A model for crack formation during active solid pyrolysis of a char-forming solid: crack patterns; surface area generation; volatile mass efflux

A model is developed for the formation and propagation of cracks in a material sample that is heated at its top surface, pyrolyses, and then thermally degrades to form char. In this work the sample is heated uniformly over its entire top surface by a hypothetical flame (a heat source). The pyrolysis mechanism is described by a one-step overall reaction that is dependent nonlinearly on the temperature (Arrhenius form). Stresses develop in response to the thermal degradation of the material by means of a shrinkage strain caused by local mass loss during pyrolysis. When the principal stress exceeds a prescribed threshold value, the material forms a local crack. Cracks are found to generally originate at the surface in response to heating, but occasionally they form in the bulk, away from ever-changing material boundaries. The resulting cracks evolve and form patterns whose characteristics are described. Quantities examined in detail are: the crack spacing in the pyrolysis zone; the crack length evolution; the formation and nature of crack loops which are defined as individual cracks that have joined to form loops that are disconnected from the remaining material; the formation of enhanced pyrolysis area; and the impact of all of the former quantities on mass flux. It is determined that the mass flux from the sample can be greatly enhanced over its nominal (non-cracking) counterpart. The mass efflux profile qualitatively resembles those observed in Cone Calorimeter tests.     

Momentum transport and torque scaling in Taylor-Couette flow from an analogy with turbulent convection

We generalize an analogy between rotating and stratified shear flows. This analogy is summarized in Table 1. We use this analogy in the unstable case (centrifugally unstable flow vs. convection) to compute the torque in Taylor-Couette configuration, as a function of the Reynolds number. At low Reynolds numbers, when most of the dissipation comes from the mean flow, we predict that the non-dimensional torque G = T/ν² L, where L is the cylinder length, scales with Reynolds number R and gap width η, G = 1.46η^3/2(1 - η)^-7/4 R ^3/2. At larger Reynolds number, velocity fluctuations become non-negligible in the dissipation. In these regimes, there is no exact power law dependence the torque versus Reynolds. Instead, we obtain logarithmic corrections to the classical ultra-hard (exponent 2) regimes: G = 0.50 . These predictions are found to be in excellent agreement with avail-able experimental data. Predictions for scaling of velocity fluctuations are also provided. Received 7 June 2001 and Received in final form 7 December 2001     

A time‐accurate pseudo‐compressibility approach based on an unstructured hybrid finite volume technique applied to unsteady turbulent premixed flame propagation

A preconditioning approach based on the artificial compressibility formulation is extended to solve the governing equations for unsteady turbulent reactive flows with heat release, at low Mach numbers, on an unstructured hybrid grid context. Premixed reactants are considered and a flamelet approach for combustion modelling is adopted using a continuous quenched mean reaction rate. An overlapped cell‐vertex finite volume method is adopted as a discretisation scheme. Artificial dissipation terms for hybrid grids are explicitly added to ensure a stable, discretised set of equations. A second‐order, explicit, hybrid Runge–Kutta scheme is applied for the time marching in pseudo‐time. A time derivative of the dependent variable is added to recover the time accuracy of the preconditioned set of equations. This derivative is discretised by an implicit, second‐order scheme. The resulting scheme is applied to the calculation of an infinite planar (one‐dimensional) turbulent premixed flame propagating freely in reactants whose turbulence is supposed to be frozen, homogeneous and isotropic. The accuracy of the results obtained with the proposed method proves to be excellent when compared to the data available in the literature. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Slow” active control of combustion instabilities by modification of liquid fuel spray properties

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the feasibility of using “slow” active control approaches, which “instantaneously” change liquid fuel spray properties, to suppress combustion instabilities. The objective of this control approach was to break up the feedback between the combustion process heat release and combustor pressure oscillations that drive the instability by changing the characteristics of the combustion process (e.g., the characteristic combustion time). To demonstrate the feasibility of such control, this study used a proprietary fuel injector (Nanomiser^TM), which can vary its fuel spray properties, to investigate the dependence of acoustics–combustion process coupling, i.e., the driving of combustion instabilities, upon the fuel spray properties. This study showed that by changing the spray characteristics it is possible to significantly damp combustion instabilities. Furthermore, using combustion zone chemiluminescence distributions, which were obtained by Abel’s deconvolution synchronized with measured acoustic data, it has been shown that the instabilities were mostly driven midway between the combustor centerline and wall, a short distance downstream from the flame holder, where the mean axial flow velocity is approximately zero in the vortex near the flame holder. The results of this study strongly suggest that a “slow” active control system that employs controllable fuel injectors could be effectively used to prevent the onset of detrimental combustion instabilities.     

Changes in the spectrum of Gaussian Schell-model beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere

Based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, the spectrum of Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere is derived analytically. It is shown that, if the scaling law is valid, the normalized spectrum S(ω) of GSM beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere is the same as the normalized source spectrum S⁽⁰⁾(ω), whether GSM source is quasi-homogenous or not. On the other hand, if the scaling law fails, S(ω) of GSM is different from S⁽⁰⁾(ω). The structure constant of the refractive index, transverse coordinate of observation point and spatial correlation length of the source affect the spectrum, which is illustrated numerically.     

贝壳固硫过程热重研究

利用LCT-2型热天平对贝壳的固硫反应过程进行了实验研究。探讨了贝壳在含SO2模拟烟气气氛下的固硫能力、温度特性及SO2浓度对其钙利用率的影响特性;并利用JXA-840扫描电镜实验观察了贝壳与石灰石微观结构特性的主要差别。结果表明:贝壳具有良好的微观结构特性和固硫反应活性,其最佳固硫反应温度比石灰石高出约100℃,大部分贝壳更适合作900~1000℃温度下的燃煤固硫剂。     

Geometrically qualified ESPI vibration analysis of an engine

This paper presents an application in the automotive industry where a combination of electronic speckle-pattern interferometry and laser doppler velocimetry were used at a critical stage in the design process of an internal combustion engine. Combined deformation and surface relief measurements were used to study the phase and amplitude of deformation of a vibrating engine. The relief data was combined with the interferometer geometry and used to geometrically correct the deformation data, in an effort to improve accuracy. The measurements allowed rapid identification and quantification of design weaknesses, particularly those causing undesirable resonances. This led to a significant reduction in the design time and lowering of costs, when compared with existing design optimisation methods.     

燃煤循环流化床燃烧脱硫的模型预测

燃煤循环流化床燃烧脱硫的模型预测池涌，岑可法，倪明江Ｐ·Ｂａｓｕ（浙江大学能源系杭州３１００２７）关键词：循环流化床，燃烧，脱硫，模型预测一、引言循环流化床锅炉在过去十几年中得到了广泛的应用，但与此同时由于循环流化床内流体动力特性的高度复杂使得数学模...     

Interactions between kinetic and radiative processes inside moving absorbing fluids

The aim of this paper is to present several features of the couplings occurring between radiative transfer and the kinetics of a moving dielectric. After determining how the velocity field affects the apparent thermo-optical properties of matter, the energy transport problem is investigated in instationary regime and the general form of transient radiative transfer equation inside a moving medium is built. Then, the model is applied to the particular case of turbulent flows: a system of two equations for mean and fluctuating radiative energies is presented, and the resolution of this system is finally carried out.     

湍流燃烧二阶矩模型的大涡模拟验证

对美国Sandia国家实验室测量的甲烷-空气湍流射流火焰进行了三维大涡模拟(LES),其统计的时均量以及脉动量符合实验测量值,且和RANS代数二阶矩湍流燃烧模型模拟结果大致符合。LES统计得到的化学反应率系数脉动和甲烷浓度脉动的互关联与对应的时均量梯度的乘积分布趋势相同,大小幅值的位置也相对应,与二阶矩湍流燃烧模型的封闭假设相符,验证了二阶矩代数燃烧模型的合理性。