• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2007

The effects of hydrogen enrichment to methane on NOx formation have been investigated with swirl stabilized pre-mixed hydrogen enriched methane flame in a laboratory-scale pre-mixed combustor(nominally of 5,000 kcal/hr). The hydrogen enriched methane fuel and air were mixed in a pre-mixer and introduced to the combustor through different degrees of swirl vanes. The flame stability was examined for different amount of hydrogen addition to the methane fuel, different combustion air flow rates and swirl strengths by comparing equivalence ratio at the lean flame limit. The hydrogen addition effects and swirl intensity on the combustion characteristics of pre-mixed methane flames were examined using gas analyzers, and OH chemiluminescence techniques to provide information about species concentration of emission gases and flowfield. The results of NOx and CO emissions were compared with a diffusion flame type combustor. The results show that the lean stability limit depends on the amount of hydrogen addition and the swirl intensity. The lean stability limit is extended by hydrogen addition, and is reduced for higher swirl intensity at lower equivalence ratio. The addition of hydrogen increases the NOx emission, however, this effect can be reduced by increasing either the excess air or swirl intensity. The NOx emission of hydrogen enriched methane premixed flame was lower than the corresponding diffusion flame under the fuel lean condition.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.305-313
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• 2005

Measurements of flame length, width and NOx emissions have been conducted to investigate the effect of an acoustic excitation on flame structure in turbulent hydrogen diffusion flames with coaxial air. The resonance frequency of oscillations was varied between 259 ,514 and 728 Hz with power rate of 0.405 and 2.88w. When these frequencies imposed to hydrogen flames, dramatic reduction of flame length and NOx emission was achieved. And acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence technique was used to measure a concentration of the near field of driven axisymmetric jet. The air-fuel stoichiometric line was plotted to investigate the mixing layer and development of air entrainment to fuel jet. Consequently, acoustic excitation on flame could enhance the air-fuel mixing resulting in abatement of NOx emission quantitatively.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.11-20
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• 1999

Acoustic pressure response and NO formation of hydrogen-air diffusion flames at various pressures are numerically studied by employing counterflow diffusion flame as a model flame let in turbulent flames in combustion chambers. The numerical results show that extinction strain rate increases linearly with pressure and then decreases, and increases again at high pressures. Thus, flames are classified into three pressure regimes. Such non-monotonic behavior is caused by the change in chemical kinetic behavior as pressure rises. Acoustic pressure response in each regime is investigated based on the Rayleigh criterion. At low pressures, pressure-rise causes the increase in flame temperature and chain branching/recombination reaction rates, resulting in increased heat release. Therefore, amplification in pressure oscillation is predicted. Similar phenomena are predicted at high pressures. At moderate pressures, weak amplification is predicted. Emission index of NO shows similar behaviors as to the peak-temperature variation with pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.37-43
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• 2013

The effects of preferential diffusion of hydrogen in interacting counterflow $H_2$-air and CO-air premixed flames were investigated numerically. The global strain rate was varied in the range $30-5917s^{-1}$, where the upper bound of this range corresponds to the flame-stretch limit. Preferential diffusion of hydrogen was studied by comparing flame structures for a mixed average diffusivity with those where the diffusivities of H, $H_2$ and $N_2$ were assumed to be equal. Flame stability diagrams are presented, which show the mapping of the limits of the concentrations of $H_2$ and CO as a function of the strain rate. The main oxidation route for CO is $CO+O_2{\rightarrow}CO_2+O$, which is characterized by relatively slow chemical kinetics; however, a much faster route, namely $CO+OH{\rightarrow}CO_2+H$, can be significant, provided that hydrogen from the $H_2$-air flame is penetrated and then participates in the CO-oxidation. This modifies the flame characteristics in the downstream interaction between the $H_2$-air and CO-air flames, and can cause the interaction characteristics at the rich and lean extinction boundaries not to depend on the Lewis number of the deficient reactant, but rather to depend on chemical interaction between the two flames. Such anomalous behaviors include a partial opening of the upper lean extinction boundary in the interaction between a lean $H_2$-air flame and a lean CO-air flame, as well as the formation of two islands of flame sustainability in a partially premixed configuration with a rich $H_2$-air flame and a lean CO-air flame. At large strain rates, there are two islands where the flame can survive, depending on the nature of the interaction between the two flames. Furthermore, the preferential diffusion of hydrogen extends both the lean and the rich extinction boundaries.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.12a
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• pp.47-58
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• 2000

The relationship among the flame radiation, NOx emissions, residence time, and global strain rate are examined for turbulent non-premixed jet flames with wide variations in coaxial air conditions. Measurements of NOx emission, flame geometry and flame radiation were made to explain the NOx emission scaling based on global parameters such as flame residence time, global strain rate, and radiant fraction. The overall 1/2-power scaling is observed in coaxial air flames, irrespective of coaxial air conditions, but the degree of deviation from the l/2-slope curve in each case differs from one another. From the comparison between the results of pure hydrogen flames and those of helium diluted hydrogen flames, it is observed that flame radiation plays a significant role in pure hydrogen flames with coaxial air and the deviation from 1/2-power scaling may be explained in two reasons: the difference in the flame radiation and the difference in jet similarity in coaxial air flames. From the radiation measurements, more detailed explanations on these deviations were suggested.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2007

Blending effects of hydrogen and water vapor on flame structure and NOx emission behavior are numerically studied with detailed chemistry in methane-air counterflow diffusion flames. The composition of fuel is systematically changed from pure methane and pure hydrogen to the blending fuels of methane-hydrogen-water vapor through the molar addition of $H_2O$. Flame structure is changed considerably for hydrogen-blending methane flames and hydrogen-blending methane flames diluted with water vapor in comparison to pure methane flame. These complicated changes of flame structures also affect NOx emission behavior considerably. The changes of thermal NO and Fenimore NO are analyzed for various combinations of the fuel composition. Importantly contributing reaction steps to thermal NO and Fenimore NO are addressed in pure methane, hydrogen-blending methane flames, and hydrogen-blending methane flames diluted with water vapor.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2005

Measurements of flame length and NOx emissions have been conducted to investigate the effects of acoustic excitation on flame structure in turbulent hydrogen diffusion flames with coaxial air. When the acoustic excitation of a specific frequency is applied to coaxial air stream, flame length is dramatically reduced, resulting in reduction of flame residence time. Consequently, EINOx could decrease up to 35 % and this shows that acoustic excitation is effective in reducing NOx emissions. Mie scattering technique has been used to visualize the vortex structure induced by acoustic excitation and vortex formation, development and destruction were observed quantitatively. As a result, vortex entrains coflow air into fuel stream and mixing rate between fuel and air is significantly enhanced, which may contribute to reduction of NOx emissions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.44-52
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• 2013

Important role of chemical interaction in flame extinction was numerically investigated in downstream interaction among lean(rich) and lean(rich) premixed as well as partially premixed $H_2$-air and CO-air flames. The strain rate varied from 30 to $5917s^{-1}$ until interacting flame could not be sustained anymore. Flame stability diagrams mapping lower and upper limit fuel concentrations for flame extinction as a function of strain rate are presented. Highly stretched interacting flames were survived only within two islands in the flame stability map where partially premixed mixture consisted of rich $H_2$-air flame, extremely lean CO-air flame, and a diffusion flame. Further increase in strain rate finally converges to two points. Appreciable amount of hydrogen in the side of lean $H_2$-air flame also oxidized the CO penetrated from CO-air flame, and this reduced flame speed of the $H_2$-air flame, leading to flame extinction. At extremely high strain rates, interacting flames were survived only by a partially premixed flame such that it consisted of a very rich $H_2$-air flame, an extremely lean CO-air flame, and a diffusion flame. In such a situation, both the weaker $H_2$-air and CO-air flames were parasite on the stronger diffusion flame such that it could lead to flame extinction in the situation of weakening the stronger diffusion flame. Particular concerns are focused on important role of chemical interaction in flame extinction was also discussed in detail.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2004

In order to evaluate the potential of partial hydrocarbon substitution to improve the safety of hydrogen use in general and the performance of internal combustion engines in particular, the outward propagation and development of surface cellular instability of spark-ignited spherical premixed flames of mixtures of hydrogen, hydrocarbon, and air were experimentally studied at NTP (normal temperature and pressure) condition in a constant-pressure combustion chamber. With propane being the substituent, the laminar burning velocities, the Markstein lengths, and the propensity of cell formation were experimentally determined, while the laminar burning velocities and the associated flame thicknesses were computed using a recent kinetic mechanism. Results show substantial reduction of laminar burning velocities with propane substitution, and support the potential of propane as a suppressant of both diffusional-thermal and hydrodynamic cellular instabilities in hydrogen-air flames.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.320-325
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• 2003

Acoustic-Pressure Response of diluted hydrogen-air diffusion flames is investigated numerically by adopting a fully unsteady analysis of flame structures. In the low-pressure regime, the amplification index remains low and constant at low frequencies. As acoustic frequency increases, finite-rate chemistry is enhanced through a nonlinear accumulation of heat release rate, leading to a high amplification index. Finally, the flame responses decrease at high frequency due to the response lag of the transport zone. For a medium-pressure operation and low-frequency excitation, the amplification index is low and constant. It then decreases at moderate frequencies. As frequency increases further, the amplification index increases appreciably due to an intense accumulation effect.