Microgravity experiments on droplet motion during flame spreading along three-fuel-droplet array

Flame spreading along a fuel droplet array at microgravity has been studied as a simple model of spray combustion. A three droplet array with a pendulum suspender was employed to investigate interactions between flame spreading and droplet motion in the array direction. Initial droplet diameter was 0.8 mm and fuel was n-heptane. A silicon carbide pendulum suspender of 15 μm in diameter and 30 mm in length was used for the third droplet. The first fixed droplet was ignited by electric spark. Behavior of the flame and the third droplet was observed using a high-speed video camera. Dimensionless span, which is the averaged droplet span divided by the averaged initial diameter of the three droplets, was varied from 2.7 to 10. Large displacement of the movable droplet was observed after group flame grew around the movable droplet. As the initial dimensionless span increased, the averaged droplet speed after the occurrence of flame spreading to the movable droplet increased steeply, taking the maximum value around 5 in initial dimensionless span, and then decreased gradually. The movable droplet advanced toward the second droplet in small spans and moved away from the second droplet in large spans. The direction of the motion changed around 4.6 in initial dimensionless span. Flame spread induction time from the second to the third droplet increased exponentially as the initial dimensionless span was increased. The induction time of flame spreading to a movable droplet was longer than that of flame spreading to a fixed droplet. From calculations of flame spreading along a 20-droplet array, it was predicted that the droplet speed nearly converged after flame spread to the sixteenth droplet. The maximum speed of the nineteenth droplet appeared around 7.5 in the initial dimensionless span.     

Microgravity experiments of flame spreading along a fuel droplet array in fuel vapor-air mixture

Combustion experiments of fuel droplet array in fuel vapor-air mixture were performed at microgravities to investigate growth mechanism of group combustion of fuel droplets. A 10-droplet array was inserted into the test section filled with a saturated fuel vapor-air mixture as a simple model of prevaporized sprays. Gas equivalence ratio of the fuel vapor-air mixture was regulated by the test section temperature. n-Decane droplets of 0.8 mm in the initial diameter were suspended at the crossing points of 10 sets of X-shaped suspenders. The first droplet was ignited by a hot wire to initiate flame spread along a fuel droplet array. Flame spread speed was obtained from the history of the leading edge position of a spreading flame. Effects of droplet spacing and gas equivalence ratio on the flame spreading behavior and the flame spread speed were examined. The droplet spacing and the gas equivalence ratio were varied from 1.6 to 10.2 mm and from 0.2 to 0.7, respectively. The gas equivalence ratio has little effect on the relationship between the flame spreading behavior and the droplet spacing. The flame spread speed increases as the increase in the gas equivalence ratio at all droplet spacings. The influence of the gas equivalence ratio on the flame spread speed becomes strong as the increase in the droplet spacings. The flame spread speed increases as the increase in the droplet spacing, and then decreases. The maximum flame spread speed appears in the range from 2.4 to 3 mm at all gas equivalence ratios.     

Flame structure and stabilization of lean-premixed sprays in a counterflow with low-volatility fuel

An experimental study was performed on the combustion of lean-premixed spays in a counterflow. n-Decane was used as a liquid fuel with low volatility. The flame structure and stabilization were discussed based on the flame-spread mechanism of a droplet array with a low-volatility fuel. The spray flame consisted of a blue region and a yellow luminous region. The flame spread among droplets and group-flame formation through the droplet interaction were observed on the premixed spray side, while envelope flames were also observed on the opposing airflow side. The blue-flame region consisted of premixed flames propagating in the mixture layer around each droplet, the envelope diffusion flames around each droplet, the lower parts of the group diffusion flame surrounding each droplet cluster, and the envelope flame around droplets passing through the group flame. The flame was stabilized within a specific range of the mean droplet diameter via a balance between the droplet velocity and the flame-spread rate of the premixed spray.     

Appearance of cool flame in flame spread over fuel droplets in microgravity

This research conducted microgravity experiments to investigate phenomena appearing around a droplet existing outside the flame-spread limit. n-Decane droplets are tethered at intersections of SiC fibers. The flame spreads to two- or three-interactive droplets to heat a droplet placed outside the flame-spread limit of the interactive droplets. The cool-flame appearance during the flame spread over droplets was detected using different methods. The droplet diameter was measured with a back illumination to evaluate the vaporization-rate constant and to judge whether the cool flame appears or not. The temperature around the droplet was measured by the thin-filament pyrometry using a near-infrared camera to detect the temperature rise due to cool-flame appearance. The infrared radiation distribution from the combustion products was measured using a mid-wave infrared camera to judge the cool-flame appearance. The results show that a cool flame appears around the droplet existing outside the hot-flame-spread limit and the vaporization completes with the cool flame if the heat input from the hot flame is sufficiently large. This type of flame spread is called hot-to-cool flame spread. The definition of flame spread should be extended considering the cool flame.     

Effects of pressure on flame propagation in a premixture containing fine fuel droplets

Combustion experiments on fuel droplet–vapor–air mixtures have been performed with a rapid expansion apparatus which generates monodispersed droplet clouds with narrow diameter distribution using the condensation method. The effects of fine fuel droplets on flame propagation were investigated for ethanol droplet–vapor–air mixtures at various pressures from 0.2 to 1.0 MPa. A stagnant fuel droplet–vapor–air mixture, generated in a rapid expansion chamber, was ignited at the center of the chamber using an ignition wire. Spherical flame propagation under constant-pressure conditions was observed with a high-speed video camera and flame speed was measured. Total equivalence ratio, and the ratio of liquid fuel mass to total fuel mass, was varied from 0.6 to 1.4 and from zero to 56%, respectively. The mean droplet diameter of fuel droplet–vapor–air mixtures was set at 8.5 and 11 μm. It was found that the flame speed of droplet–vapor–air mixtures less than 0.9 in the total equivalence ratio exceeds that of premixed gases of the same total equivalence ratio at all pressures. The flame speed of fuel droplet–vapor–air mixtures decreases as the pressure increases in all total equivalence ratios. At large ratios of liquid fuel mass to total fuel mass, the normalized flame speed (the flame speed of droplet–vapor–air mixtures divided by the flame speed of the premixed gas with the same total equivalence ratio), increases with the increase in pressure for fuel-lean mixtures, and it decreases for fuel-rich mixtures. The outcome is reversed at small ratios of liquid fuel mass to total fuel mass; the normalized flame speed decreases with the increase in pressure for fuel-lean mixtures, and increases for fuel-rich mixtures. The results suggest that the increase in pressure promotes droplet evaporation in the preheat zone.     

Effects of fine fuel droplets on a laminar flame stabilized in a partially prevaporized spray stream

A partially prevaporized spray burner was developed to investigate the interaction between fuel droplets and a flame. Monodispersed partially prevaporized ethanol sprays with narrow diameter distribution were generated by the condensation method using rapid pressure reduction of a saturated ethanol vapor–air mixture. A tilted flat flame was stabilized at the nozzle exit using a hot wire. Particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was applied to measurements of the droplet velocity; the laminar burning velocity was obtained from gas velocity derived from the droplet velocity. Observations were made of flames in partially prevaporized spray streams with mean droplet diameters of 7 μm and the liquid equivalence ratios of 0.2; the total equivalence ratio was varied. In all cases, a sharp vaporization plane was observed in front of the blue flame. Flame oscillation was observed on the fuel-rich side. At strain rates under 50 s⁻¹, the change in the burning velocity with the strain rate is small in fuel-lean spray streams. In spray streams of 0.7 and 0.8 in the total equivalence ratio, burning velocity increases with strain rates of greater than 50 s⁻¹. However, in spray streams with 0.9 and 1.0 in the total equivalence ratio, burning velocity decreases as the strain rate increases. At strain rates greater than 80 s⁻¹, burning velocity decreases with an increased gas equivalence ratio. The effect of mean droplet diameter, and the entry length of droplets into a flame on the laminar burning velocity, were also investigated to interpret the effect of the strain rate on the laminar burning velocity of partially prevaporized sprays.     

Transient convective burning of interactive fuel droplets in single-layer arrays

The transient convective burning of n-octane droplets interacting within single-layer arrays in a hot gas flow perpendicular to the layer is studied numerically, with considerations of droplet surface regression, deceleration due to the drag of the droplets, internal liquid motion, variable properties, non-uniform liquid temperature and surface tension. Infinite periodic arrays, semi-infinite periodic arrays with one row of droplets (linear array) or two rows of droplets, and finite arrays with nine droplets with centers in a plane are investigated. All arrays are aligned orthogonal to the free stream direction. This paper compares the behavior of semi-infinite periodic arrays and finite arrays with the behavior of previously studied infinite periodic arrays. Furthermore, it identifies the critical values of the initial Damköhler number for bifurcations in flame behavior at various initial droplet spacing for all these arrays. The initial flame shape is either an envelope flame or a wake flame as determined by the initial Damköhler number, the array configuration and the initial droplet spacing. The critical initial Damköhler number separating initial wake flames from initial envelope flames decreases with increasing interaction amongst droplets at intermediate droplet spacing (when the number of rows in the array increases or the initial droplet spacing decreases for a specific number of rows in the array). In the transient process, an initial wake flame has a tendency to develop from a wake flame to an envelope flame, with the moment of wake-to-envelope transition advanced for the increasing interaction amongst droplets at intermediate droplet spacing. For the array with nine droplets with centers in a plane, the droplets at different types of positions have different critical initial Damköhler number and different wake-to-envelope transition time for initial wake flame.     

Numerical study on flame spread of an n-decane droplet array in different temperature environment under microgravity

A series of numerical calculations of flame spread of an n-decane droplet array was conducted at different ambient temperatures (T_a = 300 and 573 K) for S/d₀ from 1.5 to 10, where S is the droplet interval and d₀ is the initial droplet diameter. The authors compared these numerical results with experimental results under similar conditions at different ambient temperatures for the first time in this study. Good qualitative agreement in flame spread behavior between numerical results and microgravity experiments is obtained. Flame spread mode changed with an increase in S/d₀. Also, appearance of the flame spread mode in a stepping-stone manner (Mode III in [Jpn. Soc. Mech. Eng. 68 (672) (2002) 2423]) in a normal temperature environment was verified by numerical calculations and microgravity experiments, although it was not predicted in the theoretical analysis. In addition, good qualitative agreement of flame spread rate V_f versus S/d₀ was obtained between numerical and experimental results, although numerical results were at least twice as large as experimental results. V_f had a maximum peak at a specific S/d₀ for a different ambient temperature. Employment of improved reaction model and consideration for thermal radiation heat transfer are expected to produce quantitatively better results. An increase in surface temperature of unburned droplets and the development of a flammable gas layer around the droplets were promoted in a high-temperature environment, due to an increase in heat transfer from ambient air to the droplet. As a result, V_f was increased by the higher ambient temperature, suggesting that ambient temperature plays a significant role both in the flame spread mode and the flame spread rate through promotion of a flammable gas layer around unburned droplets.     

Combustion of partially premixed spray jets

Gas turbines, liquid rocket motors, and oil-fired furnaces utilize the spray combustion of continuously injected liquid fuels. In most cases, the liquid spray is mixed with an oxidizer prior to combustion, and further oxidizer is supplied from the outside of the spray to complete diffusion combustion. This rich premixed spray is called “partially premixed spray.” Partially premixed sprays have not been studied systematically although they are of practical importance. In the present study, the burning behavior of partially premixed sprays was experimentally studied with a newly developed spray burner. A fuel spray and an oxidizer, diluted with nitrogen, was injected into the air. The overall equivalence ratio of the spray jet was set larger than unity to establish partially premixed spray combustion. In the present burner, the mean droplet diameter of the atomized liquid fuel could be varied without varying the overall equivalence ratio of the spray jet. Two combustion modes with and without an internal flame were observed. As the mean droplet diameter was increased or the overall equivalence ratio of the spray jet was decreased, the transition from spray combustion only with an external group flame to that with the internal premixed flame occurred. The results suggest that the internal flame was supported by flammable mixture through the vaporization of fine droplets, and the passage of droplet clusters deformed the internal flame and caused internal flame oscillation. The existence of the internal premixed flame enhanced the vaporization of droplets in the post-premixed-flame zone within the external diffusion flame.     

Investigation of droplet combustion in strained counterflow diffusion flames using planar laser-induced fluorescence

Experimental investigation of an isolated droplet burning in a convective flow is reported. Acetone droplets were injected in a steady laminar diffusion counterflow flame operating with methane. Planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements applied to OH radical and acetone was used to measure the spatial distribution of fuel vapour and the structure of the flame front around the droplet. High-magnification optics was used in order to image flow areas with a ratio of 1:1.2. The different combustion regimes of an isolated droplet could be observed from the configuration of the envelope flame to that of the boundary-layer flame, and occurrence of these regimes was found to depend on the droplet Reynolds number. Experimental results were compared with 1D numerical simulations using detailed chemistry for the configuration of the envelope flame. Good agreement was obtained for the radial profile of both OH radical and fuel vapour. Influence of droplet dynamics on the counterflow flame front was also investigated. Results show that the flame front could be strongly distorted by the droplet crossing. In particular, droplets with high velocity led to local extinction of the flame front whereas droplets with low velocity could ignite within the flame front and burn on the oxidiser side. PACS 33.50.-j; 42.62.-b; 47.55.D-; 47.70.Pq; 47.80.Jk     

Autoignition and early flame behavior of a spherical cluster of 49 monodispersed droplets

Autoignition and early flame behavior of a spherical cluster of 49 monodispersed droplets in a high-temperature air were examined in microgravity. The monodispersed suspended-droplet cluster (MSDC) model with which both droplet spacing and initial droplet diameter were well-controlled was developed, and the solidified-fuel fiber-suspension technique was utilized for making the MSDC model. The tested 3D MSDC models had the HCP (hexagonal closest packing) structure. Individual flames, which enveloped each droplet, or group flame, which enveloped the whole droplet cluster, were formed immediately after ignition. The flame changed from the group flame to a cluster of the individual flames either with increasing the droplet spacing or decreasing the initial droplet diameter. Each of the individual flames merged into the group flame with the lapse of time. Burning sphere diameter decreased at the beginning, and then increased. The transition from the individual flames to the group flame occurred around the time period at which the burning sphere diameter reached its minimum. The time period at which the burning sphere diameter reached its maximum was delayed and the expansion rate of the burning sphere was enhanced with decreasing the droplet spacing or with increasing the initial droplet diameter.     

Visualization of aggregation process of dispersed water droplets and the effect of aggregation on secondary atomization of emulsified fuel droplets

The effect of aggregation of dispersed water droplets on secondary atomization of emulsified fuel droplets in a heating process was investigated. Secondary atomization was observed using a single droplet experiment in which a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsified fuel droplet prepared using colored water was heated by a halogen heater. The initial diameter of dispersed water droplets before heating was controlled, and the change in the diameter of dispersed water droplets was measured by image analysis. As a result, the aggregation process of dispersed water droplets in the heating process was successfully visualized. The dispersed water droplet diameter increased with an increase in W/O emulsified fuel droplet temperature. The occurrence probability of micro-explosion increased with an increase in the dispersed water droplet diameter in emulsified fuel droplets. It is suggested that the occurrence probability of micro-explosion can be increased by accelerating the aggregation and coalescence of dispersed water droplets below 430 K, which is the average temperature of the starting point of puffing.     

Flame-spread limit from interactive burning droplets in microgravity

This research conducted microgravity experiments on the flame spread over droplet-cloud elements with strong droplet interaction aboard Kibo on the ISS. The droplet-cloud element represents a local droplet pattern appearing in randomly distributed droplet clouds near the group-combustion-excitation limit and consists of small-droplet-spacing droplets and large-droplet-spacing droplets. As droplet-cloud elements, we used four n-decane droplets, Droplets C, B, A and L, placed at fiber intersections of two-dimensional SiC-fiber lattice with a 4-mm fiber interval in a combustion chamber. The flame spreads over the droplet-cloud element in order of Droplets C, B, A and L. The position of Droplet L relative to Droplet A was varied to investigate the flame-spread-limit distribution around burning Droplet A. The position of Droplet B relative to Droplet A was varied to investigate the effect of two-droplet interaction between Droplets B and A on the flame spread to Droplet L. The position of Droplet C relative to Droplet B was also varied to investigate the effect of three-droplet interaction among Droplets C, B and A. The results shows that in the case with the strong interaction by two or three interactive droplets, the high-temperature region is enlarged by the droplet interaction, centers near the center of mass of the interactive droplets and plays an important role in the flame-spread-limit distribution. Since the burning lifetime of Droplet A is finite, the flame-spread time from burning Droplet A to Droplet L is limited by burning lifetime of Droplet A and is less than 80% of the burning lifetime of Droplet A, which increases with the interactive effect. The flame-spread-limit distance from the center of mass of the interactive droplets increases with the burning lifetime.     

Vaporization and combustion in three-dimensional droplet arrays

The quasi-steady vaporization and combustion of multiple-droplet arrays is studied numerically. Utilizing the Shvab–Zeldovich formulation, a transformation of the governing equations to a three-dimensional Laplace’s equation is performed, and the solution to Laplace’s equation is obtained numerically to find the effects of droplet interactions in symmetric, multiple-droplet arrays. Vaporization rates, flame surface shapes, and flame locations are found for different droplet array configurations and fuels. The number of droplets, the droplet arrangement within the arrays, and the droplet spacing within the arrays are varied to determine the effects of these parameters. Computations are performed for uniformly spaced three-dimensional arrays of up to 216 droplets, with center-to-center spacing ranging from 3 to 25 droplet radii. As a result of the droplet interactions, the number of droplets and relative droplet spacing significantly affect the vaporization rate of individual droplets within the array, and consequently the flame shape and location. For small droplet spacing, the individual droplet vaporization rate decreases below that obtained for an isolated droplet by several orders of magnitude. A similarity parameter which correlates vaporization rates with array size and spacing is identified. Individual droplet flames, internal group combustion, and external group combustion can be observed depending on the droplet geometry and boundary conditions.     

Combustion behaviors of isolated n-decane and ethanol droplets in carbon dioxide-rich ambience under microgravity

The burning and sooting behaviors of isolated fuel droplets for ethanol and n-decane are examined in high concentration of the ambient carbon dioxide under microgravity. A quartz fiber with the diameter of 50 μm maintains the droplet in the center of the combustion chamber and the range in the initial droplet diameter is from 0.30 to 0.80 mm. The ambience consists of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The concentration of oxygen is 21% in volume, and that of carbon dioxide is varied from 0% to 60% in volume. Detail measurements of the projected image of the droplet are conducted by using a high speed video camera and the effective droplet diameter squared are calculated from the surface area of the rotating body of the projected object. From evolutions of the droplet diameter squared, the instantaneous burning rates are calculated. Time history of the instantaneous burning rate clearly represents the droplet combustion events, such as the initial thermal expansion, ignition and following combustion. The instantaneous burning rate for n-decane shows an increasing trend during combustion, while that for non-sooting ethanol remains almost constant or shows a decreasing trend. A slight stepwise increase in the instantaneous burning rate is observed for larger n-decane droplets in air, which may be attributed to soot accumulation. However, this behavior of the burning rate disappears in higher concentration of carbon dioxide. Direct observation of the droplet flame indicates suppression of soot production in higher concentration of carbon dioxide and the suppression is enhanced for smaller droplet.     

Expansion,injection and micro-explosion phenomena during the full combustion cycle of mixed fuel droplets of ethyl alcohol and biodiesel

In this study, mixed fuel droplets of ethyl alcohol and biodiesel with different volumes or ratios were prepared and the related expansion, injection and micro-explosion phenomena were investigated. During the tests, a mixed-fuel droplet was hung on a high-temperature-resistant Cr-Ni wire, which was transported to the preheating piston for heating and then was ignited automatically. Micro-needles and an infusion set also were employed to prepare mixed droplets with identical ratios but different volumes. Using a single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera, colour videos that captured the combustion process of the mixed droplets were taken and were processed into colour images using Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The colour image series were analysed to determine the ignition delay time, the burnout time and the flame characteristics during combustion of mixed droplets with different ratios. Instantaneous grey images were obtained by means of high-speed photography during combustion of the mixed droplets with different volumes and different ratios, and of droplets of E40 (in which the volume ratio of ethyl alcohol was 40%). Using Image pro plus and Origin software, the variation of normalised mean droplet diameter with time over the whole combustion cycle was calculated and the underlying reasons for various combustion phenomena were analysed.     

Binary collision of a burning droplet and a non-burning droplet of xylene: Outcome regimes and flame dynamics

The binary collisions of a burning droplet and a non-burning droplet of xylene are experimentally investigated. The experimental parameters span an extensive range of Weber number and impact parameter, covering the collision outcome regimes of coalescence, reflexive separation, and stretching separation. A high-speed camera captures the temporal details of the collision process, involving flame spread, visible radiation, and flame distributions around droplets. For reflexive separation and stretching separation, the flame from the droplet spreads to the ligament, surrounding it during the interaction process, and then spreads around separated droplets and satellite droplets. Highly-interactive flames are formed in-between the droplets, with very sooty flames generated for most collisions. For the coalescence case, a swirling flame forms around the rotating coalesced droplet. For similar Weber numbers, visible flame radiation is compared for different collision regimes. The visible flame radiation changes more significantly for the reflexive and stretching separation cases than it does for the coalescence case. The change of the averaged visible flame radiation for reflexive separation and stretching separation is more than two times higher than that for coalescence. The map of three different collision regimes is plotted in the Weber number versus impact parameter domain and compared with available theoretical model predictions. Although the different outcomes of collision with the presence of flame can be well predicted by the model, using fluid properties determined by the averaged properties of the two droplets, the dynamics of the detailed processes involved in the collisions are very interesting and have strong implications on overall combustion behavior that go well beyond the mapped regimes.     

Propagation and extinction of an unsteady spherical spray flame front

Experimental evidence seems to indicate that the life of a laminar spherical flame front propagating through a fresh mixture of air and liquid fuel droplets can be roughly split into three stages: (1) ignition, (2) radial propagation with a smooth flame front and (3) propagation with flame front cellularization and/or pulsation. In this work, the second stage is analysed using the slowly varying flame approach, for a fuel rich flame. The droplets are presumed to vaporize in a sharp front ahead of the reaction front. Evolution equations for the flame and evaporation fronts are derived. For the former the combined effect of heat loss due to droplet vaporization and radiation plays a dominant explicit role. In addition, the structure of the evaporation front is deduced using asymptotics based on a large parameter associated with spray vaporization. Numerical calculations based on the analysis point to the way in which the spray modifies conditions for flame front extinction. Within the framework of the present simplified model the main relevant parameters turn out to be the initial liquid fuel load in the fresh mixture and/or the latent heat of vaporization of the fuel.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of ester droplet combustion: Application to butyl acetate

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of the combustion of isolated n‑butyl acetate droplets in the standard atmosphere. Numerical simulations are reported using a model that incorporates unsteady gas and liquid transport, variable properties, and radiation. Three skeletal mechanisms of n‑butyl acetate, derived from a large detailed mechanism comprised of 819 species and 52,698 reactions, were used in the numerical simulations to evaluate the influence of the kinetic mechanism on burning. The reduced mechanisms comprised 212 species and 5413 reactions, 157 species and 3089 reactions, and 105 species and 1035 reactions. The numerical model did not include soot formation, though qualitatively mild sooting was noted only for droplets larger than 0.7 mm. The numerical predictions were in good agreement with experimental measurements of droplet and flame diameters. Flame extinction was numerically predicted which was attributed to a decrease of the characteristic diffusion time relative to the chemical time as droplet burned. Effects of initial droplet diameter on the evolution of maximum gas temperature (T_max) and peak mole fractions of CO₂ and CO are also examined numerically.     

对流速度对燃料液滴火焰形态及燃烧的影响

考虑气相非稳态及液滴内部环流,建立运动液滴非稳态蒸发燃烧模型.模型采用动网格方法精确追踪液滴表面位置,采用守恒方程组更新液滴表面边界条件.根据单步全局化学反应机理,仿真研究正庚烷燃料液滴在不同对流速度下的火焰形态及燃烧.结果表明:运动液滴内部环流使液滴内部低温区向环流中心移动.当液滴运动速度大于某临界值后,火焰形态由包覆火焰转变为尾迹火焰.包覆火焰的富燃区范围、高温区范围及燃烧速率明显较尾迹火焰大;包覆火焰的液滴表面温度及表面蒸发流率分布也明显不同于尾迹火焰.