On the combined effects of compositional inhomogeneity and ammonia addition to turbulent flames of ethylene

This paper is part of a broader program aimed at investigating the effects of co-firing clean fuels such as ammonia or hydrogen with hydrocarbons. The focus is on soot formation as well as flame stability in turbulent mixed-mode combustion, which is highly relevant in practical combustors. Ammonia substitution for nitrogen results in reduced flame stability, and this is correlated to differences in flame speed and extinction strain rate. While it is known that the addition of ammonia suppresses soot, visual inspection of compositionally inhomogeneous flames of ethylene-ammonia indicates a reduction in ammonia's ability to suppress soot formation. Measurements of soot volume fraction and laser-induced fluorescence in selected UV and visible bands are made along the centreline in selected flames to test this hypothesis. Experimental results are then compared to simulations in laminar diffusion flames, stratified counterflow flames, and partially premixed flames. All results confirm the soot-inhibiting ability of ammonia. Increasing inhomogeneity, leading to higher centreline mixture fractions, enhances soot formation, and the level of enhancement is greater for flames with ammonia than without. Moreover, it is found that partial premixing is ultimately responsible for determining the amount of soot formed as opposed to stratification of fuel mixtures near the pilot.     

Astrophysical combustion

There are three main astrophysical combustion systems: the evolution of stars, formation of interstellar dust and particulates, and the transition to hadrons in the early universe. These are described in terms of general combustion concepts, such as ignition, laminar and turbulent flames, detonations, multiphase flows, and particle and soot formation. Viewed in this way, the universe and many of its most important astronomical components are combustion systems, and we should use these as naturally occurring laboratories for exploring new and familiar combustion regimes. A more detailed discussion focuses on one type of combustion system, the ignition and development of turbulent flames in Type Ia supernovae, and the importance of the transition to a detonation.     

Effect of flash boiling injection on combustion and PN emissions of DISI optical engine fueled with butanol isomers/TPRF blends

Direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engines have been widely used in passenger cars due to their lower fuel consumption, better controllability, and high efficiency. However, DISI engines are suffering from wall wetting, imperfect mixture formation, excess soot emissions, and cyclic variations. Applying a new fuel atomization technique and using biofuels with their distinctive properties can potentially aid in improving DISI engines. In this research, the effects of isobutanol and 2-butanol and their blends with Toluene Primary Reference Fuel (TPRF) on spray characteristics, DISI engine combustion, and particle number (PN) emissions are investigated for conditions with and without flash boiling of the injected fuel. Spray characteristics are investigated using a constant volume chamber. Then, the combustion, flame propagation, and PN emissions are examined using an optical DISI engine. The fuel temperature is set to 298 K and 453 K for liquid injection and flash boiling injection, respectively. The tested blending ratio is 30 vol% butanol isomers and 70 vol% TPRF. The results of the spray test reveal that liquid fuel plumes are distinctly observed, and butanol blends show a slightly wider spray angle with lower penetration length compared to TPRF. However, under flash boiling injection, the sprays collapse towards the injector axis, forming a more extended single central vapor jet due to the plumes' interaction. Meanwhile, butanol blends yield a narrow spray angle with more extended penetration compared to TPRF. The flame visualization test shows that the flash boiling injection reduced yellow flames compared to liquid fuel injection, reflecting the improvements in mixture formation. Thus, improvements were noted in the heat release and PN emissions. Butanol addition reduced the PN emissions by 43% under regular liquid injection. Flash boiling injection provided an additional 25% reduction in PN emissions.     

Modelling biodiesel–diesel spray combustion using multicomponent vaporization coupled with detailed fuel chemistry and soot models

A multicomponent vaporization model is integrated with detailed fuel chemistry and soot models for simulating biodiesel–diesel spray combustion. Biodiesel, a fuel mixture comprised of fatty-acid methyl esters, is an attractive alternative to diesel fuel for use in compression-ignition engines. Accurately modelling of the spray, vaporization, and combustion of the fuel mixture is critical to predicting engine performance using biodiesel. In this study, a discrete-component vaporization model was developed to simulate the vaporization of biodiesel drops. The model can predict differences in the vaporization rates of different fuel components. The model was validated by use of experimental data of the measured biodiesel drop size history and spray penetration data obtained from a constant-volume chamber. Gas phase chemical reactions were simulated using a detailed reaction mechanism that also includes PAH reactions leading to the production of soot precursors. A phenomenological multi-step soot model was utilized to predict soot emissions from biodiesel–diesel combustion. The soot model considered various steps of soot formation and destruction, such as soot inception, surface growth, coagulation, and PAH condensation, as well as oxidation by oxygen and hydroxyl-containing molecules. The overall numerical model was validated with experimental data on flame structure and soot distributions obtained from a constant-volume chamber. The model was also applied to predict combustion, soot and NOx emissions from a diesel engine using different biodiesel–diesel blends. The engine simulation results were further analysed to determine the soot emissions characteristics by use of biodiesel–diesel fuels.     

Autoignition characteristics of bio-based fuels,farnesane and TPGME,in comparison with fuels of similar cetane rating

Bio-based alternative fuels have received increasing attention with growing concerns about depletion of fossil reserves and environmental deterioration. The development of new combustion concepts in internal combustion engines requires a better understanding of autoignition characteristics of the bio-based alternative fuels. This study investigates two cases of alternative fuels, namely, a kerosene-type fuel farnesane and an oxygenated fuel, TPGME, and compares those fuels with full-boiling range of fuels with similar cetane number. The homogeneous autoignition and spray ignition characteristics of the selected fuels are studied using a modified CFR octane rating engine and a cetane rating instrument, respectively. When comparing farnesane with a full-boiling range counterpart (HRJ8), their similar cetane ratings result in comparable combustion heat release, but the overall ignition reactivity of farnesane is stronger than HRJ8 during the pre-ignition process. Results from a constant volume spray combustion chamber indicate that the spray process of farnesane and HRJ8 strongly influences the overall ignition delay of each fuel. Despite the similar cetane ratings of TPGME and n-heptane, TPGME shows greater apparent low-temperature oxidation reactivity at low compression ratios in the range from CR 4.0-5.5 than n-heptane. A simplified model focused on the key reaction pathways of low-temperature oxidation of TPGME has been applied to account for the stronger low-temperature reactivity of TPGME, supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Regardless of the similar cetane ratings of the fuels, n-heptane and JP-8/SPK lead to similar total ignition delay times, while TPGME shows the shortest overall ignition delay times in the constant volume combustion chamber.     

Development and validation of an n-dodecane skeletal mechanism for spray combustion applications

n-Dodecane is a promising surrogate fuel for diesel engine study because its physicochemical properties are similar to those of the practical diesel fuels. In the present study, a skeletal mechanism for n-dodecane with 105 species and 420 reactions was developed for spray combustion simulations. The reduction starts from the most recent detailed mechanism for n-alkanes consisting of 2755 species and 11,173 reactions developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An algorithm combining direct relation graph with expert knowledge (DRGX) and sensitivity analysis was employed for the present skeletal reduction. The skeletal mechanism was first extensively validated in 0-D and 1-D combustion systems, including auto-ignition, jet stirred reactor (JSR), laminar premixed flame and counter flow diffusion flame. Then it was coupled with well-established spray models and further validated in 3-D turbulent spray combustion simulations under engine-like conditions. These simulations were compared with the recent experiments with n-dodecane as a surrogate for diesel fuels. It can be seen that combustion characteristics such as ignition delay and flame lift-off length were well captured by the skeletal mechanism, particularly under conditions with high ambient temperatures. Simulations also captured the transient flame development phenomenon fairly well. The results further show that ignition delay may not be the only factor controlling the stabilisation of the present flames since a good match in ignition delay does not necessarily result in improved flame lift-off length prediction.     

Mind the gap: Turbulent combustion model validation and future needs

This overview collects a range of well characterized experiments used in the step-wise validation of turbulent combustion models, from gas phase non-premixed jet flames to spray flames, and from simple symmetric jets to real device geometries, focusing primarily on statistically steady state experiments. We discuss how the experiments and models are constructed, approaches to modelling, and the tradeoffs between the level of detail and computational demands. The review highlights a number of experiments used for benchmarking models, selecting a few examples where models have clearly succeeded, as well as some areas where there are clear needs in the experimental database. In particular, the areas of turbulent spray combustion and soot prediction, as well as combustion under high pressures appear as the least developed and present the clearest gaps for both models and experiments. Based on the successful application of advanced methods of uncertainty quantification to a number of problems in reacting flows, we suggest that these methods might be used to advantage in the design of experiments. This would enable an upfront examination of the extent to which comparisons between measurable scalars and velocities allow clear distinction between model features.     

Understanding cool flames and warm flames

Low-temperature flames such as cool flames, warm flames, double flames, and auto-ignition assisted flames play a critical role in the performance of advanced engines and fuel design. In this paper, an overview of the recent progresses in understanding low-temperature flames and dynamics as well as their impacts on combustion, advanced engines, and fuel development will be presented. Specifically, at first, a brief review of the history of cool flames is made. Then, the recent experimental studies and computational modeling of the flame structures, dynamics, and burning limits of non-premixed and premixed cool flames, warm flames, and double flames are presented. The flammability limit diagram and the temperature-dependent chain-branching reaction pathways, respectively, for hot, warm, and cool flames at elevated temperature and pressure will be discussed and analyzed. After that, the effect of low temperature auto-ignition of auto-igniting mixtures at high ignition Damköhler numbers at engine conditions on the propagation of cool flames, warm flames, and double flames as well as turbulent flames will be discussed. Finally, a new platform using low temperature flames for the development and validation of chemical kinetic models of alternative fuels will be presented. Discussions of future research of the dynamics and control of low temperature flames under engine conditions will be made.     

On the combustion and sooting behavior of standard and hydro-treated jet fuels: An experimental and modeling study on the compositional effects

In a context of growing level of environmental awareness, emission from aviation are the subject of increasing scrutiny. This situation poses important challenges because, due to safety, practical and economic factors, aero-transportation technologies are not likely to undergo rapid paradigm shifts. An area where important innovations are being introduced is fuel technology: fuels from alternative processes, potentially from renewable sources, offer the opportunity of limiting the carbon footprint of transportation, moreover, a better control on fuel quality can contribute to reducing emissions.Hydro-treating of oil based fuels can reduce their sulfur and aromatic content promoting a cleaner combustion. In order to better understand the impact of hydro-treating on emissions of PAHs and soot from jet fuels, new speciation data covering oxidation intermediates and soot precursors were measured in a flow reactor for a standard jet fuel and its hydro-treated counterpart. Using a detailed kinetic mechanism and complex surrogate blends mimicking the composition of the real fuels, the speciation data from the flow reactor were simulated. Additionally, soot formation trends were calculated and compared with previously published data. Using the kinetic model, which is based on mechanistic principles, it was possible to separate the relative contribution of different processes and, for the fuel blends of interest, the role played by specific components in the PAHs and soot formation. The results obtained provide useful information towards more effective fuel formulation strategies and fuel blends modeling.     

Hydrogen enrichment enhances soot formation in swirl-stabilized non-premixed turbulent combustion of ethylene in a model gas turbine combustor

A switch from fossil fuels to hydrogen is currently not feasible mostly due to supply and infrastructure issues. One of the possible approaches, and this is now practiced to a limited extent in industrial gas turbines, is to blend relatively small amounts of hydrogen with fossil fuels curbing the carbon dioxide emissions. However, studies assessing the influence of modest amounts of hydrogen blending with hydrocarbon fuels on soot processes yielded contradictory results. Most of these experimental and numerical studies were performed on laminar diffusion flames and studies on turbulent flames are scarce. One of the confounding factors in assessing the influence of hydrogen is selection of a control experiment in which the fossil fuel is blended with the same amount of an inert diluent. Using helium in the control experiment is preferable because of its similar transport properties and heat capacity to those of hydrogen. Hence, we studied the soot processes in a model gas turbine combustor in which the flame is stabilized by an air swirl. Swirl-stabilized platform ensures that with and without hydrogen/helium dilution, the hydrodynamics of the combustor stays fixed. Base fuel ethylene is supplemented with hydrogen or helium by the same amount to separate the dilution affects and assess the direct chemical interaction of hydrogen related to soot formation. Soot volume fraction and primary soot particle diameters were measured by auto-compensating laser induced-incandescence for all cases. Flow field data obtained using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry is utilized to ascertain the hydrodynamic effects on soot distribution due to addition of lighter species. Soot formation was found to be enhanced by the addition of hydrogen when allowance was made for the dilution effect using the helium doped flame experiments. Possible causes of this observation including the molecular diffusivities of hydrogen and helium, and chemical interaction are discussed.     

Experimental comparison of soot formation in turbulent flames of Diesel and surrogate Diesel fuels

Soot formation is compared in turbulent diffusion flames burning a commercial Diesel and two Diesel surrogates containing n-decane and α-methylnaphthalene. A burner equipped with a high-efficiency atomisation system has been specially designed and allows the stabilisation of liquid fuels flames with similar hydrodynamics conditions. The initial surrogate composition (70% n-decane, 30% α-methylnaphthalene) was previously used in the literature to simulate combustion in Diesel engines. In this work, a direct comparison of Diesel and surrogates soot tendencies is undertaken and relies on soot and fluorescent species mappings obtained respectively by Laser-Induced Incandescence (LII) at 1064 nm and Laser-Induced Fluorescence at 532 nm. LIF was assigned to soot precursors and mainly to high-number ring Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). The initial surrogate was found to form 40% more soot than the tested Diesel. Consequently, a second surrogate containing a lower α-methylnaphthalene concentration (20%) has been formulated. That composition which presents a Threshold Soot Index (TSI) very close to Diesel one is also consistent with our Diesel composition that indicates a relatively low PAH content. The spatially resolved measurements of soot and fluorescent soot precursors are quite identical (in shape and intensity) in the Diesel and in the second surrogate flames. Furthermore the concordance of the LII temporal decays suggests that a similar growth of the primary soot particles has occurred for Diesel and surrogates. In addition, the comparison of the LII fluence curves indicates that physical/optical properties of soot contained in the different flames might be similar. The chemical composition present at the surface of soot particles collected in Diesel and surrogate flames has been obtained by laser-desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. An important difference is found between Diesel and surrogate samples indicating the influence of the fuel composition on soot content.     

Modeling soot formation in flames and reactors: Recent progress and current challenges

The study of soot has long been motivated by its adverse impacts on health and the environment. However, this combustion knowledge is also relevant to the production of carbon black and hydrogen via methane pyrolysis which are important commodities. Over the last decade, steady progress has been made in the development of detailed continuum models of soot formation in flames and reactors. Developing more comprehensive models has often been motivated by the need for predicting soot formation over a wider range of conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, fuels). Measurements with novel experimental techniques have given us new insights into the chemistry, particle dynamics and optical properties of soot particles and even molecules and radicals forming them. Also, multi-scale modeling has enabled us to translate the detailed mechanisms of soot processes based on first principles into computationally efficient but accurate continuum models of soot formation in flames and reactors. However, important questions remain including (1) what is the mechanism of soot inception and surface growth, (2) which gas-phase species are involved in soot inception and surface growth (3) how surface growth and oxidation are affected by soot surface properties. Proposed models need to be evaluated against experimental data over a wide range of conditions to determine their predictive strength. These questions are critical for the accurate prediction of soot formation in flames and its emissions from engines. However, this knowledge can also be used to develop predictive process design and optimization tools for carbon black and other nanocarbon formation in reactors.     

An experimental investigation on spray, ignition and combustion characteristics of biodiesels

Spray, ignition and combustion characteristics of biodiesel fuels were investigated under a simulated diesel-engine condition (885 K, 4 MPa) in a constant volume combustion vessel. Two biodiesel fuels originated from palm oil and used cooking oil were used while JIS#2 used as the base fuel. Spray images were taken by a high speed video camera by using Mie-scattering method to measure liquid phase penetration and liquid length. An image intensifier combined with OH filter was used to obtain OH radical image near 313 nm. Ignition and combustion characteristics were studied by OH radical images. Biodiesel fuels give appreciably longer liquid lengths and shorter ignition delays. At low injection pressure (100 MPa), biodiesel fuels give shorter lift-off lengths than those of diesel. While at high injection pressure (200 MPa), the lift-off length of biodiesel fuel originated palm oil gives the shortest value and that of biodiesel from used cooking oil gives the longest one. Air entrainment upstream of lift-off length of three fuels was estimated and compared to soot formation distance. This study reveals that the viscosity and ignition quality of biodiesel fuel have great influences on jet flame structure and soot formation tendency.     

CO Imaging in piloted liquid-spray flames using femtosecond two-photon LIF

Liquid-spray flames are encountered in many practical combustion devices such as gasoline direct injection and diesel engines, gas turbine combustors as well as industrial furnaces. As opposed to gaseous fuels, additional phase-change steps present in liquid sprays not only complicate the overall combustion process, but also make in-situ, laser-based combustion diagnostics challenging. In particular, the formation of carbon monoxide (CO) due to incomplete fuel-air mixing and partial oxidation becomes a major challenge. In this study, we apply femtosecond, two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (fs-TPLIF) to measure CO concentration in piloted liquid-spray flames, taking into account possible signal interferences in the 230.1-nm, B¹Σ⁺←X¹Σ⁺ excitation scheme. A modified, flat-flame McKenna burner fitted with a direct-injection high-efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN) was used to produce piloted liquid-methanol spray flames. Although single-laser-shot OH-PLIF images show the presence of strong turbulent interactions in the core region, shot-averaged OH-PLIF images indicate that near the nozzle-exit region, the primary reaction takes place in an annular region around the droplet cloud, in general. A detailed spectroscopic study reveals that the signal interference at 460?nm originating from the second-order scattering of the excitation laser, which becomes approximately an order of magnitude stronger than CO fluorescence spectral lines near the nozzle exit region. The specific spectral filtering scheme introduced in our recent work is proved to be capable of suppressing interferences primarily originating from C₂ Swan-band emissions. Two-dimensional CO maps along with OH-PLIF flame structure data provide key insights into the CO formation in piloted liquid-spray flames, while providing critical validation datasets for advanced computational models.     

Numerical simulation of a mixed-mode reaction front in a PPC engine

The ignition process, mode of combustion and reaction front propagation in a partially premixed combustion (PPC) engine running with a primary reference fuel (87% iso-octane, 13% n-heptane by volume) is studied numerically in a large eddy simulation. Different combustion modes, ignition front propagation, premixed flame and non-premixed flame, are observed simultaneously. Displacement speed of CO iso-surface propagation describes the transition of premixed auto-ignition to non-premixed flame. High temporal resolution optical data of CH₂O and chemiluminescence are compared with simulated results. A high speed ignition front is seen to expand through fuel-rich mixture and stabilize around stoichiometry in a non-premixed flame while lean premixed combustion occurs in the spray wake at a much slower pace. A good qualitative agreement of the distribution of chemiluminescence and CH₂O formation and destruction shows that the simulation approach sufficiently captures the driving physics of mixed-mode combustion in PPC engines. The study shows that the transition from auto-ignition to flame occurs over a period of several crank angles and the reaction front propagation can be captured using the described model.     

Combustion-formed nanoparticles

The processes by which carbonaceous nanoparticles are produced from combustion of liquid and gaseous fuels are reviewed. The focus of the paper is on the formation and properties of nanoparticles in laboratory laminar, premixed and diffusion flames and on the most popular methods of sampling and detection of these particles. Particle chemical nature is analyzed from data obtained by several measurement techniques. Measurements characterizing nanoparticles in the exhausts of practical combustion systems such as engines and commercial burners are also reported. Two classes of carbonaceous material are mainly formed in combustion: nanoparticles with sizes in the range 1-5 nm, and soot particles, with sizes from 10 to 100 nm. Nanoparticles show unique chemical composition and morphology; they maintain molecular characteristics in terms of chemical reactivity, but at the same time exhibit transport and surface related phenomena typical of particles. The emission of these particles contributes to atmospheric pollution and constitutes a serious health concern. A simplified modeling analysis is used to show how the growth of aromatics and the chemical nature of the particles depend on temperature and radical concentration distributions encountered in flames.     

DMM及纳米颗粒添加剂对农用柴油机燃烧与排放性能的影响

本文通过在柴油中添加小比例二甲氧基甲烷(DMM)以及纳米氧化铝(Al2O3)颗粒研究一台小型农用柴油机的燃烧与排放特性。研究表明,随着柴油中DMM添加比例的增大,发动机燃烧特性参数如缸内压力、燃烧放热率及制动热效率得到明显地提升,着火延迟期以及CA50逐渐减小;排放方面HC和NOx增加,而CO和碳烟得到有效地抑制。燃油中同时添加DMM和纳米Al2O3颗粒后,发动机燃烧及排放方面得到了不同程度地优化。因此,将DMM与纳米颗粒的有机结合可为代用燃料在农用发动机中的推广应用提供新的思路。     

Counterflow ignition and extinction of FACE gasoline fuels

The demand for petroleum-derived gasoline in the transportation sector is on the rise. For better knowledge of gasoline combustion in practical combustion systems, this study presents experimental measurements and numerical prediction of autoignition temperatures and extinction limits of six FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) gasoline fuels in counterflow flames. Extinction limits were measured at atmospheric pressures while the experiments for autoignition temperatures were carried out at atmospheric and high pressures. For atmospheric pressure experiment, the fuel stream consists of the pre-vaporized fuel diluted with nitrogen, while a condensed fuel configuration is used for ignition experiment at higher chamber pressures. The oxidizer stream is pure air. Autoignition temperatures of the tested fuels are nearly the same at atmospheric pressure, while a huge difference is observed as the pressure is increased. Unlike the ignition temperatures at atmospheric pressures, minor difference exists in the extinction limits of the tested fuels. Simulations were carried out using a recently developed gasoline surrogate model. Both multi-component and n-heptane/isooctane mixtures were used as surrogates for the simulations. Overall, the n-heptane/isooctane surrogate mixtures are consistently more reactive as compared the multi-component surrogate mixtures. Transport weighted enthalpy and radical index analysis was used to explain the differences in extinction strain rates for the various fuels.     

Large eddy simulation of the low temperature ignition and combustion processes on spray flame with the linear eddy model

Large eddy simulation coupled with the linear eddy model (LEM) is employed for the simulation of n-heptane spray flames to investigate the low temperature ignition and combustion process in a constant-volume combustion vessel under diesel-engine relevant conditions. Parametric studies are performed to give a comprehensive understanding of the ignition processes. The non-reacting case is firstly carried out to validate the present model by comparing the predicted results with the experimental data from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN). Good agreements are observed in terms of liquid and vapour penetration length, as well as the mixture fraction distributions at different times and different axial locations. For the reacting cases, the flame index was introduced to distinguish between the premixed and non-premixed combustion. A reaction region (RR) parameter is used to investigate the ignition and combustion characteristics, and to distinguish the different combustion stages. Results show that the two-stage combustion process can be identified in spray flames, and different ignition positions in the mixture fraction versus RR space are well described at low and high initial ambient temperatures. At an initial condition of 850 K, the first-stage ignition is initiated at the fuel-lean region, followed by the reactions in fuel-rich regions. Then high-temperature reaction occurs mainly at the places with mixture concentration around stoichiometric mixture fraction. While at an initial temperature of 1000 K, the first-stage ignition occurs at the fuel-rich region first, then it moves towards fuel-richer region. Afterwards, the high-temperature reactions move back to the stoichiometric mixture fraction region. For all of the initial temperatures considered, high-temperature ignition kernels are initiated at the regions richer than stoichiometric mixture fraction. By increasing the initial ambient temperature, the high-temperature ignition kernels move towards richer mixture regions. And after the spray flames gets quasi-steady, most heat is released at the stoichiometric mixture fraction regions. In addition, combustion mode analysis based on key intermediate species illustrates three-mode combustion processes in diesel spray flames.