Distributed Low Temperature Combustion: Fundamental Understanding of Combustion Regime Transitions
Abstract
The objective of the current study is to bring fundamental understanding of the impact of the chemical (Tau_c) and flow (Tau_f) timescales on combustion regime transitions in turbulent premixed flows. Hence, Tau_c is here varied via the mixture stoichiometry (Phi) with variations in Tau_f pursued in a parallel study. Aerodynamically stabilised dimethyl ether (DME) flames in a backstep burnt opposed jet configuration, featuring fractal generated multi-scale turbulence (Re_t > 350), are used to study decoupled parameters affecting Tau_c and combustion regime transitions from conventional flamelets into the distributed reaction zone regime. The choice of DME is partly due to the potential practical relevance, but also due to the fundamentally different chemical behaviour as compared to ethanol. The latter fuel has also been considered along with methane. Work has also been performed on the further assessment of chemical mechanisms for the considered fuels (e.g. DME) to establish their ability to reproduce laminar flame and auto-ignition properties. The chemical mechanisms where then used to determine parameters required in the estimation of the different Damkoehler numbers. This chemistry can be used to identify the impact of the major chemical pathways on combustion mode transitions. The conceptual multifluid approach of Spalding can be used to avoid the limitations associated with the common bimodal (two-fluid) description and is here explored via simultaneous OH-PLIF and PIV, permitting the identification of five separate fluid states.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 07, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1018660
Entities
People
- Peter Lindstedt
Organizations
- Imperial College London