Lecture 8.

Turbulent Premixed Flames

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Content

• Feastures of turbulent premixed flames

• Mechanisms of flame wrinkling
• Regimes of turbulent premixed flames
• Turbulent burning velocity
• Propagation of turbulent flames in flow field
• Turbulent premixed flame stabilization

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Experimental setup: Low swirl burner

Filtered Rayleigh Scattering setup

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Results - simultaneous PIV / PLIF

The combined PIV / OH-PLIF results

showing the flame front structure and
its position in the flow field.

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

PLIF of fuel

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

PLIF of fuel and OH

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Premixed jet flames

D outer

ceramic
holder
Do=22mm
Di=2.2mm

D inner

methane/air
(outer)

methane/air
(inner)

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Laminar flame
photo CH2O CH

Vo=0.45 m/s, phi=1.17; Vin=11m/s, phi=1.1

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames
Turbulent jet flame
photo CH2O CH

Vo=0.45 m/s, phi=1.17; Vin=120m/s, phi=1.0

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames
 The shape of a turbulent premixed flame: a closer look

• Planar single pulse OH radical

concentration, 50mm above the
burner. Field size: 150x110 mm

• natural gas/air premixed flame

measured by Buschmann et al (26th
symp. Comb., pp.437, 1996)

• OH peak denotes the flame zone. Why

flame zone is wrinkled? See next slide

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Lean H2/air premixed flame in a room

door

Lean
H2/air mixture

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Lean H2/air premixed flame in a room

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Basic features of TPF
• TPF can be divided to three zones
– Preheat zone
– Reaction zone
– Postflame zone

• The reaction zone in typical TPF is thin

– CH layer;
– fuel consumption layer

• The reaction zone is highly wrinkled

– Due to turbulence eddies
– Due to self-instability
• Hydrodynamic instability (Landau-Darrieus)
• Diffusion-thermal instability
• Bouyancy effect (Rayleigh-Taylor)

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Wrinking by turbulence eddies

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Flame – turbulence interaction and
regimes turbulent premixed flames

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Different scales in turbulent premixed flames

• Flow scales
– Mean flow scales
• Length (L), velocity (U), time (t=L/U)
– integral scales
• length (l0), velocity (v0=u(l0)), time (τ0= l0 /v0),
– Kolmogrov scales
• length (η), velocity (vη=u(η)), time (τη= η /vη),

• Flame scales
– flame speed (SL)
– flame thickness (δL)
– time scale (tc)
• flame thickness/flame speed
• chemical reaction time
– the flame structure may not be laminar

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Physical interpretation of length, time and velocity scales

Chemical reaction and flame scales

preheat zone oxidation layer 2000

0.2 1800
T

inner layer 1600

temperature (K)
0.15
mole fraction

1400

0.1 O2 1200

1000
0.05 CO2
C3H8 800
CO
0 600

−2 −1 0 1 2
flame coordinate (mm)

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Physical interpretation of length, time and velocity scales

Mean flow scales

alpha U

SL = U sin(alpha)

SL

Flow time >> molecularmixing time

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Physical interpretation of length, time and velocity scales

Turbulence eddy scales

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Physical interpretation of length, time and velocity
scales
Turbulence eddy scales

Eddy size – l
Eddy velocity – ul
Eddy turn over time – teddy=l/ul

Molecular mixing time of

Material of size lk – tmixing=lk2/D=lk/uk

teddy l uk
ul = = Rel 1 / 2
l tmixing ul l k
note : lk = η, uk = u η

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Physical interpretation of length, time and velocity
scales

inlet, other Energy transfer at a

boundaries ‘constant’ rate ε
heat

δL
ul
l

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent jet flame
photo CH2O CH

Vo=0.45 m/s, phi=1.17; Vin=120m/s, phi=1.0

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames
Turbulent jet flame

PLIF images of
formaldehyde (green)
and CH (red) in
laminar (a) and
turbulent (b-f) flames
with different gas
supply speeds in the
inner tube.

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Scale relationship

inlet, other Energy transfer at a

boundaries ‘constant’ rate ε
heat
⎛ l 0 ⎞⎟
2/3
v0 v η3
3
τ0 l0 vη
ε∝ ∝ ⇒ ∝ ∝ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
l0 η τη v0 η ⎜⎝ η ⎠⎟
vη η vl
∝ 1 ⇒ 0 0 ∝ Rel 0
ν vη η
l 0v 0 ⎛⎜ η ⎞⎟
1/ 3
l0 l0 v0 vη
∝ ∝ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
η η vη v0 ν ⎝ l 0 ⎠⎟
l0 v τ
⇒ ∝ Rel 0 3 / 4 ; 0 ∝ Rel 01/ 4 ; 0 ∝ Rel 01/ 2 ;
η vη τη

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Non-dimensional numbers
in turbulent premixed flames

v 0l 0
Reynolds number Rel 0 =
ν
Damköhler number τ0 l0 S L
Da = =
τc v 0 δL
Karlovitz number
δL δL D v η η ⎛⎜ δL ⎞⎟
2
τc δL v η
Ka = = = = ⎜ ⎟⎟
τη SL η S L δL ν ηη ⎜⎝ η ⎠⎟
Turbulent intensity
v0
TI =
SL

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Non-dimensional numbers

Reynolds number

v0 l0
Re l =
ν
∴ S L ∝ (D ⋅ rr ) , δ L ∝ (D / rr ) , S Lδ L ∝ D ∝ ν
1/ 2 1/ 2

v0 l0
v0 l0 v0 l0
Re l = ∝ ∝
ν D S Lδ L
⎛ v0 ⎞ ⎛ l0 ⎞
⇒ log ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ = log (Re l ) − log ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ Constant Rel lines in the

⎝δL ⎠
Borghi-diagram
⎝ SL ⎠

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Borghi-diagram
Rel=104
Constant Rel lines
Rel=100

⎛ v0 ⎞⎟ ⎛ l0 ⎞⎟
log ⎜ ⎟⎟ = log (Rel ) − log ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎜
⎜⎝S ⎠⎟ ⎝⎜ δ ⎠⎟
L L

Rel=1

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Non-dimensional numbers

Damköhler number

τ0 l0 S L
Da = =
τc v 0 δL

l0 v0
log(Da ) = log( ) − log( )
δL SL

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Da=0.01 Borghi-diagram

Constant Da lines
Da=1

Da=100
l v
log(Da ) = log( 0 ) − log( 0 )
δL SL
Rel=1

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Non-dimensional numbers

Karlovitz number
τc δL v η δL l 0 v η u ′ δL u ′ l 0 v η
Ka = = = =
τη SL η S L l0 η u ′ l0 S L η u ′
δL u ′ δL 1/ 2 u ′ 3 / 2
= Rel 0 = ( ) ( )
1/ 2

l0 S L l0 SL

u′ 1 l0 2
log( ) = log( ) + log(Ka )
SL 3 δL 3

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Borghi-diagram
Ka=100

Constant Ka lines

Ka=1
u′ 1 l 2
log( ) = log( 0 ) + log(Ka )
SL 3 δL 3
Rel=1 Ka=0.01

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Borghi-diagram
Ka=100
dark region: GT engines
small circle: GE LM6000
squares: VR-1

I: laminar flames
II: wrinkled flamelet
III: corrugated flamelet
IV: thin reaction zone
V: distributed reactions

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Flamelet regimes

δL δL D v η η ⎛⎜ δL ⎞⎟
2
τc δL v η
Ka = = = = ⎜ ⎟⎟ < 1
τη SL η S L δL ν ηη ⎜⎝ η ⎠⎟

• The thickness of reaction zone + preheat zone is thinner than the Kolmogrov
scale, i.e. δL<η
– Tranport of mass and heat between the reaction zone and preheat zone is
by molecular mixing
– As a good approximation the local flame propagates at laminar flame
speed and the thickness of the flame is laminar

burned
mKolmogrov u(η) D δ u(η)η
Unburned ∼ / 2 ∼ L
mreaction ,all _ layers δL δL η D
δL
∼ <1
η

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent jet flame

PLIF images of
formaldehyde (green)
and CH (red) in
laminar (a) and
turbulent (b-f) flames
with different gas
supply speeds in the
inner tube.

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Thin reaction zone regime

δ δ D v η η ⎛⎜ δL ⎞⎟
2
τ δ v
Ka = c = L η = L L = ⎜ ⎟⎟ ,1 < Ka < 100
τη SL η S L δL ν ηη ⎜⎝ η ⎠⎟

burned
Reactant pockets
Unburned May not pass the
Inner layer of
The reaction zone

mKolmogrov u(η) u(η) D δ u(η)η mkolmogrov u(η) S L δ u(η)η

∼ /Ω ∼ / 2 ∼ L ∼ / ∼ inn
mreaction ,all −layers δL δL δL η D mreaction ,inner _ layer δL δin η D
δL δinn δ
∼ >1 ∼ ∼ 0.1 L ∼ 0.1Ka 1 / 2 < 1
η η η

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent jet flame

PLIF images of
formaldehyde (green)
and CH (red) in
laminar (a) and
turbulent (b-f) flames
with different gas
supply speeds in the
inner tube.

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Distributed reaction zone regime

δ δ D v η η ⎛⎜ δL ⎞⎟
2
τ δ v
Ka = c = L η = L L = ⎜ ⎟⎟ , Ka > 100
τη SL η S L δL ν ηη ⎜⎝ η ⎠⎟

burned Reactant pockets

May pass the
Unburned
Reaction zone
Without full
consumption

mKolmogrov u(η) D δ u(η)η mkolmogrov u(η) S L δ u(η)η

∼ / 2 ∼ L ∼ / ∼ inn
mreaction ,all _ layers δL δL η D mreaction ,inner _ layer δL δin η D
δL δinn δ
∼ >1 ∼ ∼ 0.1 L ∼ 0.1Ka 1 / 2 > 1
η η η

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

How does TPF propagate

• TPF propagates due to

– Heat transfer to preheat zone to heat up the fuel/air to above
’cross-over’ temperature
– Fuel/air mass transfer to the reaction zone to provide fuel/air
for combustion and releasing heat

• Transport of mass and heat between the reaction zone and the
preheat zone
– can be different from laminar premixed flames
– Depending on the thickness of the zones

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 Turbulent burning velocity

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent burning velocity

• Also called turbulent flame speed

• Defined as the propagation speed of the mean flame front, relative
to the unburned mixture
• Is equal to the consumption rate of the unburned mixture (volume
flow per unit area of the mean flame front)

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent burning velocity: flamelet regime

• Also called turbulent flame speed

• Defined as the propagation speed of the mean flame front, relative
to the unburned mixture
• Is equal to the consumption rate of the unburned mixture (volume
flow per unit area of the mean flame front)

AL
sT
AM
unburned burned
side side

sL

low-intensity, large
η
scale

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent burning velocity: flamelet regime

ST / S L = 1 + u ′ / S L

ST / S L
Flamelet
Fall-off
theory

∼ 10 − 100 u′ / S L

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent burning velocity: thin reaction zone regime

ST / S L ∼ Dt / D ∼ u ' 0 / ν = Re
1/ 2
0

ST / S L
Flamelet
Fall-off
theory

∼ 10 − 100 u′ / S L

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Burning velocities

• Laminar burning velocity

– Depending on Molecular diffusion
– Depending on Chemical reactions
– Independent of flow

• Turbulent burning velocity

– Depending on Molecular diffusion
– Depending on Chemical reactions
– Depending on flow

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Propagation of turbulent premixed flames

Propagation of the instantaneous flame front

∂G
+ v ⋅ ∇G = S L ∇ G
∂t

Propagation of the mean flame front

ST
∂G
+ v ⋅ ∇G = ST ∇G
SL ∂t

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Mean planar flame in a tube

Unburned ST U
burned
x< 0
x> 0
x= 0 (at t=0)
x

• Stable flame Flame position

• Flashback
• Blowoff x = (U − ST )t
• Quenching distance

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Mean conical flame

G(x,r,t)=0

U
x
R r

ST

U 2 − ST 2
x = (R − r)
ST 2

Rim stablization
U Liftoff
Blowoff
flashback

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Flame stabilization

Zst

Temperature field
and streamlines
Ssgs v (white) from LES

Schematic of the conical burner

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Flame stabilization

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

 AEV burner
Between 1990 and 2005, all new gas turbines of ABB (later Alstom/Siemens) have
Implemented EV burners.

ABB/Alstom EV burner

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

AEV burner: flame stabilization by swirling flow

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames

Swirl combustor, dump combustor, bluff-body stabilization

X.S. Bai Turbulent premixed Flames