• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.431-438
• /
• 2011

Flame lift-off conditions determine the operating conditions of burners. It is known that a flame can be lifted when the Schmidt number (Sc), which is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity to the mass diffusivity, is greater than unity. In this study, the flame lift-off characteristics of non-premixed flames of propane (Sc > 1) and methane (Sc < 1) in a coaxial outer air tube were experimentally compared. The experimental results indicated that stable lifted flames could be obtained even when Sc < 1 in a confined air tube. On the basis of the results of a simple numerical analysis, it was confirmed that a new flame stabilization mechanism exists in the tube. A velocity field is preferentially developed upstream of the flame, and it results in a new stabilization condition. This result can be very useful in explaining the stabilization of the flames of ordinary burners in which a flame is produced in a confined space.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.639-646
• /
• 2012

The characteristics of autoignited lifted flames in laminar jets of carbon monoxide/hydrogen fuels have been investigated experimentally in heated coflow air. In result, as the jet velocity increased, the blowoff was directly occurred from the nozzle-attached flame without experiencing a stabilized lifted flame, in the non-autoignited regime. In the autoignited regime, the autoignited lifted flame of carbon monoxide diluted by nitrogen was affected by the water vapor content in the compressed air oxidizer, as evidenced by the variation of the ignition delay time estimated by numerical calculation. In particular, in the autoignition regime at low temperatures with added hydrogen, the liftoff height of the autoignited lifted flames decreased and then increased as the jet velocity increased. Based on the mechanism in which the autoignited laminar lifted flame is stabilized by ignition delay time, the liftoff height can be influenced not only by the heat loss, but also by the preferential diffusion between momentum and mass diffusion in fuel jets during the autoignition process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.75-81
• /
• 2012

Autoignited lifted flames in laminar jets with hydrogen-enriched methane fuels have been investigated experimentally in heated coflow air. The results showed that the autoignited lifted flame of the methane/hydrogen mixture, which had an initial temperature over 920 K, the threshold temperature for autoignition in methane jets, exhibited features typical of either a tribrachial edge or mild combustion depending on fuel mole fraction and the liftoff height increased with jet velocity. The liftoff height in the hydrogen-assisted autoignition regime was dependent on the square of the adiabatic ignition delay time for the addition of small amounts of hydrogen, as was the case for pure methane jets. When the initial temperature was below 920 K, where the methane fuel did not show autoignition behavior, the flame was autoignited by the addition of hydrogen, which is an ignition improver. The liftoff height demonstrated a unique feature in that it decreased nonlinearly as the jet velocity increased. The differential diffusion of hydrogen is expected to play a crucial role in the decrease in the liftoff height with increasing jet velocity.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.34-39
• /
• 2010

Flame propagation velocity is the one of the main mechanism of the stabilization of triple flame. To quantify the triple flame propagation velocity, Bilger presents the triple flame propagation velocity through the experiment, depending on the mixture fraction gradient, based on the laminar jet flow theory. However, in spite of these many analyses, there has not been any attempt to quantify the triple flame propagation velocity with the radius of flame curvature. In the present research, a relation of the flame propagation velocity is proposed with the radius of flame curvature for the flame stabilization mechanism. As a result, we have shown that the height of lifted flame is determined with the nozzle diameter and exit velocity of fuel and presented that the radius of flame curvature is proportion to the nozzle exit velocity of fuel and height of lifted flame. Therefore, the importance of the radius of flame curvature has to be recognized. To discribe the flame stabilization mechanism, Bilger's formula has to be modified with flame curvature effect.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2008

A numerical analysis is achieved to elucidate the behavior of lifted flames and characteristics of flow near flame zone according to the exit velocity of triple flame, Poiseuille and uniform distribution. For the cases of Poiseuille and uniform nozzle exit velocity, we reviewed previous results with the present numerical results and investigated characteristics of the flame structure near the flame zone comparing with liftoff height generalized by momentum flux. In addition, a close inquiry into the combustion flow characteristics near flame zone was made with the characteristics of velocity, pressure, temperature and chemical reaction. From nozzle to flame zone, center line velocity profile traced well with the velocity profile of typical cold jet flow, but very near the flame zone, this study examined phenomenon that flow velocity decreases very quickly before the flame zone and then increases very quickly after the flame zone. Because flame zone acts as a barrier at the flow region which is before the flame zone and accelerate the flow velocity when it pass through the flame zone. This phenomenon was not clarified previous cold jet flow.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.29 no.3 s.234
• /
• pp.368-375
• /
• 2005

We have presented characteristics of a transitional behavior from a premixed flame to a triple flame in a lifted flame according to the change of equivalence ratio. The experimental apparatus consisted of a slot burner and a contraction nozzle for a lifted flame. As concentration difference of the both side of slot burner increases, the shape of flame changed from a premixed flame to a triple flame, and the liftoff height decreased to the minimum value and then increased again. Around this minimum point, it is confirmed a transition regime from premixed flame to triple flame. Consequently, the experimental results of the liftoff height, flame curvature, and luminescence intensity showed that the stabilized laminar lifted flame regime is categorized by regimes of premixed flame, triple flame and critical flame.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2009

A numerical analysis of reactive flow in a liftoff flame is accomplished to elucidate the characteristics of liftoff flame. To verify reliance of numerical calculation, the liftoff heights of liftoff flame for various fuel exit velocities are compared between the existing experimental research results and the present calculation results. The flame propagation velocity is conducted at the flow redirection point which is on a stoichiometric line ahead of flame front. This point was selected constant distance from triple point regardless of fuel exit velocity at the previous research. This causes considerable errors for the flame propagation velocity and scalar dissipation rate. The main issue of the present research is to establish the resonable method to select the redirection point and so that to clarify the relationship between flame propagation velocity and scalar dissipation rate, which is the core properties in a triple flame stability.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.35 no.10
• /
• pp.1025-1031
• /
• 2011

Autoignition characteristic is an important parameter for designing diesel or PCCI engines. In particular, diesel spray flames are lifted from the nozzle and the initial flame is formed by an autoignition phenomenon. The lifted nature of diesel spray flames influences soot formation, since air will be entrained into the spray core by the entrainment of air between the nozzle region and the lifted flame base. The objective of the present study was to identify the effect of heat loss on the ignition delay time by adopting a coflow jet as a model problem. Methane ($CH_4$), ethylene ($C_2H_4$), ethane ($C_2H_6$), propene ($C_3H_6$), propane ($C_3H_8$), and normal butane (n-$C_4H_{10}$) fuels were injected into high temperature air, and the liftoff height was measured experimentally. As the result, a correlation was determined between the liftoff height of the autoignited lifted flame and the ignition delay time considering the heat loss to the atmosphere.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.399-408
• /
• 2010

The characteristics of lifted laminar propane flames diluted with nitrogen have been investigated experimentally to elucidate self-excitation and the effects of flame curvature. Flame oscillation modes are classified as follows: oscillation induced by heat loss, a combination of oscillations induced by heat loss and buoyancy, and a combination of the oscillations induced by heat loss and diffusive thermal instability. It is shown that the oscillation induced only by heat loss is not relevant to the diffusive thermal instability and hydrodynamic instability caused by buoyancy; this oscillation is observed under all lift-off flame conditions irrespective of the fuel Lewis number. These experimental evidences are displayed through the analysis of the power spectrum for the temporal variation of lift-off height. The possible mechanism of the oscillation induced by heat loss is also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.77-84
• /
• 2008

Experimental study was conducted to clarify the importance of buoyancy effects in laminar lifted flames which have been well understood by cold jet similarity theory. To evaluate buoyancy effects, lifted flame behaviors were systematically observed in methane and propane lifted flames diluted with He as changing the fuel nozzle diameter from 0.1 to 6 mm. Important physical parameters such as fuel strength, flame stretch and flame curvature, which were derived through simple physical scaling laws, were estimated. It is experimentally proven that buoyancy effects are important in relatively large fuel nozzle diameter and large fuel dilution with He. The results of Chen et al., which displayed the existence of stably lifted flames for 0.5