Effects of Diluents on Cellular Instabilities in Outwardly Propagating Spherical Syngas-Air Premixed Flames

Experiments were conducted in a constant pressure combustion chamber using schlieren system to investigate the effects of carbon dioxide/nitrogen/helium diluents on cellular instabilities of syngas-air premixed flames at room temperature and elevated pressures. Laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths were calculated by analyzing high-speed schlieren images at various diluent concentrations and equivalence ratios. Experimental results showed substantial reduction of the laminar burning velocities and of the Markstein lengths with the diluent additions in the fuel blends. Effective Lewis numbers of helium-diluted syngas-air flames increased but those of carbon dioxide- and nitrogen-diluted syngas-air flames decreased in increase of diluents in the reactant mixtures. With helium diluent, the propensity for cells formation was significantly diminished, whereas the cellular instabilities for carbon dioxide-diluted and nitrogen-diluted syngas-air flames were not suppressed.