Stability and emissions control using air injection and H2 addition in premixed combustion

We experimentally study lean premixed combustion stabilized behind a backward-facing step. For a propane–air mixture, the lean blowout limit is associated with strong pressure fluctuation arising simultaneously with strong flame–vortex interactions, which have been shown to constitute the mechanism of heat release dynamics in this flow. A high-speed air jet, issuing from a small slot and injected perpendicular to the main flow near the step, is used to disrupt this mechanism. For momentum ratio of jet to main flow below unity, the jet dilutes the mixture, further destabilizing the flame or leading to complete blowout. Above unity, the flame becomes more stable, and the pressure oscillations are suppressed. Flow visualization and OH*/CH* chemiluminescence measurements show that a strong jet produces a more compact flame that is less driven by the wake vortex, anchored closer to the step, and deflected upwards away from the lower wall of the channel. This renders the flame less vulnerable to heat loss and strong strains, which improves its stability and extends the flammability limit. Adding hydrogen to the main fuel improves the flame stability over the entire range of the air jet mass flow, with better results for momentum ratio larger than 1; H₂ pulls the flame further upstream, away from the shear zone and the unsteady vortex. NO_x emission benefits from the air jet, while, with H₂ addition, NO_x concentration is higher in the products as the overall burning temperature rises. However, hydrogen addition enables extending the flammability limit further by increasing air supply in the primary stream, hence achieving lower NO_x. The study suggests a simpler, almost passive, multi-objective combustion control technique and indicates that hydrogen addition can be a successful in situ approach for NO_x reduction.     

Vortex dynamics in different combustion regions of a cavity-based scramjet

A hybrid RANS/LES study of a cavity-based scramjet was performed and reasonable agreements were found between simulation results and experimental measurements. In the current case, the flame was stabilized by the subsonic cavity shear layer and propagated downstream into the supersonic flow. The vortex dynamic in the flow, mixing, and combustion regions was comparatively investigated. The averaged vorticity in the combustion regions was lower by 55% compared to the mixing region, primarily due to dilatation as a result of the heat release. Furthermore, the combustion zone was decomposed into four regions based on premixed/diffusion flame and subsonic/supersonic combustion. Then the vorticity and its transport in the four regions were compared. The averaged vorticity in the premixed combustion regions was only slightly larger than that in the diffusion combustion regions. However, the averaged heat release rate was nearly 3 times larger in the premixed regions, leading to higher contributions of dilatation and baroclinic torque in the premixed regions, with an overall weak positive impact on the vorticity generation. In the subsonic combustion regions, the vorticity was three times larger than that in the supersonic combustion regions, despite similar heat release rates on average. It could be explained by the relatively large magnitude of dilatation and baroclinic torque in the supersonic flow. Vortex stretching and dilatation were comparable in the supersonic flame but the former became two times larger than the latter in the subsonic flame. Moreover, the baroclinic torque had larger contributions than diffusion in the supersonic flame whereas the opposite trend was found in the subsonic flame. The results highlight that the subsonic combustion regions in the cavity shear layer and near the walls significantly contribute to the vortex dynamics and mixing process, in addition to flame stabilization.     

A nonlinear scenario for development of vortex layer instability in gravity field

A Hamiltonian version of contour dynamics is formulated for models of constant-vorticity plane flows with interfaces. The proposed approach is used as a framework for a nonlinear scenario for instability development. Localized vortex blobs are analyzed as structural elements of a strongly perturbed wall layer of a vorticity-carrying fluid with free boundary in gravity field. Gravity and vorticity effects on the geometry and velocity of vortex structures are examined. It is shown that compactly supported nonlinear solutions (compactons) are candidates for the role of particle-like vortex structures in models of flow breakdown. An analysis of the instability mechanism demonstrates the possibility of a self-similar collapse. It is found that the vortex shape stabilizes at the final stage of the collapse, while the vortex sheet strength on its boundary increases as (t ₀ ? t)^?1, where t ₀ is the collapse time.     

New omega vortex identification method

A new vortex identification criterion called W-method is proposed based on the ideas that vorticity overtakes deformation in vortex.The comparison with other vortex identification methods like Q-criterion and λ_2-method is conducted and the advantages of the new method can be summarized as follows:(1) the method is able to capture vortex well and very easy to perform;(2) the physical meaning of W is clear while the interpretations of iso-surface values of Q and λ_2 chosen to visualize vortices are obscure;(3)being different from Q and λ_2 iso-surface visualization which requires wildly various thresholds to capture the vortex structure properly, W is pretty universal and does not need much adjustment in different cases and the iso-surfaces of W=0.52 can always capture the vortices properly in all the cases at different time steps, which we investigated;(4) both strong and weak vortices can be captured well simultaneously while improper Q and λ_2 threshold may lead to strong vortex capture while weak vortices are lost or weak vortices are captured but strong vortices are smeared;(5) W=0.52 is a quantity to approximately define the vortex boundary. Note that, to calculate W, the length and velocity must be used in the non-dimensional form. From our direct numerical simulation, it is found that the vorticity direction is very different from the vortex rotation direction in general 3-D vortical flow,the Helmholtz velocity decomposition is reviewed and vorticity is proposed to be further decomposed to vortical vorticity and non-vortical vorticity.     

Flow-field dynamics of the non-reacting and reacting jet in a vitiated cross-flow

The dynamics of a premixed ethylene-air jet injected transverse to a vitiated cross-flow were investigated using high-repetition rate particle image velocimetry (PIV). Both non-reacting and reacting jets were found to be characterized by a dominant frequency associated with the jet wake vortex system. For the isothermal jet, increasing the momentum flux ratio (J) has only a slight effect on the frequency of the oscillation but significantly increases its magnitude. The reacting jet was found to exhibit different behavior, with a monotonic increase in the dominant frequency with J. The jet equivalence ratio (?_j) was found to have little effect on the rate of wake vortex shedding but affects the overall magnitude of the oscillation. Comparison with data reported in the literature suggests the relationship between the wake Strouhal number (St_w) and J is fuel dependent. Application of a vortex detection algorithm shows a stark difference in the location of the wake vortices under non-reacting and reacting conditions. Under isothermal conditions, the vortices are found close to the jet centerline and dissipate relatively quickly. Reaction confines the vortices to a narrow shear layer until a farther distance downstream and the vortices convect through the entire area of interest. Additionally, the vortex circulation strength was found to increase with J. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of the non-reacting and reacting jets demonstrates the dominance of the wake vortex structures in the oscillating flow fields. In both cases, the temporal information extracted from the most energetic modes is identical to the dominant frequencies measured in the flow fields. The primary effect of heat release is to reduce the overall amount of coherence and to delay the appearance of elevated coherence levels until a larger streamwise distance from the jet exit.     

Large Eddy Simulation of flame stabilisation dynamics and vortex control in a lifted H2/N2 jet flame

Flame stabilisation in (highly) preheated mixture is common in several industrial applications. When the reactants are injected separately in the device (usually at high-speed), the flame is lifted so that the fuel and oxidant first mix to give an ignitable mixture. If the temperature of the mixture is adequate, it auto-ignites stabilizing the flame. Here we focus on an academic lifted jet flame and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used to capture the flame and auto-ignition dynamics. Comparisons with experimental data show that LES simulates accurately high OH fluctuation levels at the stabilisation location. The vortex dynamics linked to these fluctuations is analyzed and it is found that small scale coherent structures play a vital role in the auto-ignition process. These structures are axial vorticity tubes (braids) and are located relatively far (in the radial direction) from the shear-layer. As a consequence, the lift-off height varies dramatically in time leading to OH fluctuations of the order of the mean OH concentration. This scenario is monitored in the compositional space highlighting the simultaneous evolution of OH, HO ₂ and temperature. Further, different strategies for open-loop control of the flame lift-off height are tested. In order to anchor the flame at different positions downstream of the nozzle, the vortex dynamics in the shear-layer was modified. Promoting successively vortex ring and braids, the auto-ignition region was moved significantly. In particular, modified nozzle geometries impacted the formation of braids and ensured a good premixing very close to the nozzle. As a consequence, it was possible to reduce significantly the lift-off height and stabilise the flame few diameters downstream of the nozzle.     

A comparison of vortex and pseudo-spectral methods for the simulation of periodic vortical flows at high Reynolds numbers

We present a validation study for the hybrid particle-mesh vortex method against a pseudo-spectral method for the Taylor–Green vortex at Re_Γ = 1600 as well as in the collision of two antiparallel vortex tubes at Re_Γ = 10,000. In this study we present diagnostics such as energy spectra and enstrophy as computed by both methods as well as point-wise comparisons of the vorticity field. Using a fourth order accurate kernel for interpolation between the particles and the mesh, the results of the hybrid vortex method and of the pseudo-spectral method agree well in both flow cases. For the Taylor–Green vortex, the vorticity contours computed by both methods around the time of the energy dissipation peak overlap. The energy spectrum shows that only the smallest length scales in the flow are not captured by the vortex method.In the second flow case, where we compute the collision of two anti-parallel vortex tubes at Reynolds number 10,000, the vortex method results and the pseudo-spectral method results are in very good agreement up to and including the first reconnection of the tubes. The maximum error in the effective viscosity is about 2.5% for the vortex method and about 1% for the pseudo-spectral method. At later times the flows computed with the different methods show the same qualitative features, but the quantitative agreement on vortical structures is lost.     

超音速射流火焰的DNS研究:计算方法与涡结构

介绍了可压缩反应流的计算方法,然后计算了超音速射流火焰,对超音速射流火焰中的涡结构进行了分析。认为超音速射流火焰中的涡结构特征,与亚音速射流中有本质差异,且涡结构在燃料与组分的混合中起到了重要作用,进而直接影响火焰结构和燃烧效率。     

On the oscillating flame characteristics in nonpremixed laminar coflow-jets: An experimental and numerical study

This study investigates the characteristics of oscillating lifted flames in laminar coflow-jets experimentally and numerically by varying both fuel density (by varying propane and n-butane mixtures) and coflow density (by diluting air with N₂/He mixtures). Two different lifted flame oscillation behaviors are observed depending on these parameters: oscillating tribrachial lifted flame (OTLF) and oscillating mode-change lifted flame (OMLF), where a rapid increase in flame radius is observed. The regimes of the two flames are identified from experiments, which shows that OMLF occurs only when the effect of the negative buoyancy on the flow field by the fuel heavier than air becomes significant at low fuel jet velocity. OMLFs are also identified to distinguish OTLF regime from flame extinction, which implies that an OMLF can be extinguished when the positive buoyancy becomes weak, losing its stabilizing effect, or when the negative buoyancy becomes strong, further enhancing its destabilizing effect. Transient numerical simulations of both OTLF and OMLF reveal that the OMLF occurs by a strong toroidal vortex and a subsequent counterflow-like structure induced by relatively-strong negative buoyancy. Such a drastic flow redirection significantly changes the fuel concentration gradient such that the OMLF changes its mode from a tribrachial flame mode (decreasing edge speed with fuel concentration gradient) to the premixed flame-like transition mode when the fuel concentration gradient becomes very small (increasing edge speed with fuel concentration gradient). Again, a tribrachial flame mode is recovered during a rising period of flame edge and repeats an oscillation cycle.     

Visualisation and analysis of large-scale vortex structures in three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity flow

In this paper, large eddy simulation (LES) of a three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity (LDC) flow at Re = 10,000 has been performed using the multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method. A Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model was used to represent the sub-grid scale stresses with appropriate wall damping. The prediction for the flow field was first validated by comparing the velocity profiles with previous experimental and LES studies, and then subsequently used to investigate the large-scale three-dimensional vortical structures in the LDC flow. The instantaneous three-dimensional coherent structures inside the cavity were visualised using the second invariant (Q), Δ criterion, λ₂ criterion, swirling strength (λ_ci) and streamwise vorticity. The vortex structures obtained using the different criteria in general agree well with each other. However, a cleaner visualisation of the large vortex structures was achieved with the λ_ci criterion and also when the visualisation is based on the vortex identification criteria expressed in terms of the swirling strength parameters. A major objective of the study was to perform a three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) on the fluctuating velocity fields. The higher energy POD modes efficiently extracted the large-scale vortical structures within the flow which were then visualised with the swirling strength criterion. Reconstruction of the instantaneous fluctuating velocity field using a finite number of POD modes indicated that the large-scale vortex structures did effectively approximate the large-scale motion. However, such a reduced order reconstruction of the flow based on the large-scale vortical structures was clearly not as effective in predicting the small-scale details of the fluctuating velocity field which relate to the turbulent transport.     

Combustion dynamics of inverted conical flames

An inverted conical flame anchored on a central bluff-body in an unconfined burner configuration features a distinctive acoustic response. This configuration typifies more complex situations in which the thermo-acoustic instability is driven by the interaction of a flame with a convective vorticity mode. The axisymmetric geometry investigated in this article features a shear region between the reactive jet and the surrounding atmosphere. It exhibits self-sustained oscillations for certain operating conditions involving a powerful flame collapse phenomenon with sudden annihilation of flame surface area. This is caused by a strong interaction between the flame and vortices created in the outer jet shear layer, a process which determines the amplitude of heat release fluctuation and its time delay with respect to incident velocity perturbations. This process also generates an acoustic field that excites the burner and synchronizes the vortex shedding mechanism. The transfer functions between the velocity signal at the burner outlet and heat release are obtained experimentally for a set of flow velocities fluctuations levels. It is found that heat release fluctuations are a strong function of the incoming velocity perturbation amplitude and that the time delay between these two quantities is mainly determined by the convection of the large scale vortices formed in the jet shear layer. A model is formulated, which suitably describes the observed instabilities.     

Visualization of dilute hydrogen jet flame in air flow

The structure of hydrogen jet flame diluted by CO₂ in air flow is studied by various visualization techniques, such as schlieren, direct photograph, tracer injection and reactive Mie scattering method, which allow understanding of the influence of CO₂ on the characteristics of the hydrogen jet flame. The experimental result indicates that the flame structure consists of laminar fuel jet and surrounding reaction zone near the nozzle exit. When the CO2 fraction is increased, the width of the fuel jet grows and the reaction zone is reduced in size. These observations are further confirmed by quantitative measurements of temperature and velocity fields in the flame, which are evaluated by thermocouple and particle image velocimetry (PIV), respectively. These results indicate that the flame temperature is decreased and the flow rate of the fuel jet is increased by the influence of diluents, which are due to the reduced calorific value and larger density of fuel, respectively.     

Shear Layer Dynamics in a Reacting Jet in Crossflow

This study explores the effect of heat release on the growth of the shear layer vortical structures in a reacting jet in crossflow. Jets composed of mixtures of hydrogen, helium and nitrogen were used to independently vary the momentum flux ratio (J), jet to crossflow density ratio (S) and heat release. Velocity fields were obtained from 10?kHz high-speed stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) and regions of elevated temperature/combustion products from simultaneous OH planar laser induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF). The shear layer vortices (SLV) originating from instabilities in the windward and leeward shear layers were identified using vortex identification indicator functions in order to track their spatial location and strength. The results show that the asymmetries in shear layer strength between the windward and leeward shear layers are dependent primarily on J, for both reacting and non-reacting flow-fields. The SLV growth rate dependencies on J and S is found to match trends noted by previous studies for non-reacting jets, where SLV growth rates increase with degree of global instability of the JICF. Heat release is also shown to suppress the SLV growth rates relative to non-reacting cases with the same jet parameters. Related to this point, the degree of lifting of the flame also has a significant impact on SLV growth. As flame lifting is directly related to autoignition times, this point shows strong coupling between kinetic rates and jet hydrodynamic stability.     

A study in the developing region of square jet

The developing region of a turbulent square jet is investigated using high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV). The mean velocity and turbulence stresses are presented in various horizontal planes, along the jet centerline covering the initial region of the jet as well as the transition to the self-similar region. To study the flow structure away from the central plane, velocity measurements in two additional horizontal planes, one located halfway from the jet central plane toward the edge and the other at the edge of the square jet, are also examined. Analysis of the instantaneous velocity fields reveal the presence of an arrow-like feature in the square jet due to the higher instability generated in the jet shear layer compared with a round jet. To elucidate the imprints of the vortex structures present in the jets, a swirling strength-based vortex identification methodology is applied on a large ensemble of instantaneous velocity fields. Statistical analysis of the number of vortex cores, and their size and rotational strength in the measurement plane is undertaken. Vortex population at the edge was found to be very different compared with that in the central plane.     

Self-oscillations in a jet flow and gaseous flame with strong swirl

Investigation results on unsteady flow dynamics in a gaseous jet flame with strong swirl, vortex breakdown, and precession of a vortex core obtained by panoramic optical methods are presented, as well as the results of theoretical analysis of the fastest growing modes of hydrodynamic instability. Characteristics of the most unstable self-oscillating mode in the initial region of the turbulent strongly swirling propane-air jet burning in the atmospheric air in the form of a lifted flame are determined. Analysis of data by principal component analysis and linear stability analysis revealed that evolution of the dominant self-oscillating mode corresponds to quasi-solid rotation with constant angular velocity of the spatial coherent structure consisting of a jet spiral vortex core and two spiral secondary vortices.     

Cavitating vortex generation by a submerged jet

The surface geometry of a cavitating vortex is determined in the limit of inviscid incompressible flow. The limit surface is an ovaloid of revolution with an axis ratio of 5: 3. It is shown that a cavitating vortex ring cannot develop if the cavitation number is lower than a certain critical value. Experiments conducted at various liquid pressures and several jet exit velocities confirm the existence of a critical cavitation number close to 3. At cavitation numbers higher than the critical one, the cavitating vortex ring does not develop. At substantially lower cavitation numbers (k ? 0.1), an elongated asymmetric cavitation bubble is generated, with an axial reentrant jet whose length can exceed the initial jet length by several times. This flow structure is called an asymmetric cavitating vortex, even though steady motion of this structure has not been observed.     

Numerical modeling of collapse in ideal incompressible hydrodynamics

The appearance of a singularity in the velocity-field vorticity ω at an isolated point irrespective of the symmetry of initial distribution is demonstrated numerically. The behavior of maximal vorticity |ω| near the collapse point is well approximated by the dependence (t ₀?t)^?1, where t ₀ is the collapse time. This is consistent with the interpretation of collapse as the breaking of vortex lines.     

Vorticity waves in problems of hydrodynamic stability

The known problem of flow transition near a circular cylinder at Re = 40 from a symmetrical form to the Karman vortex street can be considered as the problem of vortex wave development and intensification. Development of three bundles of vortex waves of low intensity is observed in a wake of a cylinder; these bundles are easily visualized as the structures of relative vorticity $ \bar \Omega $ \bar \Omega = Ω(t ₁) − Ω(t ₀): difference of vorticity Ω at two time moments, t ₀ being fixed. In the field of $ \bar \Omega $ \bar \Omega the alternating structure of quadrupoles is characterized by linear parameter l = h/d: the ratio of the width of the central bundle of vortex waves to the distance between the centers of quadrupoles of a “single sign”. When l = 0.281 is achieved, which coincides with the value of the same parameter of a stable Karman street, the transition from symmetrical streamlining by viscous incompressible liquid to the vortex street occurs.     

Dominant structures in jet streams

A Hamiltonian version has been formulated for the model of axisymmetric equally rotating jet streams with a free boundary. In the framework of this approach, dominant structures, i.e., structure elements appearing in strongly disturbed jet streams at the preturbulent stage of their decay, are studied. It has been shown that compactons, i.e., solution with a compact support, can be such dominant structures. Analysis of the mechanism of the instability of compactons shows the possibility of collapse, which occurs almost without deformation of their shape but leads to the intensification of the vortex sheet at the boundary according to the law (t ₀ ? t)^?1, where t ₀ is the collapse time.