Effects of CO2 Addition on the Turbulent Flame Front Dynamics and Propagation Speeds of Methane/Air Mixtures

Author(s):  
Christopher B. Reuter ◽  
Sang Hee Won ◽  
Yiguang Ju

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is one of the most promising methods of improving the performance of power-generating gas turbines. CO2 is known to have the largest impact on flame behavior of any major exhaust species, but few studies have specified its thermal, kinetic, and transport effects on turbulent flames. Therefore, in this study, methane/air mixtures diluted with CO2 are experimentally investigated in a reactor-assisted turbulent slot (RATS) burner using OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements. CO2 addition is tested under both constant adiabatic flame temperature and variable adiabatic flame temperature conditions in order to elucidate its thermal, kinetic, and transport effects. Particular attention is paid to CO2's effects on the flame surface density, progress variable, turbulent burning velocity, and flame wrinkling. The experimental measurements reveal that CO2's thermal effects are the dominant factor in elongating the turbulent flame brush and decreasing the turbulent burning velocity. When thermal effects are removed by holding the adiabatic flame temperature constant, CO2's kinetic effects are the next most important factor, producing an approximately 5% decrease in the global consumption speed for each 5% of CO2 addition. The transport effects of CO2, however, tend to increase the global consumption speed, counteracting 30–50% of the kinetic effects when the adiabatic flame temperature is fixed. It is also seen that CO2 addition increases the normalized global consumption speed primarily through an enhancement of the stretch factor.

Available experimental data on the turbulent burning velocity of premixed gases are surveyed. There is discussion of the accuracy of experimental measurements and the means of ascertaining relevant turbulent parameters. Results are presented in the form of the variation of the ratio of turbulent to laminar burning velocities with the ratio of r.m.s. turbulent velocity to laminar burning velocity, for different ranges of turbulent Reynolds number. A two-eddy theory of burning is developed and the theoretical predictions of this approach, as well as those of others, are compared with experimentally measured values.


Author(s):  
Yukihide Nagano ◽  
Kunihoro Kado ◽  
Tomohiro Takeo ◽  
Yukito Miki ◽  
Toshiaki Kitagawa

Combustion properties of coal gasification gas with CO2 dilution were investigated for a newly proposed IGCC power generation system with CO2 capture. In this system, the gasification gas was burned under high CO2 concentration atmosphere. In order to clarify the properties of the flames under such atmosphere, the laminar and turbulent burning velocities were investigated for outwardly propagating stoichiometric H2/O2/CO2 and H2/O2/N2 flames under the two conditions, 1: the same amount of diluent of CO2 or N2, 2: the constant flame temperature irrespective of diluents. Under the condition1 of the same amount of diluents, the unstretched laminar burning velocities, ul of CO2 diluted flames were smaller than those of N2 diluted flames. The ratios of the turbulent burning velocity at the flame radius 30mm, utn(30mm) to ul of the CO2 diluted flames were found to be larger than those of N2 diluted flames. Under the condition2 of the constant flame temperature, it was set to 1300, 1500, 1700, and 2135 degrees Celsius. At the flame temperatures except for 2135 degrees Celsius, ul of CO2 diluted flames were slightly smaller than those of N2 diluted flames. The ratios, utn(30mm) / ul of CO2 diluted flames were larger than those of N2 diluted flames. Increase in the turbulence Karlovitz number and decrease in the Markstein number by the CO2 dilution might cause the increase in utn(30mm) / ul of CO2 diluted flames in both conditions.


Author(s):  
Paul Jourdaine ◽  
Clément Mirat ◽  
Jean Caudal ◽  
Thierry Schuller

The stabilization of premixed flames within a swirling flow produced by an axial-plus-tangential swirler is investigated in an atmospheric test rig. In this system, flames are stabilized aerodynamically away from the solid components of the combustor without the help of any solid anchoring device. Experiments are reported for lean CH4/air mixtures, eventually also diluted with N2, with injection Reynolds numbers varying from 8500 to 25,000. Changes of the flame shape are examined with OH* chemiluminescence and OH laser-induced fluorescence measurements as a function of the operating conditions. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are used to reveal the structure of the velocity field in nonreacting and reacting conditions. It is shown that the axial-plus-tangential swirler allows to easily control the flame shape and the position of the flame leading edge with respect to the injector outlet. The ratio of the bulk injection velocity over the laminar burning velocity Ub/SL, the adiabatic flame temperature Tad, and the swirl number S0 are shown to control the flame shape and its position inside the combustion chamber. It is then shown that the axial velocity field produced by the axial-plus-tangential swirler is different from those produced by purely axial or radial devices. It takes here a W-shape profile with three local maxima and two minima. The mean turbulent flame front also takes this W-shape in an axial plane, with two lower positions located slightly off-axis and corresponding to the positions where the axial flow velocity is the lowest. It is finally shown that these positions can be inferred from axial flow velocity profiles under nonreacting conditions.


Author(s):  
Andrew P. Shroll ◽  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem

This work explores the dynamic stability characteristics of premixed CH4/O2/CO2 mixtures in a 50kW swirl stabilized combustor. In all cases, the methane-oxygen mixture is stoichiometric, with different fractions of carbon dioxide used to control the flame temperature (Tad). For the highest Tad’s, the combustor is unstable at the five-quarter wave mode. As the temperature is reduced, the combustor jumps to the three quarter mode and then to the quarter wave before eventually reaching blowoff. Similar to the case of CH4/air mixtures, the transition from one mode to another is predominantly a function of the Tad of the reactive mixture, despite significant differences in laminar burning velocity and/or strained flame consumption speed between air and oxy-fuel mixtures for a given Tad. High speed images support this finding by revealing similar vortex breakdown modes and thus similar turbulent flame geometries that change as a function of flame temperature.


Author(s):  
Kazuya Tsuboi ◽  
Shinnosuke Nishiki ◽  
Tatsuya Hasegawa

An analysis of local flame area was performed using DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) databases of turbulent premixed flames with different density ratios and with different Lewis numbers. Firstly, a local flame surface at a prescribed progress variable was identified as a local three-dimensional polygon. And then the polygon was divided into some triangles and local flame area was evaluated. The turbulent burning velocity was evaluated using the ratio of the area of turbulent flame to that of planar flame and compared with the turbulent burning velocity obtained by the reaction rate.


Author(s):  
Derek Bradley

The origins of autoignition at hot spots are analysed and the pressure pulses that arise from them are related to knock in gasoline engines and to developing detonations in ducts. In controlled autoignition engines, autoignition is benign with little knock. There are several modes of autoignition and the existence of an operational peninsula, within which detonations can develop at a hot spot, helps to explain the performance of various engines. Earlier studies by Urtiew and Oppenheim of the development of autoignitions and detonations ahead of a deflagration in ducts are interpreted further, using a simple one-dimensional theory of the generation of shock waves ahead of a turbulent flame. The theory is able to indicate entry into the domain of autoignition in an ‘explosion in the explosion’. Importantly, it shows the influence of the turbulent burning velocity, and particularly its maximum attainable value, upon autoignition. This value is governed by localized flame extinctions for both turbulent and laminar flames. The theory cannot show any details of the transition to a detonation, but regimes of eventually stable or unstable detonations can be identified on the operational peninsula. Both regimes exhibit transverse waves, triple points and a cellular structure. In the case of unstable detonations, transverse waves are essential to the continuing propagation. For hazard assessment, more needs to be known about the survival, or otherwise, of detonations that emerge from a duct into the same mixture at atmospheric pressure.


Author(s):  
Andrew P. Shroll ◽  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem

This work explores the dynamic stability characteristics of premixed CH4/O2/CO2 mixtures in a 50 kW swirl stabilized combustor. In all cases, the methane-oxygen mixture is stoichiometric, with different dilution levels of carbon dioxide used to control the flame temperature (Tad). For the highest Tad’s, the combustor is unstable at the first harmonic of the combustor’s natural frequency. As the temperature is reduced, the combustor jumps to fundamental mode and then to a low-frequency mode whose value is well below the combustor’s natural frequency, before eventually reaching blowoff. Similar to the case of CH4/air mixtures, the transition from one mode to another is predominantly a function of the Tad of the reactive mixture, despite significant differences in laminar burning velocity and/or strained flame consumption speed between air and oxy-fuel mixtures for a given Tad. High speed images support this finding by revealing similar vortex breakdown modes and thus similar turbulent flame geometries that change as a function of flame temperature.


Author(s):  
Vlade Vukadinovic ◽  
Peter Habisreuther ◽  
Nikolaos Zarzalis ◽  
Rainer Suntz

In gas turbine operation a turbulent flame is employed. Thus, better understanding of the turbulent flame propagation is the key for further optimisation of turbine combustors and reduction of the environmental footprint. As turbulent flames are exposed to stretch, the effect of flame-stretch interaction must be better understood especially at higher pressures. In present study, turbulent burning velocity of two mixtures, hydrogen/air and propane/air, with negative and positive Ma, respectively are experimentally investigated in fan-stirred explosion vessel. For the investigation an optical laser method is employed based on the Mie-scattering of the laser light by smoke particles. Within this study the influence of initial parameters as initial pressure and turbulence intensity on the flame front propagation is investigated by giving special attention on influence of Ma variation. The experiments were performed at three different pressures 1, 2, 4 bar. The RMS fluctuation velocity was varied in the range of 0–2.77 m/s. The observed results are compared and discussed in detail.


Author(s):  
Paul Jourdaine ◽  
Clément Mirat ◽  
Jean Caudal ◽  
Thierry Schuller

The stabilization of premixed flames within swirling flows produced by an axial-plus-tangential swirler is investigated in an atmospheric test rig. In this system, flames are stabilized aerodynamically away from the solid elements of the combustor without help of any solid anchoring device. Experiments are reported for lean CH4/air mixtures, eventually also diluted with N2, with injection Reynolds numbers varying from 8 500 to 25 000. Changes of the flame shape are examined with OH* chemiluminescence and OH laser induced fluorescence measurements as a function of the operating conditions. Particle image velocimetry measurements are used to reveal the structure of the velocity field in non-reacting and reacting conditions. It is shown that the axial-plus-tangential swirler allows controlling the flame shape and the position of the flame leading edge with respect to the injector outlet. The ratio of the bulk injection velocity over the laminar burning velocity Ub/SL, the adiabatic flame temperature Tad and the swirl number S0 are shown to control the flame shape and its position. It is then shown that the axial flow field produced by the axial-plus-tangential swirler is different from those produced by axial or radial swirlers. It takes here a W-shape profile with three local maxima and two minima. The mean turbulent flame front also takes this W-shape in an axial plane, with two lower positions located slightly off-axis and corresponding to the positions where the axial flow velocity is minimum. It is finally shown that these positions can be inferred from axial flow velocity profiles under non-reacting conditions.


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