• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.935-941
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• 2002

This work is to investigate the combustion characteristics and flame propagation of the LPG (liquified petroleum gas) and gasoline fuel. In order to characterize the combustion processes of the fuels, the flame propagation and combustion characteristics were investigated by using a constant volume combustion chamber The flame propagation of both LPG and gasoline fuels was investigated by the laser deflection method and the high-speed Schlieren photography. The result of laser deflection method show that the error of measured flame propagation speed by laser method is less than 5% compared with the result of high-speed camera. The flame propagation speed of the fuel is increased with the decrease of initial pressure and the increase of initial temperature in the constant volume chamber. The results also show that the equivalence ratio has a grate effect on the flame speed, combustion pressure and the combustion duration of the fuel-air mixture.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.21-29
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• 1996

Flame propagation characteristics of propane-air mixtures were experimentally investigated in constant-volume combustion chambers. Flame propagation process was observed as a function of mixture strength, initial mixture temperature and initial mixture pressure in quiescent mixtures. A cylindrical combustion chamber and a spherical combustion chamber contain a pair of parallel windows through which optical access into the chamber can be provided. Laser two beam deflection method was adopted to measure the local flame propagation, which gave information on the flame size and flame propagation speed. Pressure development was also measured by a piezoelectric pressure transducer to characterize combustion in quiescent mixtures. Burning velocity was calculated from flame propagation and pressure measurements. The effect of flow on flame propagation was also investigated under flowing mixture conditions. Laser two beam method was found to be feasible in measuring flame propagation of quiescent mixtures. Flame was observed to propagate faster with higher initial mixture temperature and lower initial pressure. Combustion duration was shortened in the highly turbulent flowing mixtures.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.422-427
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• 2000

Propagation characteristics of tribrachial flames have been investigated experimentally in both two-dimensional and axisymmetric counterflows. Mixture fraction gradient at stoichiometric location is controlled by varying equivalence ratios at the two nozzles, one of which maintains rich while the other lean premixture. Tribrachial flames propagating through these mixtures are investigated. The propagation speed of tribrachial flames in two-dimensional counterflow decreases with fuel concentration gradient and has much higher speed than the maximum speed predicted previously in two-dimensional mixing layers. From an analogy with premixed flame propagation, this excessively large propagation speed can be attributed to the tribrachial flame propagating with respect to burnt gas. Corresponding maximum speed in the limit of small mixture fraction gradient is estimated and extrapolated experimental results substantiate this limiting speed. As mixture fraction gradient approaches zero, a transition in propagation characteristics occurs, such that the propagation speed of tribrachial flame approaches stoichiometric laminar burning velocity with respect to burnt gas. Similar behavior has been obtained for tribrachial flames propagating in axisymmetric counterflow.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.864-870
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• 2001

Flame propagation along vortex tube was experimentally investigated. The vortex tube was generated by the ejection of propane from a nozzle through a single stroke motion of a speaker and the ignition was induced from a single pulse laser. Non-reactive flow fields were visualized using shadow technique. From these images, vortex ring size and translational velocity were measured in order to determine the ignition time and position. Flame structure and flame speed were measured using high speed CCD camera. Flame speed was accelerated during the initial stage of flame kernel growth, and reached near constant value during steady propagation period. Near the completion of propagation, flame speed was decelerated and then extinguished. Flame speed along the non-premixed vortex tube was found to be linearly proportional to circulation, which was similar to that of the flame propagation along premixed vortex ring. Ignition position minimally affects the propagation characteristics. These imply that flame is propagating along the maximum speed locus expected to be along stoichiometric contour and also support the existence of tribrachial flames.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1412-1420
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• 2000

The objectives of the study are to investigate the effect of swirl on the flame propagation and to propose a flame propagation model that predicts the behavior of the flame front in the presence of significant swirl flow field by analyzing flame images pictured with a high speed digital video at idle. The velocity distribution of the charge in the cylinder was measured using an LDV measurement system. From the experimental results and analyses, a new flame propagation model is proposed in which flame frontal locations can be traced by superposing the convective flow field and the uniform expansion speed of the burned gas, and the proposed model reveals that the increase of the flame propagation speed on the presence of swirl motion within 1 ms after ignition is mainly due to the flame stretch, and mainly due to increased turbulence intensity later than 1 ms after ignition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2002

The propagation speed of tribrachial flame in laminar propane jets has been investigated experimentally under normal and micro gravity conditions. The displacement speed was found to vary nonlinearly with axial distance because flow velocity along stoichiometric contour was comparable to the propagation speed of tribrachial flame for the present experiment. Approximate solutions for velocity and concentration accounting density difference and virtual origins have been used in determining the propagation speeds of tribrachial flame. Under micro gravity condition, the results showed that propagation speed of tribrachial flame is largely affected by the mixture fraction gradients, in agreement with previous studies. The limiting maximum value. of propagation speeds under micro gravity conditions are in good agreement with the theoretical prediction, that is, the ratio of maximum propagation speed to the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity is proportional to the square root of the density ratio of unburned to burnt mixture.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.23-32
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• 2002

Combustion and flame propagation characteristics of the liquid phase LPG injection (LPLI) engine were investigated in a single cylinder optical engine. Lean bum operation is needed to reduce thermal stress of exhaust manifold and engine knock in a heavy duty LPG engine. An LPLI system has advantages on lean operation. Optimized engine design parameters such as swirl, injection timing and piston geometry can improve lean bum performance with LPLI system. In this study, the effects of piston geometry along with injection timing and swirl ratio on flame propagation characteristics were investigated. A series of bottom-view flame images were taken from direct visualization using an W intensified high-speed CCD camera. Concepts of flame area speed, In addition to flame propagation patterns and thermodynamic heat release analysis, was introduced to analyze the flame propagation characteristics. The results show the correlation between the flame propagation characteristics, which is related to engine performance of lean region, and engine design parameters such as swirl ratio, piston geometry and injection timing. Stronger swirl resulted in foster flame propagation under open valve injection. The flame speed was significantly affected by injection timing under open valve injection conditions; supposedly due to the charge stratification. Piston geometry affected flame propagation through squish effects.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 2001

A constant volume combustion chamber is employed to investigate the initial flame kernel development and flame propagation of gasoline-air mixtures with various ignition systems, ignition energy and spark plug electrodes. To do this research, four ignition systems are designed and manufactured, and the ignition energy is controlled by varying the dwell time. Several kinds of spark plugs are also made to analyze the effects of electrodes on flame kernel development. The velocity of flame propagation is measured by the laser deflection method. The output laser beam from He-Ne laser is divided into three parallel beams by a beam splitter. The splitted beams pass through the combustion chamber. They are deflected when contacted with flame front, and the voltage signals from photodiodes change due to deflection. The results show that higher ignition energy raises the flame propagation speed especially under the fuel lean operation. The wider electrode gap, smaller electrode diameter and sharper electrode tip make the speed of the initial flame propagation faster. The speed of the initial flame propagation is affected by electrode material as well. Electrode material with lower melting temperature help the initial flame propagation.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1710-1718
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• 2002

The effect of fuel concentration gradient on the propagation characteristics of tribrachial (or triple) flames has been investigated experimentally in both two-dimensional and axisymmetric counterflows. The gradient at the stoichiometric location was controlled by the equivalence ratios at the two nozzles; one of which is maintained rich, while the other lean. Results show that the displacement speed of tribrachial flames in the two-dimensional counterflow decreases with fuel concentration gradient and has much larger speed than the maximum speed predicted previously in two-dimensional mixing layers. From an analogy with premixed flame propagation, this excessively large displacement speed can be attributed to the flame propagation with respect to burnt gas. Corresponding maximum speed in the limit of small mixture fraction gradient was estimated and the curvefit of the experimental data substantiates this limiting speed. As mixture fraction gradient approaches zero, a transition occurs, such that the propagation speed of tribrachial flame approaches stoichiometric laminar burning velocity with respect to burnt gas. Similar results have been obtained for tribrachial flames propagating in axisymmetric counterflow.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.3282-3292
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• 1996

Flow velocity was measured using a hot wire anemometer. Turbulence intensity was in proportion to mean flow velocity regardless of swirl velocity. And integral length scale has proportional relation with swirl velocity regardless of measurement position. Flame speed calculated by radius of visualized flame was increased and then decreased according to lapse of time from spark. Maximum flame speed was increased according to increase of turbulence intensity. Burning speed and flame transport effect increased with increase of swirl velocity, but ratio of burning speed to flame speed decreased with increased of swirl velocity. Mass fraction burned versus volume fraction burned was increased in proportion to the increase of turbulence intensity, caused by increase of combustion promotion effect according to increase of turbulence intensity and scale.