• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2001

Propagation characteristics of tribrachial flames have been studied numerically in a two-dimensional fuel/oxidizer mixing layer. A flame is initiated by imposing a high temperature ignition source. Subsequent propagation of a tribrachial flame is traced. The flow redirection effect at the leading edge of a tribrachial flame increases the propagation speed beyond the corresponding stoichiometric laminar burning velocity. The effect of mixture fraction gradient on the propagation speed of a tribrachial flame is analyzed in a mixing layer considering that mixture fraction gradient increases as a tribrachial flame propagates toward upstream. As the flame curvature at the leading edge increases with decreasing mixture fraction gradient, the flow redirection effect becomes more pronounced on the flame propagation speed. As a result, the propagation speed of a tribrachial flame increases with decreasing mixture fraction gradient.

• 한국가시화정보학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.74-79
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• 2005

The tribrachial flame in laminar coflow jet has been investigated experimentally with unsteady propagating condition. With adopting various visualization techniques, including OH-PLIF, Rayleigh Scattering technique, it was confirmed that the location of tribrachial point is on the inclined surface of flame and the propagation speed of tribrachial flame was significantly affected by the velocity gradient.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.221-228
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• 2005

The tribrachial flame in laminar coflow jet has been investigated experimentally with unsteady propagating condition. In this experiment, we found that the tribrachial point has an angle of flame surface because the location of tribrachial point is not on the base point of flame but on the inclined surface of flame. This angle of Flame surface at tribrachial point are increasing when the flame is approaching to the nozzle exit. With considering this angle of flame surface, the radial velocity gradient can affect flame propagation speed by increasing flow-stretch effect. The propagation speed of tribrachial flame was calculated with including above stretch effect. The speed decreases with increasing velocity gradient due to the increment of stretch effect.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.220-226
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• 2006

The effect of electric fields on the propagation speed of tribrachial flames has been investigated in a coflow jet by observing the transient flame propagation behavior after ignition. Without having electric fields, the propagation speed of tribrachial flame edges showed a typical behavior by having an inverse proportionality to the mixture fraction gradient at the flame edge. The behavior of flame propagation with the electric fields was investigated by applying high voltage to the central fuel nozzle and the enhancement of propagation speed has been observed by varying the applied voltage and frequency for AC electric fields. The propagation speed of tribrachial flame was also investigated by applying negative and positive DC voltages to the nozzle and similar improvements of the propagation speed were also observed. The propagation speeds of tribrachial flames in both the AC and DC electric fields were correlated well with the electric field intensity, defined by the electric voltage divided by the distance between the nozzle electrode and the edge of tribrachial flames.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

Characteristics of laminar lifted flames of propane highly-diluted with nitrogen have been investigated at various temperatures of coflow air. At various fuel mole fractions, the base of laminar lifted flames has the structure of tribrachial (or triple) flame. The liftoff heights are correlated well with the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity considering initial temperature at a given coflow velocity. It shows that lifted flames are stabilized on the basis of the balance mechanism between local flow velocity and the propagation speed of tribrachial flame, regardless of the temperature of coflow and fuel mole fraction. Lifted flames exist for a jet velocity even smaller than the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity, and liftoff velocity increases more rapidly than stoichiometric laminar burning velocity as coflow temperature increases. These can be attributed to the buoyancy effect due to the density difference.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 2010

The tribrachial flame has attracted interest as a basic structure of the flame edge. This flame structure helps understand stabilization of laminar flames and re-ignition of turbulent flames. A number of analytical and experimental studies have been carried out on the tribrachial flame. However, the effect of the variation of the flammability limits on the structure of the tribrachial flame has not been studied in detail. In this study, the effect of non-symmetric flammability limits on the flame structure was investigated by adopting a simple numerical scheme based on several laminar flame theories. A fixed velocity field was considered and boundary matching algorithm was used on the premixed branch. The variation of the diffusion branches under the non-symmetric flammability limits and heat loss was investigated. The formation and extinction of the diffusion branch behind the premixed branch were successfully described. This basic study can help understand the fundamental structure of the flame and can form the basis of subsequent detailed studies.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1662-1669
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• 2000

Various flame types are observed in a double concentric burner by varying equivalence ratio and flow rates in each tube. Observed flame types include bunsen-type flame, ring-shaped flame, outer lifted flame, inner lifted flame, and oscillatory lifted flame, The doman of existence of various flames is mapped with equivalence ratio and annular jet velocity. Each flame is investigated through direct photography and OH PLIF. As central air velocity increase, the blowout region is diminished and lifted oscillating flames are observed. Inner lifted flames are observed from bunsen flames or rich shaped flames by increasing central air velocity. For inner lifted flames, annular jet velocity, at flame liftoff decreases with increasing central air jet velocity. Axial velocity profile and temperature fie이 using LDV and CRS, respectively, for a typical inner lifted flame are also measured through which the role of tribrachial flame for stabilization in emphasized.