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.     

Structure and dynamic behavior of combustion visualized by 2-D laser diagnostics

This paper describes studies of structure and dynamic behavior of combustion by use of laser-aided two-dimensional flame visualization. Attentions are given to the recent development of the laser sheet imaging techniques of velocity, temperature and concentration and its application to flame visualization. Visualization of turbulent diffusion flames by use of RIV (Rayleigh scattering Image Velocimetry) and OH-PLIF conducted by the authors are presented together with the short review of laser diagnostics of combustion.     

Small scales,many species and the manifold challenges of turbulent combustion

A major goal of combustion research is to develop accurate, tractable, predictive models for the phenomena occurring in combustion devices, which predominantly involve turbulent flows. With the focus on gas-phase, non-premixed flames, recent progress is reviewed, and the significant remaining challenges facing models of turbulent combustion are examined. The principal challenges are posed by the small scales, the many chemical species involved in hydrocarbon combustion, and the coupled processes of reaction and molecular diffusion in a turbulent flow field. These challenges, and how different modeling approaches face them, are examined from the viewpoint of low-dimensional manifolds in the high-dimensional space of chemical species. Most current approaches to modeling turbulent combustion can be categorized as flamelet-like or PDF-like. The former assume or imply that the compositions occurring in turbulent combustion lie on very-low-dimensional manifolds, and that the coupling between turbulent mixing and reaction can be parameterized by at most one or two variables. PDF-like models do not restrict compositions in this way, and they have proved successful in describing more challenging combustion regimes in which there is significant local extinction, or in which the turbulence significantly disrupts flamelet structures. Advances in diagnostics, the design of experiments, computational resources, and direct numerical simulations are all contributing to the continuing development of more accurate and general models of turbulent combustion.     

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.     

Investigations in the TECFLAM swirling diffusion flame: Laser Raman measurements and CFD calculations

A standard burner for confined swirling natural gas flames is presented which was developed within the German TECFLAM cooperation. The aims of the TECFLAM research program are the establishment of an extensive experimental database from selective flames and the validation and improvement of mathematical combustion models. In this paper, results from joint PDF measurements of temperature, mixture fraction, and major species concentrations in a turbulent diffusion flame with 150 kW thermal load, equivalence ratio 0.833, and swirl number 0.9 are presented. Major aspects of the investigation are the general quantitative characterization of the flame and the study of the thermochemical state, e.g. effects of turbulence–chemistry interactions. Scatterplots of temperature, CH₄, and CO mole fractions as well as mean mixture fraction and temperature fields are presented and discussed. Furthermore, CFD calculations have been performed using the code Fluent 5 as an example of a commercially available code that is frequently used for technical applications. The comparison between the calculated and measured results reveals some significant deviations which are discussed with respect to the applicability of this code to swirling turbulent flames. Received: 19 April 2000 / Revised version: 15 June 2000 / Published online: 5 October 2000     

Laser-induced plasma in methane and dimethyl ether for flame ignition and combustion diagnostics

In this paper we report the investigation of the laser-induced breakdown and ignition behaviour of methane/air and dimethyl ether (DME)/air mixtures. Moreover, the optical emission from the induced plasma is utilized for determining the mixture composition quantitatively by means of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, LIBS and laser ignition of DME have not been reported in literature before. The technique under investigation is finally employed for combustion diagnostics in laminar as well as turbulent flames. In the laminar premixed and non-premixed flames the LIBS spectra allow spatially resolved measurements of the equivalence ratio and enable studying the mixing of gases provided through the burner with the surrounding room air. In addition, the breakdown threshold of the applied laser pulse energy yields an estimate for the local temperature. In the turbulent cases single-shot LIBS spectra are recorded at fixed position allowing the derivation of local statistical fluctuations of the equivalence ratio in partially premixed jet flames. The results show that laser-induced breakdowns have a strong potential for flame diagnostics and, under suitable conditions, for the ignition of combustible mixtures.     

Visualization of multiple scalar and velocity fields in a lifted jet flame

The stabilization of lifted jet diffusion flames has long been a topic of interest to combustion researchers. The flame and flow morphology, the role of partial premixing, and the effects of large scale structures on the flame can be visualized through advanced optical imaging techniques. Many of the current explanations for flame stabilization can benefit from the flow and flame information provided by laser diagnostics. Additionally, the images acquired from laser diagnostic experiments reveal features invisible to the eye and line-of-sight techniques, thereby allowing a deeper insight into flame stabilization. This paper reports visualizations of flame and flow structures from Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Rayleigh scattering. The techniques are surveyed and the success of visualization techniques in clarifying and furthering the understanding of lifted-jet flame stabilization is discussed.     

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.     

Low pressure premixed CH4/air flames with forced periodic mixture fraction oscillations: experimental approach

An experimental setup for the generation and investigation of periodic equivalence ratio oscillations in laminar premixed flames is presented. A special low-pressure burner was developed which generates stable flames in a wide pressure range down to 20 mbar and provides the possibility of rapid mixture fraction variations. The technical realization of the mixture fraction variations and the characteristics of the burner are described. 1D laser Raman scattering was applied to determine the temperature and concentration profiles of the major species through the flame front in correlation to the phase-angle of the periodic oscillation. OH* chemiluminescence was detected to qualitatively analyze the response of the flame to mixture fraction variations by changing shape and position. Exemplary results from a flame at p=69 mbar, forced at a frequency of 10 Hz, are shown and discussed. The experiments are part of a cooperative research project including the development of kinetic models and numerical simulation tools with the aim of a better understanding and prediction of periodic combustion instabilities in gas turbines. The focus of the current paper lies on the presentation of the experimental realization and the measuring techniques.     

Several applications of laser diagnostics for visualization of combustion phenomena

Several applications of laser diagnostic techniques to visualize combustion phenomena are presented, including reactive Mie scattering for flow, Rayleigh and Raman spectroscopy for major species, laser-induced fluorescence for minor species, and laser extinction, scattering, and laser-induced incandescence for soot. These techniques have been applied to diffusion flame oscillation, a recirculation zone in a burner, laminar and turbulent lifted flames, flame propagation along a vortex tube, and soot zone characteristics, to demonstrate the usefulness of the techniques to provide a better understanding of physical mechanisms.     

Problems of predicting turbulent burning rates

Different approaches to the modelling of turbulent combustion first are reviewed briefly. A unified, stretched flamelet approach then is presented. With Reynolds stress modelling and a generalized probability density function (PDF) of strain rate, it enables a source term, in the form of a probability of burning function, P_b, to be expressed as a function of Markstein numbers and the Karlovitz stretch factor. When P_b is combined with some turbulent flame fractal considerations, an expression is obtained for the turbulent burning velocity. When it is combined with the profile of the unstretched laminar flame volumetric heat release rate plotted against the reaction progress variable and the PDF of the latter, an expression is obtained for the mean volumetric turbulent heat release rate. Through these relationships experimental values of turbulent burning velocity might be used to evaluate P_b and hence the CFD source term, the mean volumetric heat release rate.

Different theoretical expressions for the turbulent burning velocity, including the present one, are compared with experimental measurements. The differences between these are discussed and this is followed by a review of CFD applications of these flamelet concepts to premixed and non-premixed combustion. The various assumptions made in the course of the analyses are scrutinized in the light of recent direct numerical simulations of turbulent flames and the applications to the flames of laser diagnostics. Remaining problem areas include a sufficiently general combination of strain rate and flame curvature PDFs to give a single PDF of flame stretch rate, the nature of flame quenching under positive and negative stretch rates, flame responses to changing stretch rates and the effects of flame instabilities.     

Laser Spectrometric Measurement System for Local Express Diagnostics of Flame at Combustion of Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels

A laboratory laser spectrometric measurement system for investigation of spatial distributions of local temperatures in a flame at combustion of vapors of various liquid hydrocarbon fuels in oxygen or air at atmospheric pressure is presented. The system incorporates a coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectrometer with high spatial resolution for local thermometry of nitrogen-containing gas mixtures in a single laser shot and a continuous operation burner with a laminar diffusion flame. The system test results are presented for measurements of spatial distributions of local temperatures in various flame zones at combustion of vapor—gas n-decane/nitrogen mixtures in air. Its applicability for accomplishing practical tasks in comparative laboratory investigation of characteristics of various fuels and for research on combustion in turbulent flames is discussed.     

用于湍流燃烧温度测量的激光诊断技术

在湍流燃烧模型及CFD仿真软件的实验验证以及实际燃烧装置性能改进中,准确的温度测量以及温度梯度分布测量十分重要.Rayleigh散射、过滤Rayleigh散射和双线平面激光诱导荧光等基于激光的测温技术已在湍流燃烧实验研究中广泛应用,但每种测温技术都不能满足所有的测量环境.因此,须根据具体的探测对象和测量需求,对测温方法和实验方案进行合理选择.文章主要对这3种测温技术的工作原理、适用条件、研究现状和实际应用中需注意的问题进行综述.      

Reaction zone structures and mixing characteristics of partially premixed swirling CH4/air flames in a gas turbine model combustor

The mixing, reaction progress, and flame front structures of partially premixed flames have been investigated in a gas turbine model combustor using different laser techniques comprising laser Doppler velocimetry for the characterization of the flow field, Raman scattering for simultaneous multi-species and temperature measurements, and planar laser-induced fluorescence of CH for the visualization of the reaction zones. Swirling CH₄/air flames with Re numbers between 7500 and 60,000 have been studied to identify the influence of the turbulent flow field on the thermochemical state of the flames and the structures of the CH layers. Turbulence intensities and length scales, as well as the classification of these flames in regime diagrams of turbulent combustion, are addressed. The results indicate that the flames exhibit more characteristics of a diffusion flame (with connected flame zones) than of a uniformly premixed flame.     

Simultaneous measurement of localized heat release with OH/CH2O-LIF imaging and spatially integrated OH∗ chemiluminescence in turbulent swirl flames

The in-situ and localized observation of heat release in turbulent flames is important for the validation of computational modeling of turbulent flows with combustion. In the present work we obtain localized information on heat release rate (HRR) by the commonly accepted technique of the simultaneous and single-shot planar imaging of OH and CH₂O concentrations by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Additionally, we combine this with the simultaneous line-of-sight and temporally resolved chemiluminescence detection of OH^?, spatially integrated within the flame volume, interrogated by the laser sheets used for the HRR imaging technique. The combined diagnostic methods are demonstrated for a swirl-stabilized, premixed turbulent methane/air flame of 30-kW thermal power, and they show the existence of correlations between both HRR-sensitive diagnostic techniques.     

基于激光光解诱导荧光技术实现燃烧反应区及中间产物CH_3瞬态可视化

实现火焰反应区和不同中间组分的在线二维瞬态成像,在湍流燃烧的基础研究中具有十分重要的意义。用Nd∶YAG激光器的5倍频输出(212.8nm)作为光源,通过激光光解诱导荧光技术在甲烷/空气预混火焰中,成功实现了火焰反应区的瞬态成像,并首次采用该技术实现了CH_3的在线瞬态成像测量。分析了该方法同其他荧光标示物在反应区二维瞬态成像方法的优势,并研究了火焰燃烧过程中其他燃烧中间产物和不同燃空比对CH_3单脉冲成像的影响,讨论了现有条件下该技术的应用范围。根据实验结果,在燃空比Φ=1.2的条件下,在反应区我们获得了信噪比约为8的单脉冲成像,分析火焰中CH_3的单脉冲成像结果可知火焰燃空比在1.0~1.4之间时,或者火焰中CH_3的浓度大于9.3×1015 molecules·cm-3信噪比较好。该项技术在动力机械及其他研究领域的应用有十分重要的参考价值。     

Challenges for turbulent combustion

Turbulent combustion will remain central to the next generation of combustion devices that are likely to employ blends of renewable and fossil fuels, transitioning eventually to electrofuels (also referred to as e-fuels, powerfuels, power-to-x, or synthetics). This paper starts by projecting that the decarbonization process is likely to be very slow as guided by history and by the sheer extent of the current network for fossil fuels, and the cost of its replacement. This transition to renewables will be moderated by the advent of cleaner engines that operate on increasingly cleaner fuel blends. A brief outline of recent developments in combustion modes, such as gasoline compression ignition for reciprocating engines and sequential combustion for gas turbines, is presented. The next two sections of the paper identify two essential areas of development for advancing knowledge of turbulent combustion, namely multi-mode or mixed-mode combustion and soot formation. Multi-mode combustion is common in practical devices and spans the entire range of processes from transient ignition to stable combustion and the formation of pollutants. A range of burners developed to study highly turbulent premixed flames and mixed-mode flames, is presented along with samples of data and an outline of outstanding research issues. Soot formation relevant to electrofuels, such as blends of diesel-oxymethylene ethers, hydrogen-methane or ethylene-ammonia, is also discussed. Mechanisms of soot formation, while significantly improved, remain lacking particularly for heavy fuels and their blends. Other important areas of research, such as spray atomization, turbulent dense spray flames, turbulent fires, and the effects of high pressure, are briefly mentioned. The paper concludes by highlighting the continued need for research in these areas of turbulent combustion to bring predictive capabilities to a level of comprehensive fidelity that enables them to become standard reliable tools for the design and monitoring of future combustors.     

Conditional moment closure and transient flamelet modelling for detailed structure and NO x formation characteristics of turbulent nonpremixed jet and recirculating flames

This study has been mainly motivated to assess computationally and theoretically the conditional moment closure (CMC) model and the transient flamelet model for the simulation of turbulent nonpremixed flames. These two turbulent combustion models are implemented into the unstructured grid finite volume method that efficiently handles physically and geometrically complex turbulent reacting flows. Moreover, the parallel algorithm has been implemented to improve computational efficiency as well as to reduce the memory load of the CMC procedure. Example cases include two turbulent CO/H₂/N₂ jet flames having different flow timescales and the turbulent nonpremixed H₂/CO flame stabilized on an axisymmetric bluff-body burner. The Lagrangian flamelet model and the simplified CMC formulation are applied to the strongly parabolic jet flame calculation. On the other hand, the Eulerian particle flamelet model and full conservative CMC formulation are employed for the bluff-body flame with flow recirculation. Based on the numerical results, a detailed discussion is given for the comparative performances of the two combustion models in terms of the flame structure and NO _x formation characteristics.     

Advanced gasoline engine development using optical diagnostics and numerical modeling

Twenty years ago, homogeneous-charge spark-ignition gasoline engines (using carburetion, throttle-body-, or port-fuel-injection) were the dominant automotive engines. Advanced automotive engine development remained largely empirical, and stratified-charge direct-injection gasoline-engine production was blocked by lack of robustness in its combustion process [W.G. Agnew, Proc. Combust. Inst. 20 (1984) 1-17]. Today, a wide range of direct-injection gasoline engines are in (or near) production, and combustion science is playing a direct role in advanced gasoline-engine development through the simultaneous application of advanced optical diagnostics, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, and traditional combustion diagnostics. This paper discusses the use of optical diagnostics and CFD in five gasoline-engine combustion systems: homogeneous spark-ignition port-fuel-injection (PFI), homogeneous spark-ignition direct-injection (DI), stratified wall-guided spark-ignition direct-injection (WG-SIDI), stratified spray-guided spark-ignition direct-injection (SG-SIDI), and homogeneous-charge compression-ignition (HCCI). The emphasis is on WG-SIDI, SG-SIDI, and HCCI engines. Key in-cylinder physical processes (e.g., sprays and vaporization, turbulent fuel-air mixing, wall wetting, ignition and early flame development, turbulent partially premixed flame propagation, and emissions formation) can be visualized, quantified, and optimized through optical engine experiments and CFD-based engine modeling. Outstanding issues for stratified engines include reducing piston wall-wetting, pool fires and smoke in WG-SIDI engines, eliminating intermittent misfires in SG-SIDI engines, and optimizing lean NO_x after-treatment systems. HCCI engines require better control of combustion timing and heat-release rate over wide speed/load operating ranges, smooth transitions between operating modes, and individual cylinder sensors and controls. Future directions in optical diagnostics and modeling are suggested to improve our fundamental understanding of important in-cylinder processes and to enhance CFD modeling capabilities.     

Experimental measurements of geometric properties of turbulent stratified flames

Combustion under stratified conditions is common in many systems. However, relatively little is known about the structure and dynamics of turbulent stratified flames. Two-dimensional imaging diagnostics are applied to premixed and stratified V-flames at a mean equivalence ratio of 0.77, and low turbulent intensity, within the corrugated flame range. The present results show that stratification affects the mean turbulent flame speed, structure and geometric properties. Stratification increases the flame surface density above the premixed flame levels in all cases, with a maximum reached at intermediate levels of stratification. The flame surface density (FSD) of stratified flames is higher than that of premixed flames at the same mean equivalence ratio. Under the present conditions, the FSD peaks at a stratification ratio around 3.0. The FSD curves for stratified flames are further skewed towards the product side. The distribution of flame curvature in stratified flames is broader and more symmetric relative to premixed flames, indicating an additional mechanism of curvature generation, which is not necessarily due to cusping. These experiments indicate that flame stratification affects the intrinsic behaviour of turbulent flames and suggest that models may need to be revised in the light of the current evidence.