbulence in all considered cases. Freestream turbulence induces significant disturbances that amplify and destabilize coherent structures, accelerating the transition to turbulence in the overall flow and resulting in a shorter flame attachment length. Streak spacing experiences accelerated growth with higher turbulence levels, with a sharp surge in the initial region due to the blowing effect caused by the condensed fuel surface. The influence of flow turbulence was also observed by plotting lognormal distribution curves representing streak spacing data. The impact of elevated freestream turbulence on the dispersion of the distribution curve was found to be more pronounced than that of the flow velocity, emphasizing its crucial role in governing the streak dynamics.

Comparisons of global quench limitations between downwardly-propagating and centrally-ignited premixed ammonia/air flames by intense near-isotropic turbulence

Global quench (GQ), a complete extinction, of downwardly-propagating and centrally-ignited premixed ammonia/air flames by intensive near-isotropic turbulence generated in a central region of fan-stirred cruciform burner is explored at wide ranges of the equivalence ratio (ϕ = 0.7–1.25), the r.m.s. turbulence fluctuation velocity (u′ = 0–8.4 m/s), and the ignition energy (Eig = 50–500 mJ) using pin-to-pin stainless-steel electrodes at 2-mm spark gap. Both central ignition flame kernels and downward propagation flames from the top vessel of the cruciform burner interacting with the central uniform intense turbulence are recorded to determine the required critical u′c and/or Kac for GQ, where Ka is a turbulent Karlovitz number. We find that the low-reactivity ammonia/air laminar flames cannot propagate downwardly from the top vessel at too lean (ϕ = 0.7) and too rich (ϕ = 1.25) conditions. Results show that the large downward propagation flames are much harder to be globally quenched by turbulence than the small central ignition kernels for spherical flames. The downward flame GQ criterion is independent of Eig, while the central ignition GQ criterion is influenced by Eig (the higher Eig, the larger u′c). Contrary to the common notion that the maximum critical u′c for flame GQ occurs near ϕ ≈ 1, we discover that the richer the downward propagation ammonia/air flame is, the larger u′c is. Such a surprising survival capability of rich downward propagation ammonia/air flames to GQ by intense turbulence is due to the nearly linear increase of H2 mole fraction percentage in the upstream products of the top tube of the cruciform burner from less than 1 % at ϕ = 0.9 to about 6 % at ϕ = 1.2. These turbulent downward propagation flame fronts with filiform structures prior to GQ reveal the morphology of distributed-like turbulent flames.

Flame propagation characteristics and thermal radiation hazards of methane-hydrogen-mixed cloud explosion in unconfined area: Experiment research and theoretical modeling

Under an equivalency ratio of 1.1, this manuscript studies the fireballs of methane-combustible gas clouds with varying hydrogen doping ratios (5 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 50 %, and 75 %). It then modifies the semiempirical-theoretical fireball heat radiation model based on flame size. Under 5%–30 % mixing ratio, flame growth characteristics are more comparable, and peak flame propagation speed is 18 m/s, whereas the mixing ratios of 50 % and 75 % are higher, take 0.1s to complete the accelerated process, and reach 26.7 and 36.7 m/s, respectively. In flames including methane hydrogen-doped mixtures, thermal diffusion instability and hydrodynamic instability are common. With an increase in the hydrogen doping ratio, the flame self-acceleration index shows a steady rising trend. Additionally, heat flux meter peak heat radiation values increase with hydrogen blending ratio, while the time to peak decreases. These findings align with the developmental process of flame morphology. Based on the observed flame development characteristics, a semi-empirical-theoretical model of heat radiation from the fireball is simplified. The results show that as the hydrogen doping ratio increases, the safety zone must be moved further away.

Cellularization and intrinsic instability characteristics of 2-methylfuran spherical expanding flame

ABSTRACT The flame morphology, flame instability and thermodynamic parameters of 2-methylfuran (2-MF) spherically expanding flame were studied at different initial temperatures, initial pressures, and equivalence ratios. Quantitative analysis of 2-MF flame surface cracks and cell structures was performed. The radius for the crack to enter the accelerated growth stage is reduced by 52.9% as the initial pressure increases from 2 bar to 4 bar. Also, the radius at which the crack enters the accelerated growth stage is reduced by 16.4% when the equivalence ratio is increased by 0.1. The radius required for the average cell area to stabilize is reduced by 31.5% when the initial pressure increases from 2 bar to 4 bar. Additionally, instability parameters were studied, and the results revealed that hydrodynamic instability and thermal-diffusion stability increase with increasing Peclet number. The relationship between the local instability and stability curves was discussed. The average wavenumber fitting line is closer to the upper limit of the instability curve when the equivalence ratio is 1.4, which is 8.5% higher than that of the equivalence ratio of 1.3. Next, the flame self-acceleration was studied, the initial pressure and equivalence ratio greatly promote the self-acceleration of the flame, but the temperature has no obvious effect, and the self-acceleration exponent of 2-MF flame is less than 1.5. Finally, the flame image information was reconstructed by a reconstruction algorithm and the cellularity factor was formulated to measure the degree of flame cellular. The cellularity factor is affected by initial pressure and equivalence ratio. Comparing and analyzing the evolution of flame cracks, flame self-acceleration, and cellularity factor, it was found that flame cracks promote flame self-acceleration and exacerbate flame cellularization and instability.

Experimental and Numerical Study of the Trench Fire Spread Rule over a Sloped Uniform Fuel Bed: Rate of Fire Spread, Flame Morphology, and Heat Flux

Trench fires on sloped terrain are always complicated due to the corresponding flame dynamics and heat transfer mechanisms. Flame attachment may increase the rate of fire spread (ROS) by enlarging the heating area of unburned vegetation. In addition, variations in radiative and convective heat flux are of great importance to fire behavior characteristics. In this work, trench fire tests under different slopes (θ) and inclined sidewalls (A) were performed by numerical simulations based on the Lagrangian Particle Model (LPM) and Boundary Fuel Model (BFM) in the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and small-scale experiments, and the ROS, flame characteristics, and radiative/convective heat flux of the fire front are discussed in detail. The results indicate that the flame tends to adhere to the fuel bed with increasing slope angle and sidewall inclination. In particular, the flame becomes fully attached with a greater pressure difference than the buoyancy, which is caused by the unequal air entrainment between the front and behind the flame. When A = 90°, the critical slope angle of the flame adhesion (from slight tilt to full attachment) is identified as ~20°. The ROS (θ ≤ 15°) predicted by the BFM and LPM are closer to the small-scale experiments. The heat fluxes based on the experiments confirm the predominant mechanism of radiative heat transfer in trench fires at low slopes (θ ≤ 20°). Furthermore, convective heat transfer is more significant than radiative and becomes the main heating mechanism for θ ≥ 20°.

Effects of oxygen enrichment on diesel spray flame soot formation in O2/Ar atmosphere

In this study, diesel spray combustion at oxygen-enriched conditions (oxygen volume fraction of 21–70 %) with argon dilution is experimentally investigated in a constant-volume combustion chamber. Optical diagnostics are employed to study flame development, stabilization, and soot formation at oxygen-enriched conditions. To further verify the experimental observations, two-stage Lagrangian simulations are used to analyze the effects of oxygen on the formation and oxidation of soot precursors, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Results show that replacing nitrogen in air by argon leads to a 50 % reduction of the flame lift-off length, an increased soot flame temperature by 300 K, and higher soot concentrations. Flame morphology and structure still follow the classic conventional diesel combustion model in the oxygen range of 21–40 %, while changes are observed when oxygen levels are higher than 50 %. The width and length of the soot flame are shortened, and chemiluminescence from intermediate species like CO dominates the flame natural luminosity at the spray head, where the flame temperature reaches near 3000 K. Soot reduction mechanisms at high-degree oxygen-enrichment conditions are investigated. The intrinsic mixing-limited combustion of diesel sprays leads to unavoidable fuel-rich areas locally, but the shortened flame lift-off length and sufficient oxygen supply confines soot-forming conditions to a smaller, upstream region. The residence time of fuel parcels in this confined soot-forming area is shortened due to the larger local spray velocity. Thereafter, fuel parcels enter a high-temperature fuel-lean region, where the formed soot is oxidized rapidly.

Mini but Mighty: Oscillations in diffusion flames at sub-atmospheric conditions

The oscillatory behaviour of buoyant diffusion flames plays a vital role in determining how flames evolve. Although previous studies have established an inverse square root relationship between oscillatory frequency and pool diameter, f ∼ D-1/2, few have explored the synergistic effect of diameter and reduced pressure on the pulsation phenomenon. This study mainly investigates the characteristics of convection-controlled pool fires (D < 20 cm) at varying sub-atmospheric pressures, with a particular focus on the influence of eddy effects. Four burner sizes (7 cm, 10 cm, 13 cm, and 16 cm) are selected, and pressure levels are set at 95 kPa, 80 kPa, 60 kPa, and 40 kPa, respectively. A pressure chamber, maintaining a nearly constant pressure during combustion, is employed. The morphology of diffusion flames is recorded and subsequently analysed at different pressures. The study finds that flame shapes change from turbulent to laminar as pressure decreases, which is attributed to the smaller vortex size and corresponds to the varicose and sinuous models. Flame height and oscillatory frequency show a slight increase with decreasing pressure. A new correlation based on the dimensionless Richardson number and Strouhal number is proposed to correlate the oscillation and diameter at different pressures, St=0.58(1/Ri)0.54. This study provides interesting insights into the behaviour of buoyant diffusion flames under sub-atmospheric conditions, highlighting the transition from turbulent to laminar flame shapes, changes in flame height, and pulsation frequency trends. This research could potentially contribute to the comprehension of buoyant diffusion flames at sub-atmospheric conditions in future.

Unstable combustion behavior of syngas/air mixture with different components in a narrow gap disk reactor

In this paper, the combustion behavior of the syngas/air mixture in a narrow gap disk reactor were explored. Besides, the influence of the hydrogen volume fraction and the mixture equivalence ratio in syngas on the property of propagating flames were investigated in the narrow gap disk reactor under the gap thicknesses of 8 mm, 6 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, and 2 mm, respectively. The focus was placed on the behavior of the flame propagation under the gap thickness of 2 mm. The research results demonstrated that the increase of the hydrogen volume fraction from 5 % to 30 % exerted a significant impact on the flame propagation velocity (FPV) and the pressure in the tube. Moreover, the equivalence ratio of this mixture could markedly affect both the propagation characteristics and morphology of flames. Strong flame instabilities accompanied by pressure oscillations were observed in the reactor at a 2 mm gap thickness during the later stages of flame propagation. Notably, there were significant differences in unstable combustion behavior between different syngas components. Moreover, the combined action of heat losses and compression waves leads to significant flame instability. The insights gained from this study have practical implications in various production applications. For example, optimizing hydrogen volume fraction and mixture equivalence ratios can enhance combustion efficiency and reduce pressure fluctuations in industrial reactors, leading to improved energy utilization and reduced environmental emissions.