Large eddy simulation of turbulent premixed flames using level-set G-equation

Level-set G-equation and stationary flamelet chemistry are used in large eddy simulation of a propane/air premixed turbulent flame stabilized by a bluff body. The aim was to study the interaction between the flame front and turbulent eddies, and in particular to examine the effect of sub-grid scale (SGS) eddies on the wrinkling of the flame surface. The results indicated that the two types of turbulence eddies—the resolved large scale eddies and the unresolved SGS eddies—have different effects on the flame. The fluctuation of the flame surface, which is responsible for the broadening of the time averaged mean flame brush by turbulence, depends on the large resolved turbulence eddies. Time averaged mean flow velocity, temperature, and major species concentrations mainly depend on the large scale resolved eddies. The unresolved SGS eddies contribute to the wrinkling at the SGS level and play an important role in the enhancement of the propagation speed of the resolved flame front. In addition, the spatially filtered intermediate species, such as radicals, and the spatially filtered reaction rates strongly depend on the small SGS eddies. The asymptotic behavior of flame wrinkling by the SGS eddies, with respect to the decrease in filter size and grid size, is investigated further using a simplified level-set equation in a model shear flow. It is shown that to minimize the influence of the SGS eddies, fine grid and filter size may have to be used.