• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.29 no.3 s.234
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• pp.390-401
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• 2005

In this study, extinction limit extension of unsteady $(CH_{4}+N_{2})$/air diffusion flames was investigated experimentally. A spatially locked flame in an opposing jet burner was perturbed by linear velocity variation, and time-dependent flame luminosity, transient maximum flame temperature and OH radical were measured over time with the high speed camera, Rayleigh scattering method and OH laser-induced fluorescence, respectively. Unsteady flames survive at strain rates that are much higher than the extinction limit of steady flames, and unsteady extinction limits extend as the slope of the strain rate increases or the initial strain rate decreases. We verified the validity of the equivalent strain rate concept by comparing the course of unsteady extinction process and steady extinction process, and it was found that the equivalent strain rate concept represents well the unsteady effect of a convective-diffusive zone. To investigate the reason of the unsteady extinction limit extension, we subtracted the time lag of the convective-diffusive zone by using the equivalent strain concept. Then the modified unsteady extinction limits become smaller than the original unsteady extinction limits, however, the modified unsteady extinction limits are still larger than the steady extinction limits. These results suggest that there exist the unsteady behavior of a diffusive-reactive zone near the extinction limit due to the chemical non-equilibrium states associated with unsteady flames.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.50-56
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• 2013

The radiation effects on the auto-ignition and extinction characteristics of a non-premixed fuel-air counterflow field were numerically investigated. A detailed reaction mechanism of GRI-v3.0 was used for the calculation of chemical reactions and the optically-thin radiation model was adopted in the simulations. The flame-controlling continuation method was also used in the simulation to predict the auto-ignition point and extinction limits precisely. As a result, it was found that the maximum H radical concentration, $(Y_H)_{max}$, rather than the maximum temperature was suitable to understand the ignition and extinction behaviors. S-, C- and O-curves, which were well known from the previous theory, were identified by investigating the $(Y_H)_{max}$. The radiative heat loss fraction ($f_r$) and spatially-integrated heat release rate (IHRR) were introduced to grasp each extinction mechanism. It was also found that the $f_r$ was the highest at the radiative extinction limit. At the flame stretch extinction limit, the flame was extinguished due to the conductive heat loss which attributed to the high strain rate although the heat release rate was the highest. The radiation affected on the radiative extinction limit and auto-ignition point considerably, however the effect on the flame stretch extinction limit was negligible. A stable flame regime defined by the region between each extinction limit became wide with increasing the fuel temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.42-50
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• 2013

Linear stability analysis of radiating counterflow diffusion flames is numerically conducted to examine the instability characteristics of cellular patterns. Lewis number is assumed to be 0.5 to consider diffusional-thermal instability. Near kinetic limit extinction regime, growth rates of disturbances always have real eigen-values and neutral stability condition of planar disturbances perfectly falls into quasi-steady extinction. Cellular instability of disturbance with transverse direction occurs just before steady extinction. However, near radiative limit extinction regime, the eigenvalues are complex and pulsating instability of planar disturbances appears prior to steady extinction. Cellular instability occurs before the onset of planar pulsating instability, which means the extension of flammability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Flame extinction and the chemistry of stoichiometric methane/air mixture were investigated numerically in the PSR(perfectly stirred reactor). For the study, PSR code was modified to be possible to unsteady calculation, and the sinusoidal fluctuation was subjected to the residence time. In the region of residence time far from the extinction limit, combustion mode was strongly dependent on the frequency. The low frequency excitation provided the quasi-steady behavior on the temperature and the concentrations of related species, but small variation of temperature was observed under high frequency. In the region of residence time near the extinction limit, the mixture subjected above 1 KHz was still reacting even though extinction had to be occurred under quasi-steady concept. The attenuation of extinction limit resulted from that chemical time was comparable to the flow time. The mean mole fractions of both NO and CO were almost same regardless of imposed frequency. However, the average mole fraction of $C_2H_2$ was decreased as increasing frequency, which implies that soot yield might be reduced at the higher frequency of flow excitation. The result provides the basic concept for flame stabilization, and it will be used to design a mild combustor.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.379-381
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• 2014

Influence of fuel concentration gradient was investigated near flame extinction limit in buoyancy-suppressed non-premixed counterflow flame with triple co-flow burner. The use of He curtain flow produced a microgravity level of $10^{-2}-10^{-3}g$ in He-diluted non-premixed counter triple co-flow flame experiments. Flame stability map was presented based on flame extinction and oscillation near extinction limit. The stability map via critical diluent mole fraction with global strain rate was represented by varying outer and inner He-diluted mole fractions. The flame extinction modes could be classified into five: an extinction through the shrinkage of the outmost edge flame forward the flame center with and without self-excitation, respectively ((I) and (II)), an extinction via the rapid expansion of a flame hole while the outmost edge flame is stationary (III), both the outermost and the center edge flames oscillate, and then a donut shaped flame is formed or the flame is entirely extinguished (IV), a shrinkage of the outermost edge flame without self-excitation followed by shrinking or sustain the inner flame (V).

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-81
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• 2006

Lean premixed combustion is a well known method for low $NO_x$ gas turbine combustor. But lean combustion is usually accompanied by flame instability. To overcome this problem, the hydrogen ($H_2$) was added to main fuel methane to increase flammable limit. In this paper, the effects of hydrogen addition on lean premixed combustion of methane ($CH_4$) were investigated numerically. Results showed that the extinction stretch rate increases and the extinction temperature constant with relatively small amount of $H_2$ addition. The flame temperature and NO emission increase with $H_2$ addition at the same stretch rate and equivalence ratio but it could increase the range of lean extinction and extinction equivalence ratio limit. Eventually, the $H_2$ addition case showed almost same or lower NO emission than no addictive $CH_4$ case in the extinction condition.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.325-328
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• 2012

Radiation effects on the partially premixed methane flames diluted with water vapor in the air stream were numerically investigated. OPPDIF code and GRI-v3.0 were used in the numerical simulation. Adiabatic condition was compared with two different radiation models, optically-thin and WSGGM models. It was found that the radiation effect on the flame structure for the equivalence ratio (${\Phi}$) of 2.5 was less than ${\Phi}=1.5$. Extinction limit was not affected significantly, however, local flame structure was markedly influenced by the radiation models as increasing the water vapor concentration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.9-16
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• 2012

Nonlinear dynamics of pulsating instability in radiating counterflow diffusion flames is numerically investigated by imposing Damk$\ddot{o}$hler number perturbation. Stable limit-cycle solutions occur in small ranges of Damk$\ddot{o}$hler numbers past bifurcation point of instability. Period doubling cascade and chaotic behaviors appear just before dynamic extinction occurs. Nonlinear dynamics is also studied when large disturbances are imposed to flames. For weak steady flames, the dynamic extinction range shrinks as the magnitudes of disturbances are increased. However, strong steady flames can overcome relatively large disturbances, thereby the dynamic extinction range extending. Stable limit-cycle behaviors reappears prior to dynamic extinction when the steady flames are strong enough.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.17-29
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• 2012

The effects of strain rate and preferential diffusion of $H_2$ on flame extinction are numerically studied in interacting premixed syngas-air flames with fuel compositions of 50% $H_2$ + 50% CO and 30% $H_2$ + 70% CO. Flame stability diagrams mapping lower and upper limit fuel concentrations at flame extinction as a function of strain rate are examined. Increasing strain rate reduces the boundaries of both flammable lean and rich fuel concentrations and produces a flammable island and subsequently even a point, implying that there exists a limit strain rate over which interacting flame cannot be sustained anymore. Even if effective Lewis numbers are slightly larger than unity on extinction boundaries, the shape of the lean extinction boundary is slanted even at low strain rate, i.e. $a_g=30s^{-1}$ and is more slanted in further increase of strain rate, implying that flame interaction on lean extinction boundary is strong and thus hydrogen (as a deficient reactant) Lewis number much less than unity plays an important role of flame interaction. It is also shown that effects of preferential diffusion of $H_2$ cause flame interaction to be stronger on lean extinction boundaries and weaker on rich extinction boundaries. Detailed analyses are made through the comparison between flame structures with and without the restriction of the diffusivities of $H_2$ and H in symmetric and asymmetric fuel compositions. The reduction of flammable fuel compositions in increase of strain rate suggests that the mechanism of flame extinction is significant conductive heat loss from the stronger flame to ambience.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.27-31
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• 2009

An experimental study on the unsteady effect of the extinction limit was performed in ethene jet diffusion flames. To impose the unsteadiness on jet flames, the amplitude and frequency of a co-flow velocity was varied, and the two inert gases, $N_2$ and $CO_2$, were used to dilute the oxidizer for extinguishing concentration. The experimental results shows that large amplitude of velocity induces a low extinguishing concentration, which implies that flow variation affects the blow out mechanism. Also, the flow oscillation effects under high frequency attenuates the flame extinction. These results means that flow unsteadiness extends the extinction limit and finally minimum extinction concentration by inert gases. When the Stoke's 2nd Problem is introduced to explain the flow unsteadiness on extinction concentration, the solution predicts the effect of amplitude and frequency of velocity well, and hence it is concluded the effect of low frequency velocity excitation was attributed only to flow effect.