Sub-grid Scale Combustion Models Research Articles

Large Eddy Simulation of Lean Premixed Swirling Flames via Dynamically Thickened Flame Model Coupling with the REDIM Chemistry Table

In this paper, the so-called REDIM–DTF sub-grid scale combustion model is proposed to improve the well-known dynamically thickened flame (DTF) combustion model by combining the DTF modeling strategy with the reaction-diffusion manifold (REDIM) chemistry table, which is generated from a detailed reaction mechanism. The new model is then used to calculate two lean premixed swirling flames in the PRECCINSTA combustor via large eddy simulation. The radial profiles of velocity, temperature, and species concentration, as well as the flame surface area and vortex structure are analyzed. The results are in good overall agreement with the corresponding experiment, and the performance of the REDIM–DTF model is very similar to that of the DTF model. The predicted CO mass fraction profiles, however, show a relatively larger discrepancy between the original DTF model and the proposed REDIM–DTF model, which is thought to be due to different reaction mechanisms used. As a smaller number of species transport equations are solved in the REDIM–DTF model, its computational efficiency is about 15% higher than that of the original DTF model.

REDIM-PFDF modelling of turbulent partially-premixed flame with inhomogeneous inlets using top-hat function for multi-stream mixing problem

Present study focuses on numerical investigation of two important partially-premixed inhomogeneous types of flames using REDIM-PFDF sub-grid scale combustion model. REDIM-PFDF model is based on the reaction-diffusion manifold (REDIM) technique and presumed filtered density function (PFDF) method. The detailed chemical kinetics is reduced into a two-dimensional chemistry table which is using the mass fractions of CO2 (YCO2) and N2 (YN2) as the reduced coordinates. The shapes of the Filtered Density Function (FDF) for YCO2 and YN2 are presumed to be clipped Gaussian and top-hat, respectively. We find that the top-hat function, in context of LES, is a suitable option to deal with multi-stream mixing problem. The comparison between LES and experimental data shows that the mixture fraction and mass fractions of several species are in a good agreement with the experimental data. The characteristics of two flames are also analyzed by comparing their OH mass fractions and CO2 production rates.

Review on Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Premixed Combustion in Tubes

This paper reviews the existing knowledge on the large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent premixed combustion in empty tubes and obstructed tubes. From the view of model development in LES, this review comprehensively analyzes the development history and applicability of the important Sub-Grid Scale (SGS) viscosity models and SGS combustion models. LES is also used to combine flow and combustion models to reproduce industrial explosion including deflagration and detonation and the transition from deflagration to detonation (DDT). The discussion about models and applications presented here, leads readers to understand the progress of LES in the explosion of tube and reveals the deficiencies in this area.

Large eddy simulation of a partially pre-vaporized ethanol reacting spray using the multiphase DTF/flamelet model

Spray reactive flow finds application in various technical devices, and due to the complex nature, their optimization is very challenging, requiring proper modeling of turbulence/chemistry interactions as well as of the contribution from spray evaporation. This work presents a study of sub-grid scale combustion models, where relevant assumptions on multiphase coupling and their effects are analyzed in detail. For this purpose, two different flamelet approaches, i.e. progress variable spray flamelet and multi-regime gas flamelet are examined in an implementation coupled with the dynamic thickened flame model, along with which the impact of inlet inhomogeneities condition and droplet evaporation taking into account internal temperature gradient is also investigated. The numerical evaluation is carried out in large eddy simulations of a benchmark ethanol spray flame with partial pre-vaporization, where an Eulerian-Lagrangian numerical framework is adopted. The analysis demonstrated that the flame dynamics under consideration is governed by a close coupling between spray evaporation, turbulent dispersion and unsteady flame propagation at upstream shear layers. Results show that the spray flamelets built from counterflow partially-premixed spray flames achieved a better agreement with experiments, capturing the flame structure in terms of gas-phase temperature, OH mass fraction as well as spray statistics.

Pocket formation and behavior in turbulent premixed flames

Pocket formation is an important characteristic of turbulent premixed flames and understanding pocket behavior is key to developing high-fidelity numerical combustion models. In this study, a dual-burner experiment is used to study pockets in single- and dual-flame configurations and synchronized high-speed OH-planar laser-induced fluorescence and stereoscopic-particle image velocimetry imaging techniques are implemented to track flame pockets and the surrounding flow field. Statistical analysis of pocket origin and fate is performed using a novel tracking algorithm incorporating non-rigid image registration. Results show that pocket formation rates increase as a function of increasing inlet turbulence level; reactant pocket formation increases as a function of downstream distance, whereas product pocket formation decreases. Tracking reactant pocket lifetime shows that a majority of these pockets burn out and displacement speeds are characterized. Product pockets usually merge with the main flame surface, which could have an impact on local flame structure and propagation. Results presented in this study show that pocket behavior in turbulent flames can change local flame dynamics and it is important to capture these effects in sub-grid scale combustion models to accurately predict flame behavior.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent premixed piloted flame using artificial thickened flame model coupled with tabulated chemistry

A sub-grid scale (SGS) combustion model, which combines the artificial thickened flame (ATF) model with the flamelet generated manifold (FGM) tabulation method, is proposed. Based on the analysis of laminar flame structures, two self-contained flame sensors are used to track the diffusion and reaction processes with different spatial scales in the flame front, respectively. The dynamic formulation for the proposed SGS combustion model is also performed. Large eddy simulations (LESs) of Bunsen flame F3 are used to evaluate the different SGS combustion models. The results show that the proposed SGS model has the ability in predicting the distributions of temperature and velocity reasonably, while the predictions for the distributions of some species need further improvement. The snapshots of instantaneous normalized progress variables reveal that the flame is more remarkably and severely wrinkled at the flame tip for flame F3. More satisfactory results obtained by the dynamic model indicate that it can preserve the premixed flame propagation characteristics better.

Coal particle volatile combustion and flame interaction. Part II: Effects of particle Reynolds number and turbulence

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) is performed to characterize volatile combustion of isolated coal particles and closely spaced particle ensembles in laminar and turbulent flow. In part I of the paper the transient evolution of devolatilization and group flame effects were studied, Tufano et al. (2018). This analysis was limited to laminar flows and relatively low particle Reynolds numbers Rep. Here, we investigate the effect of large Rep and considerable levels of turbulence on the devolatilization and burning behavior of the particles. The complex physico-chemical interactions during PCC are characterized for laminar flow conditions first, before arrays of infinite particle layers are subjected to turbulence. Increasing Rep in laminar flow leads to delayed ignition of single particles with local extinction due to high upstream scalar dissipation rates and the formation of wake flame structures downstream of the particle. An attempt is made to recover the single particle results with a standard steady laminar flamelet approach, which is shown to work well at low Rep, but fails at high Reynolds numbers, where multi-dimensional effects occur and must be incorporated into flamelet modeling. It is found that applying standard film theory to model the effect of convection on devolatilization rates can lead to qualitatively wrong trends and up to 66% error in the peak devolatilization rate compared to the DNS results at Rep=8. The analysis of particle arrays in laminar flow shows a strong dependence of flame interactions on the values of Rep due to the different extent of the particle wakes. The occurrence of significant levels of turbulence introduces a wide range of additional chemical states due to the randomness of the turbulent fluctuations that can either act to increase or decrease the local strain, in turn weakening or enhancing particle interactions. For the studied conditions turbulence slightly promotes the mass release from the most upstream particle set, but considerably delays the volatile release from the downstream particles, which is explained by the different extents and degrees of interaction of the up- and downstream volatile flames. The present results are considered useful for the development of LES sub-grid scale combustion models for pulverized coal flames, such as flamelets and others.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent stratified combustion using dynamic thickened flame coupled with tabulated detailed chemistry

• A SGS model of DTF coupled with FGM is developed for investigating stratified flame. • LES transport equation for covariance in the DTF-FGM model is deduced. • An in-depth analysis for the flame structures of Cambridge stratified flames is achieved. A sub-grid scale (SGS) combustion model of the dynamic thickened flame (DTF) coupled with flamelet generated manifolds (FGM) approach (i.e. DTF-FGM) is developed to investigate Cambridge stratified flames. Two issues in developing the DTF-FGM model are addressed. Firstly, the copula method is extended to construct a multivariate joint probability density function (PDF) of the tabulated scalars. A modified laminar flamelet PDF is incorporated to describe the probable asymmetric multimodal distribution for the reaction progress variable. Secondly, large eddy simulation (LES) transport equations for the tabulated scalars, relevant sub-grid variances and covariance in the DTF-FGM model are deduced. LES of Cambridge stratified flames is performed with the DTF-FGM model and the widely used SGS combustion model which combines a presumed PDF with FGM (i.e. PPDF-FGM). Detailed comparisons between simulations and experiments are carried out to evaluate the SGS combustion models and mesh resolution effects. Meanwhile, an in-depth analysis for the flame structures of Cambridge stratified flames is also achieved. The results indicate that the developed SGS combustion model considering the effect of correlations between the mixture fraction and reaction progress variable has the ability to solve the stratified flame structures under LES mesh resolution exactly at a reasonable computational cost.

Impacts of plate slits on flame acceleration of premixed methane/air in a closed tube

The paper aims at revealing the interaction of various numbers of premixed methane/air jet flames in a closed duct. In the experiment, a high-speed video camera and pressure transducers are used to study the flame structure and pressure dynamics. In the numerical simulations, large eddy simulation (LES) with Power-Law combustion model is employed to investigate the interaction between the moving flame and vortices induced by the thin plate. The results demonstrate that the flame propagation for all plate configurations can be divided into four typical stages, i.e. hemispherical flame, finger-shaped flame, jet flame and bidirectional propagation flame. For three plate configurations, the jet flames merge together under the effect of the vortices, and the more slits with the same blockage ratio (BR) do not mean the stronger deflagration. It is observed that the peaks of flame tip speed and pressure growth rate decrease with the increase of the number of slits. The sub-grid scale combustion model, Power-Law model, coupled with sub-grid scale viscosity model, dynamic Smagorinsky-Lilly eddy viscosity model can well reproduce the flame propagation. By analyzing the numeric flow structure, the flame propagation mechanism of premixed methane/air flame propagation in a tube with various slits can be explained in the view of pure hydrodynamics.

Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Premixed Swirling Flames Using Dynamic Thickened Flame with Tabulated Detailed Chemistry

A sub-grid scale (SGS) combustion model by combining dynamic thickened flame (DTF) with flamelet generated manifolds (FGM) tabulation approach (i.e. DTF-FGM) is developed for investigating turbulent premixed combustion. In contrast to the thickened flame model, the dynamic thickening factor of the DTF model is determined from the flame sensor, which is obtained from the normalized gradient of the reaction progress variable from the one-dimensional freely propagating premixed flame simulations. Therewith the DTF model can ensure that the thickening of the flame is limited to the regions where it is numerically necessary. To describe the thermo-chemistry states, large eddy simulation (LES) transport equations for two characteristic scalars (the mixture fraction and the reaction progress variable) and relevant sub-grid variances in the DTF-FGM model are presented. As to the evaluation of different SGS combustion models, another model by utilizing the combination of presumed probability density function (PPDF) and FGM (i.e. PPDF-FGM) is also described. LES of two cases with or without swirl in premixed regime of the Cambridge swirl burner flames are performed to evaluate the developed SGS combustion model. The predicted results are compared with the experimental data in terms of the influence of different LES grids, model sensitivities to the thickening factor, the wrinkling factor, and the PPDF of characteristic scalars, the evaluation of different modelling approaches for the sub-grid variances of characteristic scalars, and the predictive capability of different SGS combustion models. It is shown that the LES results with the DTF-FGM model are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data, and better than the results with the PPDF-FGM approach due to its ability to predict better in regions where flame is not resolved.

Experimental and LES investigation of premixed methane/air flame propagating in a tube with a thin obstacle

In this paper, an experimental and numerical investigation of premixed methane/air flame dynamics in a closed combustion vessel with a thin obstacle is described. In the experiment, high-speed video photography and a pressure transducer are used to study the flame shape changes and pressure dynamics. In the numerical simulation, four sub-grid scale viscosity models and three sub-grid scale combustion models are evaluated for their individual prediction compared with the experimental data. High-speed photographs show that the flame propagation process can be divided into five stages: spherical flame, finger-shaped flame, jet flame, mushroom-shaped flame and bidirectional propagation flame. Compared with the other sub-grid scale viscosity models and sub-grid scale combustion models, the dynamic Smagorinsky–Lilly model and the power-law flame wrinkling model are better able to predict the flame behaviour, respectively. Thus, coupling the dynamic Smagorinsky–Lilly model and the power-law flame wrinkling model, the numerical results demonstrate that flame shape change is a purely hydrodynamic phenomenon, and the mushroom-shaped flame and bidirectional propagation flame are the result of flame–vortex interaction. In addition, the transition from “corrugated flamelets” to “thin reaction zones” is observed in the simulation.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent premixed combustion using tabulated detailed chemistry and presumed probability density function

ABSTRACTA method of chemistry tabulation combined with presumed probability density function (PDF) is applied to simulate piloted premixed jet burner flames with high Karlovitz number using large eddy simulation. Thermo-chemistry states are tabulated by the combination of auto-ignition and extended auto-ignition model. To evaluate the predictive capability of the proposed tabulation method to represent the thermo-chemistry states under the condition of different fresh gases temperature, a-priori study is conducted by performing idealised transient one-dimensional premixed flame simulations. Presumed PDF is used to involve the interaction of turbulence and flame with beta PDF to model the reaction progress variable distribution. Two presumed PDF models, Dirichlet distribution and independent beta distribution, respectively, are applied for representing the interaction between two mixture fractions that are associated with three inlet streams. Comparisons of statistical results show that two presumed PDF models for the two mixture fractions are both capable of predicting temperature and major species profiles, however, they are shown to have a significant effect on the predictions for intermediate species. An analysis of the thermo-chemical state-space representation of the sub-grid scale (SGS) combustion model is performed by comparing correlations between the carbon monoxide mass fraction and temperature. The SGS combustion model based on the proposed chemistry tabulation can reasonably capture the peak value and change trend of intermediate species. Aspects regarding model extensions to adequately predict the peak location of intermediate species are discussed.

Pressure limit of hydrogen spontaneous ignition in a T-shaped channel

This paper describes a large eddy simulation model of hydrogen spontaneous ignition in a T-shaped channel filled with air following an inertial flat burst disk rupture. This is the first time when 3D simulations of the phenomenon are performed and reproduced experimental results by Golub et al. (2010). The eddy dissipation concept with a full hydrogen oxidation in air scheme is applied as a sub-grid scale combustion model to enable use of a comparatively coarse grid to undertake 3D simulations. The renormalization group theory is used for sub-grid scale turbulence modelling. Simulation results are compared against test data on hydrogen release into a T-shaped channel at pressure 1.2–2.9 MPa and helped to explain experimental observations. Transitional phenomena of hydrogen ignition and self-extinction at the lower pressure limit are simulated for a range of storage pressure. It is shown that there is no ignition at storage pressure of 1.35 MPa. Sudden release at pressure 1.65 MPa and 2.43 MPa has a localised spot ignition of a hydrogen-air mixture that quickly self-extinguishes. There is an ignition and development of combustion in a flammable mixture cocoon outside the T-shaped channel only at the highest simulated pressure of 2.9 MPa. Both simulated phenomena, i.e. the initiation of chemical reactions followed by the extinction, and the progressive development of combustion in the T-shape channel and outside, have provided an insight into interpretation of the experimental data. The model can be used as a tool for hydrogen safety engineering in particular for development of innovative pressure relief devices with controlled ignition.

A dynamic SGS combustion model based on fractal characteristics of turbulent premixed flames

A dynamic subgrid scale (SGS) combustion model for large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent premixed combustion is proposed. The model is based on fractal characteristics of turbulent premixed flames of the flamelet regimes and scale separation of turbulence. It dynamically calculates the fractal dimension of the flame surface by using the procedure given by the fractal dynamic SGS (FDSGS) combustion model. The procedure is locally applied to the flame surface and the local fractal dimension is evaluated. The local flame surface area is then computed by using the local fractal dimension, and the turbulent burning velocity is obtained assuming the flamelet concept. Validation of the model is done by using filtered direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of hydrogen-air turbulent premixed flames represented by a detailed kinetic mechanism of 12 reactive species and 27 elementary reactions. The configurations of the DNS are classified into the corrugated flamelets regime and the regime close to the boundary between the corrugated flamelets regime and the thin reaction zones regime. The Reynolds number based on the Taylor micro-scale is set to 97.1 for the both cases. The predictions of the developed SGS combustion model agree quite well with the DNS data. Furthermore, comparison of the present model with other conventional SGS combustion models demonstrates the superiority of the present model to them in terms of accuracy.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent premixed combustion flow around bluff body

Large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent premixed flame stabilized by the bluff body is developed by using sub-grid scale combustion model based on the G-equation describing the flame front propagation. The basic idea of LES modeling is to evaluate the filtered-front speed, which should be enhanced in the grid scale by the scale fluctuations. The dynamic sub-grid scale models newly introduced into the G-equation are validated by the premixed combustion flow behind the triangle flame holder. The objective of this study is to investigate the validity of the dynamic sub-grid G-equation model to a complex turbulent premixed combustion such as bluff body stabilized turbulent premixed flames for realistic engineering application. A new turbulent flame speed model, introduced by the sub-grid turbulent diffusivity and the flame thickness, is also proposed and is compared with the usual model using sub-grid turbulent intensity and with the experimental data. The calculated results can predict the velocity and temperature of the combustion flow in good agreement with the experiment data.

A fractal-based flame propagation model for large eddy simulation

A novel combustion model for large-eddy simulation (LES) for gasoline engines has been developed. Unlike conventional models based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models, the new model takes a unique approach; it is described by the fractal characteristics of flame front and a universal expression for the subgrid scale (SGS) flame speed. The present fractal combustion model was applied to calculations of a spark ignition engine. Both the 0–10 per cent and 10–90 per cent combustion periods agree well with the experimental data. Because the modelling of the SGS turbulent speed is based on fractal analysis with experimental observations, the SGS combustion model is able to apply a wide range of engine operating conditions. The present model was applied to a multi-cycle simulation of a single-cylinder engine. The fluctuations at the instant when the heat release rate peaked were compared with data that was obtained experimentally. The calculated magnitude of the fluctuations was found to be close to the experimental values. It is thought that the flow variation generated during the intake stroke significantly influences the cyclic variations.

Dynamic Sub-grid 모델을 이용한 G 방정식에 의한 보염기 주위의 난류 예혼합 연소에 관한 대 와동 모사

Large eddy simulation of turbulent premixed flame stabilized by the bluff body is performed by using sub-grid scale combustion model based on the G-equation describing the flame front propagation. The basic idea of LES modeling is to evaluate the filtered-front speed, which should be enhanced in the grid scale by the scale fluctuations. The dynamic subgrid scale models newly introduced into the G-equation are validated by the premixed combustion flow behind the triangle flame holder. The calculated results can predict the velocity and temperature of the combustion flow in good agreement with the experiment data.

Sub-grid scale combustion models for large eddy simulation of unsteady premixed flame propagation around obstacles

In this work, an assessment of different sub-grid scale (sgs) combustion models proposed for large eddy simulation (LES) of steady turbulent premixed combustion (Colin et al., Phys. Fluids 12 (2000) 1843–1863; Flohr and Pitsch, Proc. CTR Summer Program, 2000, pp. 61–82; Kim and Menon, Combust. Sci. Technol. 160 (2000) 119–150; Charlette et al., Combust. Flame 131 (2002) 159–180; Pitsch and Duchamp de Lageneste, Proc. Combust. Inst. 29 (2002) 2001–2008) was performed to identify the model that best predicts unsteady flame propagation in gas explosions. Numerical results were compared to the experimental data by Patel et al. (Proc. Combust. Inst. 29 (2002) 1849–1854) for premixed deflagrating flame in a vented chamber in the presence of three sequential obstacles. It is found that all sgs combustion models are able to reproduce qualitatively the experiment in terms of step of flame acceleration and deceleration around each obstacle, and shape of the propagating flame. Without adjusting any constants and parameters, the sgs model by Charlette et al. also provides satisfactory quantitative predictions for flame speed and pressure peak. Conversely, the sgs combustion models other than Charlette et al. give correct predictions only after an ad hoc tuning of constants and parameters.

A fully-coupled simulation of vortical structures in a large-scale buoyant pool fire

A numerical study simulating the temporal vortical structures of a large-scale buoyant pool fire has been carried out using a fully-coupled Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model which incorporates all essential subgrid scale (SGS) turbulence, combustion, radiation and soot chemistry considerations. Based on the strained laminar flamelet approach, a scalar dissipation conditioned SGS combustion model is introduced to distinguish the highly non-equilibrating burn and extinguishment of flamelets commonly found in pool fires. Numerical results from the present model are validated and compared against a one-meter diameter methane pool fire experimental data and predictions from other LES field models. The predicted time-averaged velocity and temperature profiles have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental data and those numerical results. Qualitative comparisons of instantaneous velocity field against experimental data have revealed that the dynamic phenomena of large-scale vortical structures and its associated puffing behaviour of pool fire are well captured. Quantitative comparisons of velocity time history and pulsation frequency also show close agreement against experimentally evaluated quantities.

Combustion Subgrid Scale Modeling For Large Eddy Simulation Of Fires

While large eddy simulation of engineered combustion systems is starting to become a reality, its extension to fi re environments presents a new set of challenges. The scale of fi re systems are often very large, placing additional requirements on mesh resolution. In addition, the fi nite-rate chemistry processes of soot and toxin formation and fl ame quenching that are extremely diffi cult to model in a turbulent fl ow are also critical aspects of characterizing a fi re environment. The objective of this chapter is to examine state-of-the-art subgrid scale combustion models for application to fi re environments with a focus on presumed (via fl amelet) and transported fi ltered density function approaches and one-dimensional turbulence modeling. The relative merits of these models for application to fi re simulation are discussed with illustrative examples.