Multi-regime Combustion Research Articles

A Dynamic Thickening Strategy for High-Fidelity CFD Analyses of Multi-Regime Combustion

Abstract In this study, a dynamic thickening strategy for DTFLES application to multi-regime combustion is proposed. The main idea lies in using the numerical solution of an Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) as a thickening factor. The equation relates the time derivative of the local thickening factor to its production and destruction rates, which are proportional to the gap between the instantaneous value and optimal target values. The smoothness of the thickening factor in time is ensured by the ODE solution, while in space it is achieved through a mathematical function defined in a continuous flame index space. The equation is numerically integrated with a semi-implicit scheme by making use of the backward Euler formula. The strategy has been implemented in a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver and it has been tested by performing Large Eddy Simulations of the hydrogen/air flame produced by the HYLON injector, which has been individuated as an interesting test case for the proposed dynamic strategy. Turbulence-chemistry interactions are recovered by means of a well-assessed subgrid efficiency model. Numerical results are compared with the experimental ones obtained at Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse (IMFT).

Macroscopic flame and flow structures in hydrogen and methane multi-regime combustion

The current experimental investigation focuses on the macroscopic structures of CH4/air and H2/air flames operated on the Darmstadt multi-regime burner adapted for hydrogen operation. Building upon previous research on lean-burn limits, this study utilizes simultaneous PIV and OH-PLIF measurements to examine notable differences in flame and flow structures. Six flame cases are studied, focusing on CH4/air and H2/air jet flames at equivalence ratios of 1.4, 2.2, and 3.5. It is observed that the hydrogen slot 2 flames exhibit unique behavior under ultra-lean conditions, demonstrating thermodiffusive effects that generate finger-like structures. Despite receiving less thermal support from the slot 2 flame, hydrogen jet flames burn faster and resist flame extinction in high-velocity regions. The extensive heat release from fuel-rich H2 jets maintains a stable location compared to CH4 jets at the same equivalence ratio, altering local flow dynamics. Additionally, the study identifies a reshaped primary inner recirculation zone (IRZ) and a secondary IRZ in H2/air flame cases, which is absent in CH4 flames. The interplay between the jet flame and the primary IRZ results in visible flame enhancement in slot 2, indicating preheating and fuel enrichment effects. Overall, this research provides comprehensive insights into the distinct combustion behavior and flow structures of CH4 and H2 flames on a multi-regime burner.

Spray Flamelet Modeling of Turbulent Two-Phase Reacting Flows with Multi-Component Fuel in a Lean Direct Injection Combustor

ABSTRACT Towards the numerical evaluation of the performance in aero-engine combustors, implementing detailed reaction kinetics into the large eddy simulation (LES) cost-effectively is highly desirable. In this work, a newly-developed spray flamelet model is combined with a four-component jet fuel surrogate model to allow integration of the detailed kinetics in the open-source CFD code. The spray flamelet approach (SFGM) can take into account the non-adiabatic effect caused by the evaporating spray and can directly reflect the preferential evaporation, as well as multiple combustion regimes present in complex spray combustion systems. The coupling of the SFGM-LES approach is assessed by comparison with the experimental data from a Lean Direct Injection (LDI) combustor, where the real aviation kerosene, Jet-A, was utilized. The SFGM-LES approach well predicts the experimental statistics in both gas and liquid phases. It is capable of capturing the rich physics and complex flame structures, including the preferential evaporation effect and the multi-regime combustion phenomenon. The present work demonstrates that the complex nature of multi-components and the multiple-combustion regimes in the two-phase combustion can be directly included in the spray flamelet approach, and thus this model can provide new insights into the turbulent spray combustion phenomena.

Flame regimes in DI diesel combustion: LES study for light- and heavy-duty injectors

Experimental and numerical studies contributed significantly to the overall understanding of diesel spray combustion phenomena over recent decades. In particular, the conceptual model proposed by Dec (1997) [1] and its extensions, describing the mechanisms behind spray formation, vaporization, mixing, ignition, as well as pollutant formation and consumption, have provided new insights for DI diesel engine applications. However, the literature still lacks detailed studies on the local flame regimes of diesel spray combustion. This study presents a comprehensive flame regime analysis of two benchmark cases of the Engine Combustion Network, Spray A and Spray D, which represent light- and heavy-duty applications. To this end, the established gradient-free regime identification (GFRI) approach is extended to cover diesel spray flames and applied to numerical LES data, based on tabulated chemistry, using the unsteady flamelet progress variable (UFPV) approach. The applicability of the tabulated chemistry approach for flame regime identification is validated based on DNS data. For both light- and heavy-duty diesel injectors, a different ignition behavior and temporal evolution of the flame regime distribution is observed. In both configurations the main ignition is dominated by multi-regime combustion, which governs the flame stabilization, and non-premixed combustion, most prominent when approaching steady-state. However, the spatial separation of flame regimes, especially multi-regime and the low-temperature regime, significantly differs when comparing the two spray flames. Based on this qualitative analysis, the impact of the single flame regimes on the overall heat release is analyzed. This is followed by a conditional flame structure analysis, with respect to the mixture fraction and flame regime, for representative times, e.g., early and main ignition as well as quasi steady-state combustion. Finally, the outcome of the local flame regime analysis is consolidated, and an extended conceptual model is proposed, including a detailed understanding of the predominant flame regimes.

Numerical analysis of multi-regime combustion using flamelet generated manifolds - a highly-resolved Large-Eddy Simulation of the Darmstadt multi-regime burner

Multi-regime effects occur due to the interaction of combustion phenomena such as partial premixing of reactants or product-recirculation and lead to the invalidity of idealization of local reaction zones by purely premixed or purely non-premixed flame structures. The recently proposed multi-regime burner (MRB) at the Hochschule Darmstadt and the TU Darmstadt is investigated using highly-resolved Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) regarding the present combustion modes – with focus on MILD combustion – and overall flame characteristics. Thermochemical experimental data and highly resolved LES are compared for two selected operating conditions MRB18b and MRB26b. The experimental investigation focuses on the overall flame structure by examining radial profiles of temperature and mixture fraction, as well as scatter plots of temperature and CH4 versus mixture fraction. The objective of this analysis is to provide insights into the reaction zone structure which are difficult to extract by experimental means, by using highly-resolved Large-Eddy Simulations under flow conditions representative of MRB18b and MRB26b. The generated database was used to allow for a separate analysis of the inner and outer flame branches. SO2 measurements were analyzed together with the simulated temperature fields to further assess the flame stabilization mechanism in this configuration. The importance of different flame zones and burning modes was analyzed using the flame index and temperature locus diagrams. The effects of the flame zones are found to evolve with the downstream distance and show distinct differences between the two operating conditions. The applied diagnostics reveal the spatial and thermodynamical state of the different regimes.

Assessment of dynamic adaptive chemistry with tabulated reactions for the simulation of unsteady multiregime combustion phenomena

Solving chemistry is an integral part of reacting flow simulations, usually dominating the computational cost. Among the different strategies to accelerate the solution of chemistry and to achieve realizable simulations, the use of Dynamic Adaptive Chemistry (DAC) stands out among other methods. DAC methods are based on the use of reduced mechanisms generated from local conditions. The reduction process is computationally expensive and strategies for reducing the frequency of reduction and the re-utilization of the generated reduced mechanisms are key in making DAC methods computationally affordable. In this study, a new method hereby referred as Tabulated Reactions for Adaptive Chemistry (TRAC) is proposed to correlate chemical states with their reduced mechanisms in order to reduce both the frequency of reduction and to allow for re-utilization of reduced chemical schemes. TRAC introduces a mechanism tabulation strategy based on the use of a low-dimensional space that defines the thermo-chemical conditions for which specific reduced reaction mechanisms are stored. Chemistry reduction is achieved by the use of Path Flux Analysis (PFA) with a reaction rate-sensitivity method to achieve further reduction in the reaction mechanisms. The new TRAC proposal is applied to various canonical transient problems and the results are compared with reference solutions obtained from detailed chemistry calculations. A speedup of about 4x was achieved with TRAC while maintaining an error under 3% in the prediction of the major and minor species, flame structure, and flame propagation.

Large eddy simulation of multi-regime combustion with a two-progress variable approach for carbon monoxide

Simulations of two cases in a novel multi-regime burner configuration are undertaken using a presumed joint probability density function (PDF) approach with tabulated chemistry. The flame conditions are varied by changing the central jet equivalence ratio, which produces different multi-regime combustion modes in the non-premixed inner flame. An outer premixed flame and recirculation zone behind a bluff body are present to supply heat and combustion products to stabilise the inner flame. A two-progress variable approach is tested to improve predictions of carbon monoxide (CO) in the post-flame regions, where CO oxidation occurs. The large eddy simulation set-up and sub-grid combustion model are assessed through comparisons with time-averaged measurements for radial profiles at different streamwise locations. The jet break-up length, the shear layers and the mixture fraction distribution are well captured in both cases. The temperature distribution is well captured for the inner flame in each case but the temperature and mixture fraction are over predicted in the downstream regions of the outer premixed flame, which is due to increased dilatation that suppresses air entrainment. Improved predictions of the CO mass fraction are obtained for the outer premixed flames with the two-progress variable approach. Over predictions are seen in the upstream regions of the inner flame when the CO mass fraction is obtained from a look-up table, suggesting that the CO mass fraction should be transported to include the convection/diffusion balance in regions where there is no flame. Furthermore, transporting the CO mass fraction with a one-progress variable approach produces over predictions in the burnt regions, suggesting a two-progress variable model is needed to capture the consumption region of CO. The multi-regime combustion characteristics are observed to be stronger in flame MRB26b, where non-premixed and rich premixed combustion is present. For flame MRB18b, the non-premixed contribution is smaller and weak stratified combustion is observed.

Identification of Multi-Regime Combustion Using Finite-Rate Chemistry and Unsupervised Machine Learning Method

Identification of Multi-Regime Combustion Using Finite-Rate Chemistry and Unsupervised Machine Learning Method

Turbulent multi-regime methane-air flames analysed by Raman/Rayleigh spectroscopy and conditional velocity field measurements

In this study the characteristics of multi-regime combustion are investigated using a multi-regime burner with well-defined inflow boundary conditions. Based on previous findings, the range of operating conditions is extended. Fluid dynamical and thermochemical states are analysed for a variety of fuel/air ratios. Based on comprehensive Raman/Rayleigh and combined particle image velocimetry and SO2 laser-induced fluorescence measurements, two selected operating conditions are compared in detail. To gain insight into the stabilization mechanism, results from flow field measurements and flame front tracking are conditionally analysed in a statistical approach. In this configuration flame stabilization is dominated by recirculation of hot flue gases from a premixed flame enveloping the jet-type lifted flame exhibiting extended zones of multi-regime combustion.

Local combustion regime identification using machine learning

A new combustion regime identification methodology using the neural networks as supervised classifiers is proposed and validated. As a first proof of concept, a binary classifier is trained with labelled thermochemical states obtained as solutions of prototypical one-dimensional models representing premixed and nonpremixed regimes. The trained classifier is then used to associate the regime to any given thermochemical state originating from a multi-dimensional reacting flow simulation that shares similar operating conditions with the training problems. The classification requires local information only, i.e. no gradients are required, and operates on reduced-dimension thermochemical states, in order to cope with experimental data as well. The validity of the approach is assessed by employing a two-dimensional laminar edge flame data as a canonical configuration exhibiting multi-regime combustion behaviour. The method is readily extendable to additional classes to identify criticality phenomena, such as local extinction and re-ignition. It is anticipated that the proposed classifier tool will be useful in the development of turbulent multi-regime combustion closure models in large scale simulations.

A Mapping Approach for Efficient CFD Simulation of Low-Speed Large-Bore Marine Engine with Pre-Chamber and Dual-Fuel Operation

A natural-gas-diesel dual-fuel marine engine with a pre-chamber is a promising solution for ocean transportation to meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) emission regulations. This engine system employs a pre-chamber with direct injection of diesel to ignite premixed natural gas due to its higher ignition energy, which can enable lower lean limit and higher thermal efficiency. The dual-fuel pre-chamber marine engine presents complex multi-regime combustion characteristics in- and outside the pre-chamber, thus posing challenges in its numerical simulation in a cost-effective manner. Therefore, this paper presents a three-dimensional modeling study for the multi-regime combustion in a large-bore two-stroke marine dual-fuel engine, proposing a novel mapping approach, which couples the well-stirred reactor (WSR) model with the G-equation model to achieve high computational accuracy and efficiency simultaneously. In-depth analysis is performed using representative exothermic reaction (RXR) analysis and premixed turbulent combustion fundamentals to better understand the combustion process and to provide guidance in the selection of mapping timing. The results show that the use of mapping to switch from the WSR to the G-equation model can effectively reduce the runtime significantly by 71.5%, meanwhile maintaining similar accuracies in predictions of in-cylinder pressure traces, HRR and NOx emissions, compared to using WSR all along. Additionally, the choice of mapping timing based on several parameters is preliminarily discussed.

Investigation of Turbulent Pulverized Solid Fuel Combustion with Detailed Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Kinetics

A comprehensive Euler–Lagrange framework for pulverized coal combustion using detailed multi-step heterogeneous kinetics is presented. The heterogeneous kinetics employ the POLIMI model that involves 37 species (22 solid species and 15 gas species) and 49 reactions to describe detailed pyrolysis as well as char oxidation, gasification, and annealing for a wide range of coals. The porous structure of the coal particles is considered, and the heterogeneous reactions are assumed to occur throughout the entire particle in a volume-based approach. The ordinary differential equations of the heterogeneous kinetics are integrated on each Lagrangian coal particle and predict the conversion of the raw coal components to light volatile hydrocarbons, heavy tar species, and char off-gases. Hence, the composition of the solid fuel components and the released gas changes dynamically in space and time, providing high-fidelity predictions of solid fuel combustion. The chemical conversion of the released species in the gas phase is described by a homogeneous kinetic mechanism with 76 species and 973 reactions that was reduced from the comprehensive CRECK-G-1407 kinetic mechanism. The new modeling framework is employed within carrier-phase direct numerical simulations (CP-DNS) of pulverized coal combustion in a three-dimensional turbulent mixing layer. This configuration includes the additional physics of turbulence and particle group combustion by mixing solid fuel particles suspended in a primary oxidizer stream with the products from lean volatile combustion in a secondary stream. The CP-DNS results are analyzed with and without the available set of 14 char conversion reactions, and a low degree of char conversion indicated by an increased rate of CO production is captured for particles with temperatures higher than 1800 K. The CP-DNS results from the detailed POLIMI approach feature a distinct bimodal shape of the volatile release curve and multi-regime combustion. The POLIMI data are used to evaluate the predictive capability of simpler pyrolysis models. The original competing two-step model (C2SM) by Kobayashi is investigated and shown to predict heavily delayed ignition. A new competing two-step devolatilization approach is proposed as an alternative model reduction suitable for fitting bimodal volatile release rates, such as that predicted by POLIMI. The CP-DNS using the alternative pyrolysis model faithfully captures the onset of ignition and multi-regime flame branches. Differences arise in the local tar species compositions in the gas phase as a result of the time-varying (POLIMI) and fixed (new C2SM) volatile compositions for the respective models. The flame structure is further analyzed by chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA), and the occurrence of premixed and non-premixed flames zones is confirmed, whereas a simpler flame index analysis fails to correctly indicate the multi-regime nature of the flame. This recognition of multi-regime combustion serves as a guidance for selecting suitable conditioning variables for flamelet and other combustion submodels in large eddy simulation.

An extended flame index partitioning for partially premixed combustion

Compared to partially premixed combustion (or combustion of non-homogeneous reactants in general), fully premixed and diffusion flames represent only two asymptotic limits of combustion modes. However, the deep knowledge accumulated over the years on these two elementary and archetypal flame prototypes is such that they remain the cornerstone and reference building blocks of most combustion modelling proposals. Therefore, from a general point of view, being able to distinguish between premixed and non-premixed modes of combustion thanks to a flame index appears as a quite appealing but challenging task that still concentrates many research efforts. Indeed, the availability of such an index is not only appealing to proceed with the analysis of either experimental or computational data issued from DNS (or highly resolved LES) databases. It is also an essential ingredient to elaborate advanced flamelet-based multiregime combustion models on the basis of single regime tabulated flamelet databases. In the present study, a new definition of the premixedness index is proposed for partially premixed combustion. It is based on a weighted form of the cross-scalar dissipation rate of the mixture fraction and progress variable , i.e. quantities that have been previously identified as relevant parameters to describe partially premixed combustion regimes. The relevance of the corresponding index is assessed through a detailed computational procedure that includes three successive validation subsets: counterflow flames (including premixed, rich partially-premixed, and diffusion flames), (ii) stabilised triple flames for three distinct values of the inlet mixture fraction gradient, and finally (iii) unsteady flame kernel developments in non-homogeneous mixtures of fresh reactants, which are characterised by various initial levels of the segregation rate between the fuel and oxidiser. The proposed premixedness index and its counterpart are used as the weighting coefficients between tabulated premixed flamelets (TPF) and tabulated diffusion flamelets (TDF) data, which have been parameterised as functions of and . It is noteworthy that, in contrast to some previous proposals of the literature, the present flame index does not require the consideration of any other quantities in addition to those already used to parameterise the flamelets databases, i.e. and . The validation procedure makes use of steady and unsteady processes with a priori and a posteriori analyses. In both cases, the comparisons between the results obtained with the proposed flame partitioning and detailed chemistry (DC) computations lead to a satisfactory level of agreement and, from a general viewpoint, the level of agreement is better than the one obtained with either premixed or diffusion flamelet-based models.

Capturing multi-regime combustion in turbulent flames with a virtual chemistry approach

Multiple flame regimes are encountered in industrial combustion chambers, where premixed, stratified and non-premixed flame regions may coexist. To obtain a predictive tool for pollutant formation predictions, chemical flame modeling must take into account the influence of such complex flame structure. The objective of this article is to apply and compare two reduced chemistry models on both laminar and turbulent multi-regime flame configurations in order to analyze their capabilities in predicting flame structure and CO formation. The challenged approaches are (i) a premixed flamelet-based tabulated chemistry method, whose thermochemical variables are parameterized by a mixture fraction and a progress variable, and (ii) a virtual chemical scheme which has been optimized to retrieve the properties of canonical premixed and non-premixed 1-D laminar flames. The methods are first applied to compute a series of laminar partially-premixed methane-air counterflow flames. Results are compared to detailed chemistry simulations. Both approaches reproduced the thermal flame structure but only the virtual chemistry captures the CO formation in all ranges of equivalence ratio from stoichiometry premixed flame to pure non-premixed flame. Finally, the two chemical models combined with the Thickened Flame model for LES are challenged on a piloted turbulent jet flame with inhomogeneous inlet, the Sydney inhomogeneous burner. Mean and RMS of temperature and CO mass fraction radial profiles are compared to available experimental data. Scatter data in mixture fraction space and Wasserstein metric of numerical and experimental data are also studied. The analyses confirm again that the virtual chemistry approach is able to account for the impact of multi-regime turbulent combustion on the CO formation.

Assessing multi-regime combustion in a novel burner configuration with large eddy simulations using tabulated chemistry

Recent investigations on a novel multi-regime burner (MRB) configuration showed significant deviations in the CO flame structure compared to the limiting cases of premixed and non-premixed flames. However, a prior analysis revealed that major species and temperature are captured by both limiting cases (Butz et al., Combust. Flame, 2019 [1]). In the present work, large eddy simulations using an artificial thickened flame approach and tabulated chemistry are performed for the MRB configuration. Simulation results are compared to experimental Raman/Rayleigh/CO-LIF and PIV measurements, confirming the applicability of the modeling approach. Further, simulation results are consistent with the aforementioned prior analysis. Special attention is paid to predicting CO by analyzing the conditional flame structure and the effects of local residence time. This combined CO and residence time analysis reveals that local convective and diffusive transport processes should be resolved simultaneously with the unsteady flow, instead of being tabulated. Substantial improvements in CO are achieved when local transport is considered.

Derivation and analysis of two-dimensional composition space equations for multi-regime combustion using orthogonal coordinates

Interactions between premixed and non-premixed reaction zones can lead to complex mixed combustion regimes, here denoted as multi-regime combustion, which pose challenges to many conventional combustion modeling approaches. Such conditions occur in most practical combustors and can originate from partial premixing, mixture inhomogeneities/stratification, hot product recirculation, or local flame extinction and re-ignition. Therefore, novel equations are derived for modeling multi-regime combustion which are formulated with respect to a two-dimensional composition space spanned by mixture fraction and reaction progress variable. Contrary to previous works, the dependency of the progress variable on the mixture fraction is considered in the new model. This is achieved by splitting the progress variable gradient into an aligned and an orthogonal component with respect to the mixture fraction gradient and the latter is used to define the second coordinate. In the theory that follows, a balance equation for the progress variable on mixture fraction iso-surfaces is formulated. Using this balance equation together with the orthogonal coordinate system, the transformation of species and temperature equations to the 2D composition space yields a novel set of equation without so-called cross-terms. This is advantageous since cross-terms obtained with previous approaches lack a general closure and it is uncertain if it exists at all. Furthermore, the approach allows to naturally distinguish between non-premixed and premixed combustion regimes, auto ignition, and it covers multi-regime combustion characteristics. The theory is validated and discussed by means of a fully resolved solution of a laminar triple flame using detailed chemistry. At first, regions which exhibit premixed, non-premixed or multi-regime combustion characteristics are identified. The triple flame solution then serves as a database from which all relevant theoretical relations are post-processed and validated. In comparison to budgets of conventional 1D flamelet equations for premixed and non-premixed combustion it is shown that only the full set of transport terms considered in the 2D equations accurately balances chemical source terms everywhere in the triple flame, especially in regions where multi-regime combustion prevails.

Boychuk I.P., Ambrozhevich A.V., Migalin K.V. Numerical simulations of multi regime combustion in the heat machines

Boychuk I.P., Ambrozhevich A.V., Migalin K.V. Numerical simulations of multi regime combustion in the heat machines

Local flame structure analysis in turbulent CH4/air flames with multi-regime characteristics

In practical applications, partial premixing of fuel and oxidizer, as well as recirculation of combustion products, result in complex combustion scenarios where multi-regime effects arise and a numerical representation of local reaction zones by purely premixed or purely non-premixed flame structures may not hold. Here, a novel burner system is introduced to investigate the fundamental characteristics of multi-regime combustion and to provide a basis for validating numerical models. This multi-regime burner (MRB) is specifically designed to produce flames with multi-regime characteristics while maintaining well-defined boundary conditions. Thermochemical data from Raman/Rayleigh/CO-LIF scattering experiments are provided for two selected operating conditions. The experimental investigation focuses on the overall flame structure by examining radial profiles of temperature and mixture fraction, as well as scatter plots of temperature, CH4, and CO versus mixture fraction. In order to assess the relative importance of different flame regimes, the gradient-free regime identification (GFRI) approach is extended to allow for an automated classification of local reaction zone structures. Classification criteria are defined, based on the ratio of local heat release rate peaks associated with premixed and non-premixed reaction zones located in close spatial proximity, and an automated process is implemented to classify 1D Raman/Rayleigh sample lines as premixed, dominantly premixed, multi-regime, dominantly non-premixed, or non-premixed flame zones. The importance of different flame zones, indicated by their population fractions, are found to evolve with downstream distance and show distinct differences between the two selected flames. Further, a prior analysis is used to test the applicability of 1D flame structure assumptions for the underlying combustion regime.

Assessing the relative importance of flame regimes in Raman/Rayleigh line measurements of turbulent lifted flames

Understanding and quantifying the relative importance of premixed and non-premixed reaction zones within turbulent partially premixed flames is an important issue for multi-regime combustion. In the present work, the recently-developed method of gradient-free regime identification (GFRI) is applied to instantaneous 1D Raman/Rayleigh measurements of temperature and major species from two turbulent lifted methane/air flames. Local premixed and non-premixed reaction zones are identified using criteria based on the mixture fraction, the chemical explosive mode, and the heat release rate, the latter two being calculated from an approximation of the full thermochemical state of each measured sample. A chemical mode (CM) zero-crossing is a previously documented marker for a premixed reaction zone. Results from the lifted flames show strong correlations among the mixture fraction at the CM zero-crossing, the magnitude of the change in CM at the zero-crossing, and the local heat release rate at the CM zero-crossing compared to the maximum heat release rate. The trends are confirmed through a comparable analysis of numerical simulations of two laminar triple flames. These newly documented trends are associated with the transition from dominantly premixed flame structures to dominantly non-premixed flames structures. The methods introduced for assessing the relative importance of local premixed and non-premixed reactions zones have potential for application to a broad range of turbulent flames.

LES of pulverized coal combustion with a multi-regime flamelet model

It is well known that premixed and non-premixed flamelets coexist in the combustion system, especially for multiphase combustion (Luo et al., 2011; Bai et al., 2016). In this work, a multi-regime combustion model for partially premixed multiphase combustion (2PMC) is developed in the framework of large eddy simulation (LES). In this model, the multi-regime combustion mode is decomposed into two pure combustion regimes (i.e. premixed and non-premixed) through combustion regime indicator. Different combustion models are chosen for different combustion regimes. For example, for premixed combustion regime, the flamelet generated manifold (FGM) tabulation method in combination with the artificially thickened flame (ATF) approach is used. For non-premixed combustion regime, on the other hand, the thermo-chemical quantities will be extracted from the non-premixed chemtable generated by the flamelet/progress variable (FPV) approach. The proposed multi-regime flamelet model is then extended to adapt to the pulverized coal combustion (PCC) and applied to a laboratory-scale pulverized coal jet flame. The simulation results show that the percentage of the volume-weighted premixed combustion regime of this studied flame is up to 18%. Quantitative comparisons between the experimental data and the numerical results with the present multi-regime flamelet model, the FPV model, and the Eddy Break Up (EBU) model shows that the proposed multi-regime flamelet model has several advantages. It performs better than the FPV model in the regions where premixed combustion mode prevails and also much better than the EBU model in species concentration prediction.