Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • F. Dinkelacker
  • B. Manickam
  • S. P.R. Muppala

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Kingston University
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1742-1749
Number of pages8
JournalCombustion and Flame
Volume158
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - 21 Jan 2011

Abstract

Recent work on reaction modelling of turbulent lean premixed combustion has shown a significant influence of the Lewis number even at high turbulence intensities, if different fuels and varied pressure is regarded. This was unexpected, as the Lewis number is based on molecular transport quantities (ratio of molecular thermal diffusivity to mass diffusivity), while highly turbulent flames are thought to be dominated from turbulent mixing and not from molecular transport. A simple physical picture allows an explanation, assuming that essentially the leading part of the wrinkled flame front determines the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, while the rear part of the flame is of reduced importance here (determining possibly the burnout process and the flame brush thickness but not the flame propagation). Following this argumentation, mostly positively curved flame elements determine the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, where the influence of the preferential molecular diffusion and the Lewis number can easily seen to be important. Additionally, an extension of this picture allows a simple derivation of an effective Lewis number relation for lean hydrogen/methane mixtures. The applicability and the limit of this concept is investigated for two sets of flames: turbulent pressurized Bunsen flames, where hydrogen content and pressure is varied (from CNRS Orléans), and highly turbulent pressurized dump combustor flames where the hydrogen content is varied (from PSI Baden). For RANS simulations, comparison of flame length data between experiment and an effective Lewis number model shows a very good agreement for all these flames with hydrogen content of the fuel up to 20. vol.%, and even rather good agreement for 30% and 40% hydrogen.

Keywords

    Combustion modelling, Effective Lewis number, Fuel mixture, Molecular transport, Turbulent premixed combustion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach. / Dinkelacker, F.; Manickam, B.; Muppala, S. P.R.
In: Combustion and Flame, Vol. 158, No. 9, 21.01.2011, p. 1742-1749.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Dinkelacker F, Manickam B, Muppala SPR. Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach. Combustion and Flame. 2011 Jan 21;158(9):1742-1749. doi: 10.1016/j.combustflame.2010.12.003
Dinkelacker, F. ; Manickam, B. ; Muppala, S. P.R. / Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach. In: Combustion and Flame. 2011 ; Vol. 158, No. 9. pp. 1742-1749.
Download
@article{fc581dc07eb64fc8af043e8b0dde1f1d,
title = "Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach",
abstract = "Recent work on reaction modelling of turbulent lean premixed combustion has shown a significant influence of the Lewis number even at high turbulence intensities, if different fuels and varied pressure is regarded. This was unexpected, as the Lewis number is based on molecular transport quantities (ratio of molecular thermal diffusivity to mass diffusivity), while highly turbulent flames are thought to be dominated from turbulent mixing and not from molecular transport. A simple physical picture allows an explanation, assuming that essentially the leading part of the wrinkled flame front determines the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, while the rear part of the flame is of reduced importance here (determining possibly the burnout process and the flame brush thickness but not the flame propagation). Following this argumentation, mostly positively curved flame elements determine the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, where the influence of the preferential molecular diffusion and the Lewis number can easily seen to be important. Additionally, an extension of this picture allows a simple derivation of an effective Lewis number relation for lean hydrogen/methane mixtures. The applicability and the limit of this concept is investigated for two sets of flames: turbulent pressurized Bunsen flames, where hydrogen content and pressure is varied (from CNRS Orl{\'e}ans), and highly turbulent pressurized dump combustor flames where the hydrogen content is varied (from PSI Baden). For RANS simulations, comparison of flame length data between experiment and an effective Lewis number model shows a very good agreement for all these flames with hydrogen content of the fuel up to 20. vol.%, and even rather good agreement for 30% and 40% hydrogen.",
keywords = "Combustion modelling, Effective Lewis number, Fuel mixture, Molecular transport, Turbulent premixed combustion",
author = "F. Dinkelacker and B. Manickam and Muppala, {S. P.R.}",
year = "2011",
month = jan,
day = "21",
doi = "10.1016/j.combustflame.2010.12.003",
language = "English",
volume = "158",
pages = "1742--1749",
journal = "Combustion and Flame",
issn = "0010-2180",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
number = "9",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Modelling and simulation of lean premixed turbulent methane/hydrogen/air flames with an effective Lewis number approach

AU - Dinkelacker, F.

AU - Manickam, B.

AU - Muppala, S. P.R.

PY - 2011/1/21

Y1 - 2011/1/21

N2 - Recent work on reaction modelling of turbulent lean premixed combustion has shown a significant influence of the Lewis number even at high turbulence intensities, if different fuels and varied pressure is regarded. This was unexpected, as the Lewis number is based on molecular transport quantities (ratio of molecular thermal diffusivity to mass diffusivity), while highly turbulent flames are thought to be dominated from turbulent mixing and not from molecular transport. A simple physical picture allows an explanation, assuming that essentially the leading part of the wrinkled flame front determines the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, while the rear part of the flame is of reduced importance here (determining possibly the burnout process and the flame brush thickness but not the flame propagation). Following this argumentation, mostly positively curved flame elements determine the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, where the influence of the preferential molecular diffusion and the Lewis number can easily seen to be important. Additionally, an extension of this picture allows a simple derivation of an effective Lewis number relation for lean hydrogen/methane mixtures. The applicability and the limit of this concept is investigated for two sets of flames: turbulent pressurized Bunsen flames, where hydrogen content and pressure is varied (from CNRS Orléans), and highly turbulent pressurized dump combustor flames where the hydrogen content is varied (from PSI Baden). For RANS simulations, comparison of flame length data between experiment and an effective Lewis number model shows a very good agreement for all these flames with hydrogen content of the fuel up to 20. vol.%, and even rather good agreement for 30% and 40% hydrogen.

AB - Recent work on reaction modelling of turbulent lean premixed combustion has shown a significant influence of the Lewis number even at high turbulence intensities, if different fuels and varied pressure is regarded. This was unexpected, as the Lewis number is based on molecular transport quantities (ratio of molecular thermal diffusivity to mass diffusivity), while highly turbulent flames are thought to be dominated from turbulent mixing and not from molecular transport. A simple physical picture allows an explanation, assuming that essentially the leading part of the wrinkled flame front determines the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, while the rear part of the flame is of reduced importance here (determining possibly the burnout process and the flame brush thickness but not the flame propagation). Following this argumentation, mostly positively curved flame elements determine the flame propagation and the average reaction rate, where the influence of the preferential molecular diffusion and the Lewis number can easily seen to be important. Additionally, an extension of this picture allows a simple derivation of an effective Lewis number relation for lean hydrogen/methane mixtures. The applicability and the limit of this concept is investigated for two sets of flames: turbulent pressurized Bunsen flames, where hydrogen content and pressure is varied (from CNRS Orléans), and highly turbulent pressurized dump combustor flames where the hydrogen content is varied (from PSI Baden). For RANS simulations, comparison of flame length data between experiment and an effective Lewis number model shows a very good agreement for all these flames with hydrogen content of the fuel up to 20. vol.%, and even rather good agreement for 30% and 40% hydrogen.

KW - Combustion modelling

KW - Effective Lewis number

KW - Fuel mixture

KW - Molecular transport

KW - Turbulent premixed combustion

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79958126341&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.combustflame.2010.12.003

DO - 10.1016/j.combustflame.2010.12.003

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:79958126341

VL - 158

SP - 1742

EP - 1749

JO - Combustion and Flame

JF - Combustion and Flame

SN - 0010-2180

IS - 9

ER -