Role of inertial forces in flame-flow interaction during premixed swirl flame flashback

This study investigates the flame-flow interaction during a fully-premixed swirl flame flashback from flame-frame-of-reference. To capture the flame front movement during upstream propagation, high-speed chemiluminescence imaging and simultaneous three-component PIV measurements are taken at 4 kHz. The upstream propagation of the flame occurs along a helical path around the center-body. For low-turbulence and high-swirl conditions (Re_h = 4000, Swirl number ～ 0.9), the lab-frame speed of the flame structure remains nearly constant during the period of investigation. Simultaneously, the leading side of the flame tongue retains its topology during propagation. The steady-state propagation behavior of the flame structure and stationarity of the flame topology allows us to make a frozen-flame-surface assumption. Applying space-time equivalence, the three-dimensional flame surface and flow field are reconstructed by shifting and stacking the time-series of the planar flame front profiles and the three-component planar velocity data. Further, the steady flow in the flame frame-of-reference provides a powerful means of investigating the flame-flow interaction. Quasi-pathlines are constructed in the unburnt and burnt regions of the flow field. The motion of the approach flow along a quasi-pathline is analyzed to understand the role of centrifugal and Coriolis forces. It is shown that the tug-of-war situation between Coriolis and centrifugal forces gets disrupted by the dilatation-driven blockage effect from the flame surface. It leads to a radial deflection of the approach flow, which results in reduction in the flame-normal approach flow speed, thereby assisting in the flame propagation. In the burnt gas, the Coriolis Effect bends the pathlines towards the center-body. We show - for the first time - that the azimuthal motion of the flame assists in the upstream propagation of the flame structure. Error assessment shows that the approximations made to construct the flame-surface and the flow-field retains the physics of flame-flow interactions.     

Viewing the noise propagation mechanism in a unidirectional transition cascade from the perspective of stability

Noise and noise propagation are inevitable and play a constructive role in various biological processes. The stability of cell homeostasis is also a critical issue. In the unidirectional transition cascade of colon cells, stem cells (SCs) are the source. They differentiate into transit-amplifying cells (TACs), and TACs differentiate into fully differentiated cells (FDCs). Two differentiation processes are irreversible. The stability factor is introduced so that the noise propagation mechanism from the perspective of stability is studied according to the noise propagation formulas. It is found that the value of the stability factor corresponding to the minimum noise in FDCs may be the best choice to enable colon cells to maintain high stability and low noise of the cascade. Moreover, for the source cell, the total noise only includes intrinsic noise; for the downstream cell with self-proliferation capability, the total noise mainly depends on its intrinsic noise and transmitted noise from upstream cells, and its intrinsic noise is dominant. For the downstream cell without self-proliferation capability, the total noise is mainly determined by transmitted noises from upstream cells, and there is a minimum value. This work provides a new approach for studying the mechanism of noise propagation while considering the stability of cell homeostasis in biological systems.     

Reactive Burgers model for detonation propagation in a non-uniform medium

In this work we analyze, within the framework of the reactive Burgers model (Kasimov et al., 2013), the propagation of detonation in a periodically varying medium. We investigate the role of the amplitude and the wavelength of the variations on the dynamics of both stable and unstable detonations. It is found that: (1) the periodic upstream can lead to the amplification of the detonation oscillations, i.e., there is a resonance, and (2) the detonation dynamics exhibits mode locking whereby the dynamics is “enslaved” by the upstream variations.     

The localised forced ignition and early stages of flame development in a turbulent planar jet

The localised forced ignition and the early stages of the subsequent flame propagation in a planar turbulent methane/air jet in ambient air have been simulated using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and a two-step chemical mechanism. Sixteen identical energy depositions events were simulated for four independent flow realisations at four different locations. The successful ignition and subsequent flame propagation have been found to be well correlated to the mean mixture fraction and flammability factor values of the energy deposition location. Furthermore, similarly to what has been observed in experiments, the early stages of flame development from the ignition kernel involved initial downstream convection of the kernel, followed by simultaneous radial expansion and downstream propagation and finally the upstream propagation of the flame base indicating the onset of flame stabilisation. The mixture composition and the scalar dissipation rate (SDR) values in the immediate vicinity of the ignitor have been identified to play key roles in determining the outcome of the external energy deposition, while the development of an edge flame structure propagating along the stoichiometric mixture fraction iso-surface was found to be necessary but not sufficient for the flame to propagate upstream. It has also been found that in the case of successful self-sustained burning, the edge flame was developing in low SDR regions, and that the most probable edge flame speed remains close to the theoretical laminar value irrespective of the flame development history. Finally, the mean flame speed of the edge flame elements propagating towards the nozzle exit has been found to be considerably greater than the unstrained laminar burning velocity. Thus, the edge flame, depending on its orientation with respect to the flow, is able to propagate upstream and initiate the onset of flame stabilisation.     

Effect of velocity gradient on propagation speed of tribrachial flames in laminar coflow jets

The effect of velocity gradient on the propagation speed of tribrachial flame edge has been investigated experimentally in laminar coflow jets for propane fuel. It was observed that the propagation speed of tribrachial flame showed appreciable deviations at various jet velocities in high mixture fraction gradient regime. From the similarity solutions, it was demonstrated that the velocity gradient varied significantly during the flame propagation. To examine the effect of velocity gradient, detail structures of tribrachial flames were investigated from OH LIF images and Abel transformed images of flame luminosity. It was revealed that the tribrachial point was located on the slanted surface of the premixed wing, and this slanted angle was correlated with the velocity gradient along the stoichiometric contour. The temperature field was visualized qualitatively by the Rayleigh scattering image. The propagation speed of tribrachial flame was corrected by considering the direction of flame propagation with the slanted angle and effective heat conduction to upstream. The corrected propagation speed of tribrachial flame was correlated well. Thus, the mixture fraction gradient together with the velocity gradient affected the propagation speed.     

超音速过流串联双空腔流场的DNS研究

本文采用直接模拟方法对超音速气流过流串联双空腔的流场进行研究,并与单空腔模型对照,分析了马赫数分别为1.5和2.5时双空腔之间的相互作用。结果显示空腔剪切层振荡对全场流动的控制作用,上游空腔对下游空腔中剪切层的运动有加强的趋势,它同时还可降低下游空腔壁面上的声压级;而下游空腔对上游空腔的影响则很微弱。串联双空腔产生的噪声辐射具有明显的方向性,其传播方向受马赫数的影响。     

Numerical simulation of flame dynamics associated with negative velocity induced by deformed flame shape

In this study, the influence of the negative velocity field formed ahead of an abruptly deformed flame tip on the propagation behaviour of a laminar premixed flame is numerically investigated. A strong deformation in the flame front is induced by imposing a very narrow, in-line pre-heating zone in the unburned region. The simulation is performed under low Mach number approximation by using a multi-scale multi-physics Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver FrontFlow/Red with one-step finite rate chemistry in order to track the time-dependent flame dynamics. The computed results unveil that the flame front is deformed significantly within a short time due to the narrow in-line pre-heating effect. The flame deformation induces a strong negative velocity field ahead of the deformed flame tip, acting in the direction of propagation, which gives rise to a strong pair vortex. This strong pair vortex interacts with the flame tip and then slides down along the flame surface in the upstream direction during propagation. This flame-vortex interaction causes further deformation in the flame surface in the upstream direction, and consequently, the flame exhibits a wave-like surface, which enhances the flame propagation speed. The auto-generation of a strong pair vortex ahead of the flame front due to the localised thermal input could be applied as one of the methods to control the combustion externally. It is also expected that the results obtained in this study could have a significant impact on the detailed understanding of the local thermo-fluid dynamical interaction process of turbulent combustion in practical combustors.     

Coupled vehicle and information flows: Message transport on a dynamic vehicle network

A freeway with vehicles transmitting traffic-related messages via short-range broadcasting is a technological example of coupled material and information flows in complex networks: information on traffic flows is propagated via a dynamically changing ad hoc network based on local interactions. As vehicle and information propagation occur on similar time scales, the network dynamics strongly influences message propagation, which is done by the movement of nodes (cars) and by hops between nearby nodes: two cars within the limited broadcast range establish a dynamic link. Using the cars of the other driving direction as relay stations, the weak connectivity within one driving direction when the density of equipped cars is small can be overcome. By analytical calculation and by microscopic simulation of freeway traffic with a given percentage of vehicles equipped for inter-vehicle communication, we investigate how the equipment level influences the efficiency and velocity of information propagation. By simulating the formation of a typical traffic jam, we show how the non-local information about bottlenecks and jam fronts can travel upstream and reach potential users.     

Diesel flame lift-off stabilization in the presence of laser-ignition: a numerical study

Diesel flame lift-off and stabilization in the presence of laser-ignition were numerically investigated with the method of Eulerian stochastic fields. The aim was to scrutinise the interaction between the lifted diesel flame and an ignition kernel upstream of the lifted flame. The numerical simulation was carried out in a constant-volume combustion vessel with n-heptane as fuel. The process was studied previously in an experiment employing Diesel #2 as the fuel in the same combustion vessel. In the experiment a lifted flame was first established at a position downstream of the nozzle. An ignition kernel was then initiated using a high-energy pulse laser at a position upstream of the natural lift-off position of the diesel flame. The laser-ignition kernel was modelled using a high-temperature (～2000 K) hot spot. In both experiment and simulations the upstream front of the ignition kernel was shown to remain around the initial laser ignition site for a substantially long period of time, while the downstream front of the ignition kernel propagates rapidly towards the natural lift-off position downstream of the laser ignition site. The lift-off position oscillated before the final stabilization at the natural lift-off position. The structures and the propagation speed of the reaction fronts in the laser-ignition kernel and the main flame were analysed. Two different stabilization mechanisms, the auto-ignition mechanism and the flame propagation mechanism, were identified for the naturally lifted flame and the laser-induced reaction front, respectively. A mechanism was proposed to explain the oscillation of the lift-off position.     

Triple flame: Inherent asymmetries and pentasectional character

A two-dimensional triple-flame numerical model of a laminar combustion process reflects flame asymmetric structural features that other analytical models do not generate. It reveals the pentasectional character of the triple flame, composed of the central pure diffusion-flame branch and the fuel-rich and fuel-lean branches, each of which is divided into two sections: a near-stoichiometric section and a previously unreported near-flammability-limits section with combined diffusion and premixed character. Results include propagation velocity, fuel and oxidiser mass fractions, temperature and reaction rates. Realistic stoichiometric ratios and reaction orders match experimental planar flame characteristics. Constant density, a one-step reaction, and a mixture fraction gradient at the inlet as the simulation parameter are imposed. The upstream equivalence ratio or the upstream reactant mass fractions are linear or hyperbolic functions of the transverse coordinate. The use here of experimental kinetics data differs from previous analytical works and results in flame asymmetry and different flammability limits. Upstream mixture composition gradient affects propagation velocity, flame curvature, diffusion flame reaction rate, and flammability limits. Flammability limits extend beyond those of a planar flame due to transverse heat and mass diffusion causing the pentasectional character.     

海洋-声学耦合过程初始温度误差传递与发展

针对海洋初始温度场误差到水声传播误差的传递以及随时间演变发展的问题,优化海洋-声学耦合模式,通过对比遥感数据,验证了模型的可靠性。在此基础上,采用在控制试验温度初始场上加扰动的方法进行传播损失全局误差发展和区域误差发展试验。结果表明,初始温度场全局扰动在经过5天繁殖后使传播损失误差达到饱和,且扰动分布结构和海洋运动规律基本保持一致;对于在黑潮流域设定的目标海区,其上游区域的初始扰动发展最快。该结论可为开展海洋声学适应性观测提供依据。      

Nonlocal wave propagation in an embedded DWBNNT conveying fluid via strain gradient theory

Based on the strain gradient and Eringen’s piezoelasticity theories, wave propagation of an embedded double-walled boron nitride nanotube (DWBNNT) conveying fluid is investigated using Euler–Bernoulli beam model. The elastic medium is simulated by the Pasternak foundation. The van der Waals (vdW) forces between the inner and outer nanotubes are taken into account. Since, considering electro-mechanical coupling made the nonlinear motion equations, a numerical procedure is proposed to evaluate the upstream and downstream phase velocities. The results indicate that the effect of nonlinear terms in motion equations on the phase velocity cannot be neglected at lower wave numbers. Furthermore, the effect of fluid-conveying on wave propagation of the DWBNNT is significant at lower wave numbers.     

Multiple pure tone noise prediction

This paper presents a fully numerical method for predicting multiple pure tones, also known as “Buzzsaw” noise. It consists of three steps that account for noise source generation, nonlinear acoustic propagation with hard as well as lined walls inside the nacelle, and linear acoustic propagation outside the engine. Noise generation is modeled by steady, part-annulus computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A linear superposition algorithm is used to construct full-annulus shock/pressure pattern just upstream of the fan from part-annulus CFD results. Nonlinear wave propagation is carried out inside the duct using a pseudo-two-dimensional solution of Burgers? equation. Scattering from nacelle lip as well as radiation to farfield is performed using the commercial solver ACTRAN/TM. The proposed prediction process is verified by comparing against full-annulus CFD simulations as well as against static engine test data for a typical high bypass ratio aircraft engine with hardwall as well as lined inlets. Comparisons are drawn against nacelle unsteady pressure transducer measurements at two axial locations as well as against near- and far-field microphone array measurements outside the duct.     

Microwave magnetic field effects on high-power microwave windowbreakdown

Microwave window breakdown in vacuum is investigated for an idealized geometry, where a dielectric slab is located in the center of a rectangular waveguide with its normal parallel to the microwave direction of propagation. An S-band resonant ring with a frequency of 2.85 GHz and a power of 60 MW is used. With field enhancement tips at the edges of the dielectric slab, the threshold power for breakdown is observed to be dependent on the direction of the microwaves; i.e., it is approximately 20% higher for the downstream side of the slab than it is for the upstream side. Simple trajectory calculations of secondary electrons in an RF field show a significant forward motion of electrons parallel to the direction of microwave propagation. Electrons participating in a saturated secondary avalanche on the upstream side are driven into the surface, and electrons on the downstream side are driven off the surface, because of the influence of the microwave magnetic field. In agreement with the standard model of dielectric surface flashover for dc conditions (saturated avalanche and electron-induced outgassing), the corresponding change in the surface charge density is expected to be proportional to the applied breakdown threshold electric field parallel to the surface     

Crystal optics as guard apertures for coherent x-ray diffraction imaging

A crucial issue in coherent x-ray diffraction imaging experiments is how to increase the signal-to-noise ratio when measuring relatively weak diffraction intensities from a nonperiodic object. A novel crystal guard aperture is described that makes use of a pair of multiple-bounce crystal optics to eliminate unwanted parasitic scattering background. This background is often produced by upstream optical elements such as a coherent-beam defining aperture. Recent experimental observation and theoretical analysis confirm the effectiveness of the crystal guard aperture method with coherence-preserved wave propagation through the crystal guard aperture and dramatically reduced scattering background in coherent x-ray diffraction images.     

LES/CMC modelling of ignition and flame propagation in a non-premixed methane jet

The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) / Conditional Moment Closure (CMC) model with detailed chemistry is used for modelling spark ignition and flame propagation in a turbulent methane jet in ambient air. Two centerline and one off-axis ignition locations are simulated. We focus on predicting the flame kernel formation, flame edge propagation and stabilization. The current LES/CMC computations capture the three stages reasonably well compared to available experimental data. Regarding the formation of flame kernel, it is found that the convection dominates the propagation of its downstream edge. The simulated initial downstream and radial flame propagation compare well with OH-PLIF images from the experiment. Additionally, when the spark is deposited at off-centerline locations, the flame first propagates downstream and then back upstream from the other side of the stoichiometric iso-surface. At the leading edge location, the chemical source term is larger than others in magnitude, indicating its role in the flame propagation. The time evolution of flame edge position and the final lift-off height are compared with measurements and generally good agreement is observed. The conditional quantities at the stabilization point reflect a balance between chemistry and micro-mixing. This investigation, which focused on model validation for various stages of spark ignition of a turbulent lifted jet flame through comparison with measurements, demonstrates that turbulent edge flame propagation in non-premixed systems can be reasonably well captured by LES/CMC.     

Unsteady deflagration speed of an auto-ignitive dimethyl-ether (DME)/air mixture at stratified conditions

The propagation speed of an auto-ignitive dimethyl-ether (DME)/air mixture at elevated pressures and subjected to monochromatic temperature oscillations is numerically evaluated in a one-dimensional statistically stationary configuration using fully resolved numerical simulations with reduced kinetics and transport. Two sets of conditions with temperatures within and slightly above the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) regime are simulated to investigate the fundamental aspects of auto-ignition and flame propagation along with the transition from auto-ignitive deflagration to spontaneous propagation regimes under thermal stratification. Contrary to the standard laminar flame speed, the steady propagation speed of an auto-ignitive front is observed to scale proportionally to its level of upstream reactivity. It is shown that this interdependence is primarily influenced by the characteristic residence time and the homogeneous auto-ignition delay. Furthermore, the unsteady reaction front in either of the two cases responds distinctly to the imposed stratification. Specifically, the results in both cases show that the dynamic flame response depends on the mean temperature at the flame base T_b and the time-scale of thermal stratification. It is also found that, based on T_b and the propensity of the mixture to two-stage chemistry, the instantaneous peak propagation speed and the overall time taken to achieve that speed differs considerably. A displacement speed analysis is carried out to elucidate the underlying combustion modes that are responsible for such a variation in flame response.     

Influence of pressure-driven gas permeation on the quasi-steady burning of porous energetic materials

A theoretical two-phase-flow analysis is developed to describe the quasi-steady propagation, across a pressure jump, of a multi-phase deflagration in confined porous energetic materials. The difference, or overpressure, between the upstream (unburned) and downstream (burned) gas pressure leads to a more complex structure than that which is obtained for an unconfined deflagration in which the pressure across the multi-phase flame region is approximately constant. In particular, the structure of such a wave is shown by asymptotic methods to consist of a thin boundary layer characterized by gas permeation into the unburned solid, followed by a liquid-gas flame region, common to both types of problem, in which the melted material is preheated further and ultimately converted to gaseous products. The effect of gas flow relative to the condensed material is shown to be significant, both in the porous unburned solid as well as in the exothermic liquid-gas melt layer, and is, in turn, strongly affected by the overpressure. Indeed, all quantities of interest, including the burn temperature, gas velocity and the propagation speed, depend on this pressure difference, leading to a significant enhancement of the burning rate with increasing overpressure. In the limit that the overpressure becomes small, the pressure gradient is insufficient to drive gas produced in the reaction zone in the upstream direction, and all gas flow relative to the condensed material is directed in the downstream direction, as in the case of an unconfined deflagration. The present analysis is particularly applicable to those types of porous energetic solid, such as degraded nitramine propellants that can experience significant gas flow in the solid preheat region and which are characterized by the presence of exothermic reactions in a bubbling melt layer at their surfaces.