Experimental and Detailed Numerical Studies of Fundamental Flame Properties of Gaseous and Liquid Fuels

Abstract

The dynamic behavior of laminar flames was studied for a wide range of conditions. The parameters considered included the fuel type, reactant composition, flame temperature, and combustion mode. Both gaseous and liquid fuels, including jet fuels and their surrogates, were considered. Flame ignition and extinction limits were determined experimentally and numerically for fuels and reaction conditions that have not been considered previously. For both low and high molecular weight fuels, it was determined that diffusion and kinetics can have similar effects on flames. Furthermore, it was found that kinetic mechanisms that predict laminar flame speeds, do not necessarily predict extinction limits, even though both propagation and extinction are high temperature phenomena. Finally, it was determined that the chain mechanisms that control near-limit flames may change notably as the reactant temperature and pressure increase well above their standard values. These results enhance current understanding of the combustion behavior of fuels that are of relevance to air-breathing propulsion. Furthermore, the derived experimental data constitute a basis for partially validating combustion kinetics as well as proposed surrogates of jet fuels.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA468904

Entities

People

  • Fokion N. Egolfopoulos

Organizations

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkanes
  • Burning Rate
  • Chemical Kinetics
  • Chemical Reaction Properties
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Combustion
  • Diffusion
  • Heat Transfer
  • Hydrocarbon Fuels
  • Ignition Lag
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Measurement
  • Military Research

Readers

  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.