湍流预混火焰点火与传播特性研究

可燃预混气的点火与传播过程是发动机燃烧领域最重要的课题之一,尤其是湍流与化学反应的相互作用对预混气点火和火焰传播的影响机理有待进一步研究。本文利用定压球形火焰研究了氢气/氧气/氩气(Le1)在可燃极限条件(当量比0.3)下湍流对点火与火焰传播过程的影响,研究表明,在该工况下,湍流有助于可燃气点火过程,火焰传播过程中,由于湍流的影响,局部拉伸率大于0的区域火焰传播增快,局部拉伸率小于0的区域火焰传播受到抑制,甚至出现局部熄火。     

微小燃烧器燃烧特性研究

微燃烧器中燃料的可靠点火与稳定燃烧是实现微动力系统正常工作的前提。本文进行了两种微小燃烧器的设计与燃烧实验。结果表明,通过在微小燃烧器内添加钢丝网,使两种小型燃烧器均获得了较宽的可燃范围。通过对微小燃烧器流场的数值分析,发现在微小尺度燃烧中,流场的均匀性对燃烧温度有重要的作用;在微小空间内添加钢丝网能够改善流场,拓展可燃范围。另外,钢丝网在高温下也能起到值班火焰的作用,对火焰稳定起到积极作用。     

收缩楔腔内激波汇聚诱导点火实验

文章提出了一种采用圆柱形汇聚激波实现可燃气体点火特性研究的新方法.通过采用激波动力学理论合理地设计壁面型线, 将激波管中产生的平面运动激波近乎连续地转变为扇形区内圆柱形汇聚激波.以氢氧预混气体为考察对象, 开展了相关激波管实验, 实现了可控圆柱面激波汇聚诱导点火.实验发现两种点火现象:强点火和弱点火.在强点火过程中, 点火由入射激波直接诱导产生; 而在弱点火过程中, 点火则是在波后气流经历热压缩过程后发生.      

第18届全国激波与激波管学术会议青年优秀论文专题序言

正激波作为气体动力学最具特色的基本物理现象之一,表现出强间断与非线性的物理特征.激波能够在超/高超声速气流内部诱导漩涡,生产复杂的气体物理过程;激波能够诱导热化学反应,构成了高温气体力学和凝聚态爆轰动力学的学科基础;激波还能够压缩可燃气体实现其自点火,形成能够以超声速自持传播的燃烧反应带;而激波管则是一种广泛应用的实验技术,发展前途是无限的.     

来流边界层效应下斜坡诱导的斜爆轰波

以超声速预混气中的斜爆轰波为研究对象,对其在来流边界层效应下的特性进行了实验研究.在马赫数为3的超声速预混风洞中,通过斜坡诱导产生了斜爆轰波.当来流的当量比较低时,预混气中产生的是化学反应锋面与激波面非耦合的激波诱导燃烧现象.此时边界层分离区中的化学反应放热将使分离区尺度显著增大,流场非定常性显著增强,激波位置剧烈振荡.当来流的当量比较高时,预混气将产生斜爆轰波.此时边界层分离区会影响到斜爆轰波起爆时的形态.在小尺度分离区下,斜爆轰波起爆时呈突跃结构(有横波);在中等尺度分离区下,流场固有的非定常性使斜爆轰波呈间歇突跃结构;在大尺度分离区下,斜爆轰波起爆则呈完全的平滑结构(无横波).     

电火花对于可燃气流的引燃

对电火花引燃可燃气流的问题进行了理论分析和实验研究。将电火花看作是可燃气流中的一个线热源,运用边界层方程,考察反应区的发展,以其能否扩展开去作为引燃的判据,分析讨论了着火临界条件,导出了点火能和流速等参数之间的关系。实验中拍摄了不同条件下火焰发展的面貌,与数值计算得到的反应区发展相比较,表明这种模型确是在一定程度上反映了电火花引燃可燃气流的实际情况。此外,利用汽车发动机点火系统测试了电火花能量、来流速度、电极距离等因素对汽油-空气预混气的着火稀限的影响。     

CH4/空气简化动力学机理数值验证

选择绕圆柱预混燃烧算例，验证CH₄/空气三种简化动力学机理（16s41r、15s19r和53s325r）.考虑均匀来流，忽略湍流和湍流与燃烧相互作用以及燃料扩散效应，假设层流有限反应速率，采用保自由流5阶WENO格式求解多组分Euler方程组，得到CH₄/空气预混燃烧流场温度等值线、沿驻点线压力和温度及其CH₄、CO和CO₂质量百分数分布.结果表明：三种简化动力学机理给出的流场均出现弓形激波和火焰面，弓形激波和火焰驻点距离及其形状、诱导区宽度和简化动力学机理相关.当圆柱直径增大，弓形激波和火焰向圆柱上游移动，对应的驻点距离均增大，诱导区宽度变短，点火延时变小，但火焰和弓形激波位置次序未变化.53s325r模型要比16s41r模型和15s19r模型精度要高，点火延时覆盖的压力和温度范围也较宽，所有简化机理均未完全反应，在较大圆柱直径下游达到化学平衡.     

富燃料丙烷/空气预混火焰特性的微重力实验研究

地面常重力(1g)条件下,丙烷/空气预混火焰向上传播的富燃极限为9.2%C_3H_8,而向下传播时的富燃极限仅为6.3%C_3H_8,二者之间存在明显差距。利用微重力条件下的实验,对燃料浓度从6.5%到8.6%(微重力实验中测定的可燃极限)范围内的丙烷/空气预混火焰特性进行了研究。实验发现,重力对近极限丙烷/空气火焰的传播有显著影响,影响程度随着当量比的增加而增大。微重力下丙烷/空气的富燃极限为8.6%C_3H_8(φ=2.24),明显高于1g条件下向下传播火焰的可燃极限,略低于向上传播火焰的可燃极限。随着当量比的增大,根据压力变化曲线计算的火焰层流燃烧速度从8.5cm/s逐渐减小到2.7 cm/s,可燃极限处的层流燃烧速度与前人实验数据一致。     

水雾作用下富燃料甲烷预混火焰化学发光特性

利用阶梯光栅光谱仪与自行研制的水雾协流管式燃烧器,对富燃料甲烷/空气层流预混火焰化学发光特性进行实验研究.分析了锥形预混火焰燃烧过程中火焰面OH、CH以及C2自由基粒子光谱强度分布规律,以及水雾协流作用下的预混火焰发射光谱特性,探讨了水雾液滴对富燃料甲烷预混火焰发射光谱的影响.实验结果表明:当水雾量充足时,作用于内锥火焰阵面的水雾液滴使得火焰阵面OH、CH以及C2自由基粒子发射光谱强度减弱,抑制预混火焰燃烧;当作用于火焰面的水雾载荷比较小时,富燃料预混火焰的OH、CH的发射光谱强度得到一定程度的增强.     

中、小雷诺数下围绕渗透出可燃气体的圆柱强迫对流时火焰结构的数值分析

一、前言 气流中的扩散火焰结构的数学分析在理论和实践上都具有一定意义.前人曾提出“折算薄膜”,“边界层燃烧”,“厚交换层”等数学模型来分析中、小雷诺数下强迫对流中单燃料滴的燃烧,并与实验结果进行了对比.本文对围绕渗透出可燃气体的圆柱在强迫对流的空气气流中求解流场,并与扩散方程和能量方程联立,用松弛迭代求解浓度场和温度     

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.     

Minimum ignition energy and propagation dynamics of laminar premixed cool flames

Laminar premixed cool flames, induced by the coupling of low-temperature chemistry and convective-diffusive transport process, have recently attracted extensive interest in combustion and engine research. In this work, numerical simulations have been conducted using a recently developed open-source reacting flow platform reactingFOAM-SCT, to investigate the minimum ignition energy (MIE) and propagation dynamics of premixed cool flames in a 1D spherical coordinate. Results have shown that when ignition energy is below the MIE of regular hot flames, a class of cool flames could be initiated, which allow much wider flammability limits, both lean and rich, compared to hot flames. Furthermore, the overall cool flame propagation dynamics exhibit intrinsic similarity to those of hot flames, in that, they begin with an ignition kernel propagation regime, followed by two transition regimes, and eventually reach a normal flame propagation regime. However, a spherical expanding cool flame responds completely differently to stretch. Specifically, a regular outwardly propagating hot spherical flame accelerates with increasing stretch rate when the mixture Le < 1 and decelerates when Le > 1. However, it is found that a cool flame always tends to decelerate with increasing stretch rate regardless of mixture composition, exhibiting unique flame aerodynamic characteristic. This research discovers novel features of premixed cool flame initiation and propagation dynamics and sheds light on flame transition, spark-ignition system design, and advanced engine combustion control.     

An assessment of large eddy simulations of premixed flames propagating past repeated obstacles

This paper presents an assessment of Large Eddy Simulations (LES) in calculating the structure of turbulent premixed flames propagating past solid obstacles. One objective of the present study is to evaluate the LES simulations and identify the drawbacks in accounting the chemical reaction rate. Another objective is to analyse the flame structure and to calculate flame speed, generated overpressure at different time intervals following ignition of a stoichiometric propane/air mixture. The combustion chamber has built-in repeated solid obstructions to enhance the turbulence level and hence increase the flame propagating speed. Various numerical tests have also been carried out to determine the regimes of combustion at different stages of the flame propagation. These have been identified from the calculated results for the flow and flame characteristic parameters. It is found that the flame lies within the ‘thin reaction zone’ regime which supports the use of the laminar flamelet approach for modelling turbulent premixed flames. A submodel to calculate the model coefficient in the algebraic flame surface density model is implemented and examined. It is found that the LES predictions are slightly improved owing to the calculation of model coefficient by using submodel. Results are presented and discussed in this paper are for the flame structure, position, speed, generated pressure and the regimes of combustion during all stages of flame propagation from ignition to venting. The calculated results are validated against available experimental data.     

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.     

Detonation simulations in supersonic flow under circumstances of injection and mixing

The unsteady, reactive Navier-Stokes equations with a detailed chemical mechanism of 11 species and 27 steps were employed to simulate the mixing, flame acceleration and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) triggered by transverse jet obstacles. Results show that multiple transverse jet obstacles ejecting into the chamber can be used to activate DDT. But the occurrence of DDT is tremendously difficult in a non-uniform supersonic mixture so that it required several groups of transverse jets with increasing stagnation pressure. The jets introduce flow turbulence and produce oblique and bow shock waves even in an inhomogeneous supersonic mixture. The DDT is enhanced by multiple explosion points that are generated by the intense shock wave focusing of the leading flame front. It is found that the partial detonation front decouples into shock and flame, which is mainly caused by the fuel deficiency, nevertheless the decoupled shock wave is strong enough to reignite the mixture to detonation conditions. The resulting transverse wave leads to further mixing and burning of the downstream non-equilibrium chemical reaction, resulting in a high combustion temperature and intense flow instabilities. Additionally, the longitudinal and transverse gradients of the non-uniform supersonic mixture induce highly dynamic behaviors with sudden propagation speed increase and detonation front instabilities.     

Dynamics of triple-flames in ignition of turbulent dual fuel mixture: A direct numerical simulation study

Pilot-ignited dual fuel combustion involves a complex transition between the pilot fuel autoignition and the premixed-like phase of combustion, which is challenging for experimental measurement and numerical modelling, and not sufficiently explored. To further understand the fundamentals of the dual fuel ignition processes, the transient ignition and subsequent flame development in a turbulent dimethyl ether (DME)/methane-air mixing layer under diesel engine-relevant conditions are studied by direct numerical simulations (DNS). Results indicate that combustion is initiated by a two-stage autoignition that involves both low-temperature and high-temperature chemistry. The first stage autoignition is initiated at the stoichiometric mixture, and then the ignition front propagates against the mixture fraction gradient into rich mixtures and eventually forms a diffusively-supported cool flame. The second stage ignition kernels are spatially distributed around the most reactive mixture fraction with a low scalar dissipation rate. Multiple triple flames are established and propagate along the stoichiometric mixture, which is proven to play an essential role in the flame developing process. The edge flames gradually get close to each other with their branches eventually connected. It is the leading lean premixed branch that initiates the steady propagating methane-air flame. The time required for the initiation of steady flame is substantially shorter than the autoignition delay time of the methane-air mixture under the same thermochemical condition. Temporal evolution of the displacement speed at the flame front is also investigated to clarify the propagation characteristics of the combustion waves. Cool flame and propagation of triple flames are also identified in this study, which are novel features of the pilot-ignited dual fuel combustion.     

A comparative study on partially premixed combustion (PPC) and reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) in an optical engine

Partially premixed combustion (PPC) and reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) are two new combustion modes in compression-ignition (CI) engines. However, the detailed in-cylinder ignition and flame development process in these two CI modes were not clearly understood. In the present study, firstly, the fuel stratification, ignition and flame development in PPC and RCCI were comparatively studied on a light-duty optical engine using multiple optical diagnostic techniques. The overall fuel reactivity (PRF number) and concentration (fuel-air equivalence ratio) were kept at 70 and 0.77 for both modes, respectively. Iso-octane and n-heptane were separately used in the port-injection (PI) and direct-injection (DI) for RCCI, while PRF70 fuel was introduced through direct-injection (DI) for PPC. The DI timing for both modes was fixed at –25°CA ATDC. Secondly, the combustion characteristics of PPC and RCCI with more premixed charge were explored by increasing the PI mass fraction for RCCI and using the split DI strategy for PPC. In the first part, results show that RCCI has shorter ignition delay than PPC due to the fuel reactivity stratification. The natural flame luminosity, formaldehyde and OH PLIF images prove that the flame front propagation in the early stage of PPC can be seen, while there is no distinct flame front propagation in RCCI. In the second part, the higher premixed ratio results in more auto-ignition sites and faster combustion rate for PPC. However, the higher premixed ratio reduces the combustion rate in RCCI mode and the flame front propagation can be clearly seen, the flame speed of which is similar to that in spark ignition engines but lower than that in PPC. It can be concluded that the ratio of flame front propagation and auto-ignition in RCCI and PPC can be modulated by the control over the fuel stratification degree through different fuel-injection strategies.     

Numerical simulation of modes of combustion and detonation of hydrogen-air mixtures in porous medium in the framework of the mechanics of two-phase reaction mediums

Numerical simulation is carried out for combustion and detonation waves propagating through a motionless gas mixture in a porous inert charge. Computations are performed in a one-dimensional approximation by means of an EFAE computer program that was developed in the framework of the mechanics of multiphase reaction mediums. The chemical conversion of gas is modeled by a one-stage reaction of the Arrhenius type with constants selected based on existing experimental data on the ignition lags behind the reflected shock waves. Computations are performed for hydrogen-air mixtures with 35 and 15% hydrogen and compared with literature experimental data in which the initial pressure and the diameter of charged particles are varied. All three combustion modes (slow, fast, and supersonic) observed in the experiment and combustion failure under conditions lower than threshold are followed by numerical simulation. In addition, the computations qualitatively reproduced experimental data on the change of the combustion mode in the case of transfer from stoichiometric to a lean mixture and data on the combustion wave velocity and limiting conditions of combustion mode transition and failure of flame as a function of the initial pressure and the charged particle size. It is shown that supersonic waves propagating with a velocity of lower than 1100 m/s do not have a Chapman-Jouguet surface in the end of the reaction zone and it is evident that they can be related to detonation, as in the cited literature.     

Effects of pressure rise rate on laminar flame speed under normal and engine-relevant conditions

Laminar flame speed (LFS) is one of the most important physicochemical properties of a combustible mixture. At normal and elevated temperatures and pressures, LFS can be measured using propagating spherical flames in a closed chamber. LFS is also used in certain turbulent premixed flame modelling for combustion in spark ignition engines. Inside the closed chamber or engine, transient pressure rise occurs during the premixed flame propagation. The effects of pressure rise rate (PRR) on LFS are examined numerically in this study. One-dimensional simulations are conducted for spherical flame propagation in a closed chamber. Detailed chemistry and transport are considered. Different values of PRR at the same temperature and pressure are achieved through changing the spherical chamber size. It is found that the effect of PRR on LFS is negligible under the normal and engine-relevant conditions considered in this study. This observation is then explained through the comparison between the unsteady and convection terms in the energy equation for a premixed flame.     

A generalized flame surface density modelling approach for the auto-ignition of a turbulent non-premixed system

Auto-ignition of turbulent non-premixed systems is encountered in practical devices such as diesel internal combustion engines. It remains a challenge for modellers, as it exhibits specific features such as unsteadiness, flame propagation and combustion far from stoichiometric conditions. In this paper, a two-dimensional DNS database of an igniting H₂/O₂/N₂ mixing layer, including detailed chemistry and transport, is extensively post-processed in order to gain physical insight into the flame structure and dynamics during auto-ignition. The results are used as a framework for the development of a generalized flame surface density modelling approach by integrating the equations over all possible mixture fraction values. The mean reaction rate is split into two contributions: a generalized flame surface density and a mean reaction rate per unit generalized flame surface density. The unsteadiness of the ignition phenomenon is accounted for via a generalized progress variable. Closures for the generalized surface average of the reaction rate and for the generalized progress variable are proposed, and the modelling approach is tested a priori versus the DNS data. The use of a laminar database for the chemistry coupled to the mean turbulent field via the generalized progress variable shows very promising results, capturing the correct ignition delay and the premixed peak in the turbulent mean heat release rate evolution. This allows confidence in future inclusion and validation of this approach in a RANS-CFD code.