Coupling of turbulence on the ignition of multicomponent sprays

This study examines the effect of turbulence on the ignition of multicomponent surrogate fuels and its role in modifying preferential evaporation in multiphase turbulent spray environments. To this end, two zero-dimensional droplet models are considered that are representative of asymptotic conditions of diffusion limit and the distillation limit are considered. The coupling between diffusion, evaporation and combustion is first identified using a scale analysis of 0D homogeneous batch reactor simulations. Subsequently, direct numerical simulations of homogeneously dispersed multicomponent droplets are performed for both droplet models, in decaying isotropic turbulence and at quiescent conditions to examine competing time scale effects arising from evaporation, ignition and turbulence. Results related to intra-droplet transport and effects of turbulence on autoignition and overall combustion are studied using an aviation fuel surrogate. Depending on the characteristic scale, it is shown that turbulence can couple through modulation of evaporation time or defer the ignition phase as a result of droplet cooling or gas-phase homogenization. Both preferential evaporation and turbulence are found to modify the ignition delay time, up to a factor of two. More importantly, identical droplet ignition behavior in homogeneous gas phase can imply fundamentally different combustion modes in heterogeneous environments.     

单滴燃料热壁蒸发、微爆与着火的实验研究

多组分燃料在热板的蒸发与着火规律与空间相比,具有一些新的特点,特别是乳化油的贴壁燃烧现象更有重要意义。本文通过实验将多组分与单组分的燃烧情况进行了对比研究。结果表明：（１）易挥发组分的着火延迟在较低的温度条件下长于不易挥发份,在较高温度时情况相反。混合物则居于其中;（２）对于含水的乳化油,燃烧与微爆发生先后同的外界条件有关,其着火过程极为迅速。（３）乳化油中易挥发燃料含量较高,环境温度也较高时,微爆滞后很明显。     

Ignition delay of fatty acid methyl ester fuel droplets: Microgravity experiments and detailed numerical modeling

Recent optical engine studies have linked increases in NO_x emissions from fatty acid methyl ester combustion to differences in the premixed autoignition zone of the diesel fuel jet. In this study, ignition of single, isolated liquid droplets in quiescent, high temperature air was considered as a means of gaining insight into the transient, partially premixed ignition conditions that exist in the autoignition zone of a fatty acid methyl ester fuel jet. Normal gravity and microgravity (10⁻⁴ m/s²) droplet ignition delay experiments were conducted by use of a variety of neat methyl esters and commercial soy methyl ester. Droplet ignition experiments were chosen because spherically symmetric droplet combustion represents the simplest two-phase, time-dependent chemically reacting flow system permitting a numerical solution with complex physical submodels. To create spherically symmetric conditions for direct comparison with a detailed numerical model, experiments were conducted in microgravity by use of a 1.1 s drop tower. In the experiments, droplets were grown and deployed onto 14 μm silicon carbide fibers and injected into a tube furnace containing atmospheric pressure air at temperatures up to 1300 K. The ignition event was characterized by measurement of UV emission from hydroxyl radical (OH*) chemiluminescence. The experimental results were compared against predictions from a time-dependent, spherically symmetric droplet combustion simulation with detailed gas phase chemical kinetics, spectrally resolved radiative heat transfer and multi-component transport. By use of a skeletal chemical kinetic mechanism (125 species, 713 reactions), the computed ignition delay period for methyl decanoate (C₁₁H₂₂O₂) showed excellent agreement with experimental results at furnace temperatures greater than 1200 K.     

A study of ignition and combustion of liquid hydrocarbon droplets in premixed fuel/air mixtures in a rapid compression machine

The combustion of two fuels with disparate reactivity such as natural gas and diesel in internal combustion engines has been demonstrated as a means to increase efficiency, reduce fuel costs and reduce pollutant formation in comparison to traditional diesel or spark-ignited engines. However, dual fuel engines are constrained by the onset of uncontrolled fast combustion (i.e., engine knock) as well as incomplete combustion, which can result in high unburned hydrocarbon emissions. To study the fundamental combustion processes of ignition and flame propagation in dual fuel engines, a new method has been developed to inject single isolated liquid hydrocarbon droplets into premixed methane/air mixtures at elevated temperatures and pressures. An opposed-piston rapid compression machine was used in combination with a newly developed piezoelectric droplet injection system that is capable of injecting single liquid hydrocarbon droplets along the stagnation plane of the combustion chamber. A high-speed Schlieren optical system was used for imaging the combustion process in the chamber. Experiments were conducted by injecting diesel droplet of various diameters (50 µm < d_o < 400 µm), into methane/air mixtures with varying equivalence ratios (0 < ϕ < 1.2) over a range of compressed temperatures (700 K < T_c < 940 K). Multiple autoignition modes was observed in the vicinity of the liquid droplets, which were followed by transition to propagating premixed flames. A computational model was developed with CONVERGE™, which uses a 141 species dual-fuel chemical kinetic mechanism for the gas phase along with a transient, analytical droplet evaporation model to define the boundary conditions at the droplet surface. The simulations capture each of the different ignition modes in the vicinity of the injected spherical diesel droplet, along with bifurcation of the ignition event into a propagating, premixed methane/air flame and a stationary diesel/air diffusion flame.     

Analysis of combustion regimes and conditional statistics of autoigniting turbulent n-heptane sprays

DNS is performed for a statistically one dimensional layer of a spray region resembling diesel engine conditions. The group and collective combustion regimes are identified according to the ratio of the chemical and transport time scales for a single droplet. The statistics in group combustion are similar with those in gas phase combustion. The collective combustion regime involves interspersed rich regions with different dissipation characteristics. Reasonable agreements are shown with the scaled AMC model and the linear evaporation model in the ranges of meaningful probability. Initially the evaporation terms are dominant in the budgets of the conditional enthalpy equation. After ignition the chemical reaction term becomes dominant to be balanced by the time rate of change term. For modeling turbulent spray combustion it may not be essential to consider detailed micro structures around each droplet, unless in the droplet combustion regime.     

镁颗粒群着火和燃烧过程数值模拟

建立了一维非稳态球形镁颗粒群的着火燃烧模型, 数值模拟镁颗粒群的着火和燃烧过程, 研究表明, 颗粒群着火首先发生在颗粒群边界, 随后初始的燃烧火焰会分离为两个, 一个向颗粒群内部传播, 一个向外部传播, 最终内部火焰消失, 外部火焰维持并控制着整个颗粒群的燃烧; 内火焰向颗粒群内部传播过程中, 传播速度会逐渐加快, 且火焰温度值呈逐渐降低趋势. 分析了颗粒群内部参数和环境参数对镁颗粒群着火燃烧的影响. 随颗粒浓度的增大, 颗粒群着火时间略有增长, 但火焰传播速度更快, 燃烧稳定时火焰球尺寸也更大. 颗粒群初温越高, 则颗粒群着火时间越短, 火焰传播速度也会加快, 但燃烧稳定时火焰球尺寸基本不变. 环境温度对颗粒群着火燃烧的影响较复杂, 环境温度越高, 颗粒群着火时间越短, 但火焰传播速度却越慢, 燃烧稳定时火焰球尺寸变化很小. 颗粒粒径和辐射源温度对颗粒群着火燃烧的影响较显著, 颗粒粒径越小或辐射源温度越高, 则颗粒群着火时间越短, 火焰传播速度越快, 燃烧稳定时火焰球尺寸也越大. 数值模拟结果与文献中试验结果相一致. 关键词： 粉末燃料冲压发动机 镁着火燃烧 颗粒群     

Effects of blending 2,5-dimethylfuran on the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of isooctane/air mixture

The prospects of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) as a bio-derived fuel that can be blended with gasoline are believed to be impressive. However, the effects of blending DMF on the key combustion parameters like the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of gasoline/air mixture need to be studied extensively for the successful implementation of the fuel mixture in spark ignition engines. Therefore, a skeletal chemical kinetic mechanism, comprising of 999 reactions among 218 species, has been developed in the present work for this purpose. The proposed chemical kinetic model has been validated against a wide range of experimental data for the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of isooctane (representing gasoline), DMF and their blends. It has been found from the present study that the thermal diffusivity of the unburnt gas mixture changes by a very small amount from the corresponding value for the pure isooctane/air mixture when DMF is added. Unlike isooctane, the DMF molecule does not consume H radicals during its primary breakup. Therefore, the maximum laminar burning velocity increases marginally when 50% DMF is blended with isooctane due to the increased presence of H radicals in the flame. The negative temperature coefficient behaviour in the ignition delay time of the isooctane fuel vanishes when 30% DMF (v/v) is blended to it.     

超声速预混可燃气流的点火与燃烧

在激波风洞一激波管组合设备上开展了碳氢燃料超声速预混可燃气流的点火与燃烧实验研究。实验结果表明:利用激波对燃料进行预热,并以高温燃气作为引导火焰,可以有效缩短汽油空气超声速可燃混气的点火延迟时间,使之缩短到 0.2 ms以下。利用纹影照片对超声速燃烧流场结构作出了分析;研究了超声速预混可燃气流的温度以及当量比对超声速燃烧流场结构、点火与火焰传播特性的影响。     

Autoignition and combustion of hydrocarbon-hydrogen-air homogeneous and heterogeneous ternary mixtures

A numerical simulation of the ignition and combustion of hydrocarbon-hydrogen-air homogeneous and heterogeneous (gas-drop) ternary mixtures for three hydrocarbon fuels (n-heptane, n-decane, and n-dodecane) is for the first time performed. The simulation is carried out based on a fully validated detailed kinetic mechanism of the oxidation of n-dodecane, which includes the mechanisms of the oxidation of n-decane, n-heptane, and hydrogen as constituent parts. It is demonstrated that the addition of hydrogen to a homogeneous or heterogeneous hydrocarbon-air mixture increases the total ignition delay time at temperatures below 1050 K, i.e., hydrogen acts as an ignition inhibitor. At low temperatures, even ternary mixtures with a very high hydrogen concentration show multistage ignition, with the temperature dependence of the ignition delay time exhibiting a negative temperature coefficient region. Conversely, the addition of hydrogen to homogeneous and heterogeneous hydrocarbon-air mixtures at temperatures above 1050 K reduces the total ignition delay time, i.e., hydrogen acts as an autoignition promoter. These effects should be kept in mind when discussing the prospects for the practical use of hydrogen-containing fuel mixtures, as well as in solving the problems of fire and explosion safety.     

Modeling evaporation effects in conditional moment closure for spray autoignition

Simulations of an n-heptane spray autoigniting under conditions relevant to a diesel engine are performed using two-dimensional, first-order conditional moment closure (CMC) with full treatment of spray terms in the mixture fraction variance and CMC equations. The conditional evaporation term in the CMC equations is closed assuming interphase exchange to occur at the droplet saturation mixture fraction values only. Modeling of the unclosed terms in the mixture fraction variance equation is done accordingly. Comparison with experimental data for a range of ambient oxygen concentrations shows that the ignition delay is overpredicted. The trend of increasing ignition delay with decreasing oxygen concentration, however, is correctly captured. Good agreement is found between the computed and measured flame lift-off height for all conditions investigated. Analysis of source terms in the CMC temperature equation reveals that a convective–reactive balance sets in at the flame base, with spatial diffusion terms being important, but not as important as in lifted jet flames in cold air. Inclusion of droplet terms in the governing equations is found to affect the mixture fraction variance field in the region where evaporation is the strongest, and to slightly increase the ignition delay time due to the cooling associated with the evaporation. Both flame propagation and stabilization mechanisms, however, remain unaffected.     

Effect of the thermophysical properties of the material of a local energy source on conditions and characteristics of ignition of metallized composite propellants

Solid-phase ignition of metallized composite propellants by a single particle heated to a high temperature under conditions of an ideal thermal contact has been numerically studied. The effect of the thermophysical properties of the material of a local energy source on the conditions and characteristics of ignition of composite propellants has been analyzed. It has been found that sources with a high heat storage capacity exhibit shorter ignition delay times for metallized propellants (by 10–60%) and lower initial temperatures required to initiate the combustion process (by 170 K). In addition, it has been found that the presence of particles of metals (boron, aluminum, magnesium, lithium) in the propellant composition leads to an increase in the effective thermal conductivity of the propellant. The cumulative effect of the thermophysical properties of the materials of the “particle heated to a high temperature–metallized composite propellant” system leads to an increase in the ignition delay times (by 25–65%) and the heat penetration depth of the near-surface layer of the propellant (by 25–40%) at the time of combustion initiation compared with metal-free compounds.     

Investigation of the ignition of liquid hydrocarbon fuels with nanoadditives

During our experimental studies we showed a high efficiency of the influence of nanoparticle additives on the stability of the ignition of hydrocarbon fuels and the stabilization of their combustion in a highfrequency high-voltage discharge. We detected the effects of a jet deceleration, an increase in the volume of the combustible mixture, and a reduction in the inflammation delay time. These effects have been estimated quantitatively by digitally processing the video frames of the ignition of a bubbled kerosene jet with 0.5% graphene nanoparticle additives and without these additives. This effect has been explained by the influence of electrodynamic processes.     

利用OH自由基特征发射谱测量正庚烷的点火延迟时间

在化学激波管中利用反射激波进行点火,采用OH自由基在306.4nm处特征发射谱线强度的急剧变化标志燃料的着火,由光谱单色仪、光电倍增管、压力传感器和示波器组成测量系统,测量了正庚烷/氧气的点火延迟时间,点火压力(1.0±0.1)和(0.75±0.05)atm,点火温度1 170～1 730K,当量比1.0,得到了在此实验条件下正庚烷/氧气点火延迟时间随温度变化的关系式。研究结果表明正庚烷/氧气点火延迟时间随温度的增加呈指数减小,点火压力为0.75atm时,随着点火温度的增加,点火延迟时间的变化率要小于1.0atm条件时。实验结果为建立正庚烷燃烧反应动力学模型,验证正庚烷燃烧反应机理提供了实验依据。     

Two-stage autoignition and combustion mode evolution in boundary layer flows above a cold flat plate

Boundary layers are omnipresent in fundamental kinetic experimental facilities and practical combustion engines, which can cause ambiguity and misleading results in kinetic target acquisition and even abnormal engine combustion. In this paper, using n-heptane as a representative large hydrocarbon fuel exhibiting pronounced low-temperature chemistry (LTC), two-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted to resolve the transient autoignition phenomena affected by a boundary layer. We focus on the ignition characteristics and the subsequent combustion mode evolution of a hot combustible mixture flowing over a colder flat plate in an isobaric environment. For cases with autoignition occurring within the boundary layer, similarity is observed in the first-stage ignition as manifested by a constant temperature at all locations. The first-stage ignition is found to be rarely affected by heat and radical loss within the boundary layer. While for the main ignition event, an obvious dependence of ignition process on boundary layer thickness is identified, where the thermal-chemical process exhibits similarity at locations with similar boundary layer thickness, and the main ignition tends to first occur within the boundary layer at the domain end and generates a C-shape reaction front. It is found that sequential spontaneous autoignition is the dominant subsequent combustion mode at high-pressure conditions. At low to intermediate pressures, auto-ignition assisted flame propagation is nevertheless the dominant mode for combustion evolution. This research identifies novel features of autoignition and the subsequent combustion mode evolution affected by a cold, fully developed boundary layer, and provides useful guidance to the interpretation of abnormal combustion and combustion mode evolution in boundary layer flows.     

Numerical simulations of the ignition of n-heptane droplets in the transition diameter range from heterogeneous to homogeneous ignition

Spontaneous ignition of single n-heptane droplets in a constant volume filled with air is numerically simulated with the spherical symmetry. The volume is closed against mass, species, and energy transfer. The numerical model is fully transient. It continues calculation even after the droplet has completely vaporized, and therefore can predict pre-vaporized ignition. Initial pressure and initial air temperature are fixed at 3 MPa and 773 K, respectively. The droplet is initially at room temperature, and its diameter is between 1 and 100 μm. When the overall equivalence ratio is fixed to be sufficiently large, there exists no ignition limit in terms of initial droplet diameter d₀, and the ignition delay takes a minimum value at certain d₀. In such a case, transition from the heterogeneous ignition to the homogeneous ignition with decreasing d₀ is observed. When d₀ is fixed to be so small that the ignition would not occur in an infinite volume of air, the ignition delay takes a minimum value at certain , which is less than unity. Two-stage ignition behavior is investigated with this model. Ignition delay of a cool flame has the dependence on d₀ that is similar to that of ignition delay of a hot flame when is unity. When is almost zero, the ignition limit for cool flame in terms of d₀ is not identified unlike that for hot flame.     

Auto-ignition of a polydisperse fuel spray

In the present paper, the effect of fuel spray polydispersity on the auto-ignition process in a fuel cloud is considered. In many engineering applications it is common practice to relate to the actual polydisperse spray as being equivalent to a monodisperse spray with all droplets therein having some average diameter. In combustion systems, the Sauter mean diameter (SMD) is frequently used for this purpose; it is based on the ratio between the total droplet volume and the total droplet surface area of all the droplets in the polydisperse spray. The main purpose of the current work is to examine qualitatively the dynamics of ignition of a truly polydisperse spray in a combustible gas medium and compare it with the dynamics of an equivalent monodisperse spray based on the SMD. Since the system of governing equations represents a multi-scale problem the method of integral manifolds is applied in order to extract the dynamical behavior. Preliminary computed results suggest that the use of the usual SMD-based monodisperse spray leads to quite a significant over-estimate of the ignition time. An alternative modified definition of the SMD, in which the overall liquid fuel volume is also conserved in the averaging process, reduces the discrepancy between the ignition time for the polydisperse spray and that of the equivalent monodisperse spray. However, it seems that some other sort of average droplet size needs to be determined to minimize the aforementioned discrepancy. These results highlight the care that must be exercised before dispensing with the behavior of the actual polydisperse spray in favor of that of an equivalent monodisperse spray, even at the expense of complexity.     

Ignition enhancement by addition of NO and NO2 from a N2/O2 plasma torch in a supersonic flow

The effects of NO and NO₂ produced by using a plasma jet (PJ) of a N₂/O₂ mixture on ignition of hydrogen, methane, and ethylene in a supersonic airflow were experimentally and numerically investigated. Numerical analysis of ignition delay time showed that the addition of a small amount of NO or NO₂ drastically reduced ignition delay times of hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels at a relatively low initial temperature. In particular, NO and NO₂ were more effective than O radicals for ignition of a CH₄/air mixture at 1200 K or lower. These ignition enhancement effects were examined by including the low temperature chemistry. Ignition tests by a N₂/O₂ PJ in a supersonic flow (M = 1.7) for using hydrogen, methane, and ethylene injected downstream of the PJ were conducted. The results showed that the ignitability of the N₂/O₂ PJ is affected by the composition of the feedstock and that pure O₂ is not the optimum condition for downstream fuel injection. This result of ignition tests with downstream fuel injection demonstrated a significant difference in ignition characteristics of the PJ from the ignition tests with upstream fuel injection.     

多组份混合燃料滴着火规律的研究

1前言多组份燃料滴的着火研究有很重要的实际与理论意义。人们在实际中使用的传统液体燃料通常都是由多种分子结构、沸点等技术指标相差较大的组份混合而成的，另外，人们在实践中发现使用一些混合燃料如油一酒精，油一甲醇，重油一轻油以及油水乳化液等，可以改善蒸发过程，改善气相反应的化学特性。这就使得混合燃料具有改善内燃机工况及减少污染物排放的潜在优点。所以多组份燃料滴着火燃烧的研究更有意义。多种组份液滴的蒸发、着火比单组份液滴更为复杂，不同点主要集中在以下三个方面：（1）液滴内热量与组份的输运过程更为复杂；（2…     

Comprehensive ignition characterization of a non-toxic hypergolic hybrid rocket propellant

This paper describes a comprehensive characterization of ignition properties of a metal-hydride based non-toxic hypergolic hybrid rocket propellant. The propellant consists of Rocket Grade Hydrogen Peroxide (RGHP) as oxidizer, high-density Polyethylene (HDPE) as fuel and sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) as the additive, embedded in the HDPE matrix. Ignition quality was characterized as ignition delay, ignition probability and flame spread. In a drop-test setup, ignition characteristics were determined as a function of seven parameters: RGHP concentration, additive loading, oxidizer droplet impact velocity, oxidizer droplet volume, pressure, diluent gas, and environmental exposure. The parameters encompass thermo-chemical, fluid/droplet dynamics and environmental factors affecting ignition. Ignition delays as low as 3 ms were observed, one of the lowest using non-toxic hypergolic hybrid propellants in open-air. An overwhelming majority of conditions tested yielded <10 ms ignition delays and 100% ignition success. All conditions tested affected ignition to varying degrees with RGHP concentration, NaBH₄ loading and drop impact velocity significantly affecting ignition. Further, contrary to expectations, exposing sanded fuel samples to humidity for a few h enhanced ignition instead of hampering it and exposure for 24 h did not lead to ignition degradation. Tests with diluent gases other than air (at atmospheric and elevated pressures) revealed that atmospheric oxygen played a negligible role in the reaction process. This proved that oxygen for the initial ignition event was obtained from RGHP decomposition, with atmospheric oxygen playing no role in ignition performance. Aside from demonstrating excellent ignition characteristics, our results further show a need to go beyond thermo-chemical properties and to consider aspects of ignition other than ignition delay in hypergolic propellant research to enable a complete understanding of the ignition processes. The comprehensive ignition characterization demonstrates the chosen propellant's ability to overcome ignition challenges in hybrid rockets and serves as a proof of concept for its further development.