Freely propagating open premixed turbulent flames stabilized by swirl

摘要

A novel means has been developed for using weak swirl to stabilize freely propagating open premixed turbulent flames (swirl numbers between 0.05 to 0.3). By injecting a small amount of air tangentially into the co-flow of a concentric burner, stationary flames can be maintained above the burner exit for a large range of mixture, turbulence and flow conditions. The absence of physical surfaces in the vicinity of the flame provides free access to laser diagnostics. Laser Doppler anemometry and laser Mie scattering measurements of four flames with and without incident turbulence show that their features are typical of wrinkled laminar flames. The most distinct characteristics is that flame stabilization does not rely on flow recirculation. Centrifugal force induced by swirl causes flow divergence, and the flame is maintained at where the local mass flux balances the burning rate. The flame speeds can be estimated based on the centerline velocity vector, which is locally normal to the flame brush. This flame geometry is the closest approximation to the 1-D planar flame for determining fundamental properties to advance turbulent combustion theories. 18 refs.