The stretched laminar flame model provides a convenient approach to embed realistic chemical kinetics when simulating turbulent premixed flames. When positive-only periodic strain rates are applied to a laminar flame there is a notable phase lag and diminished amplitude in heat release rate. Similar results have being observed with respect to the other component of stretch rate, namely the unsteady motion of a curved flame when the stretch rates are periodic about zero. Both cases showed that the heat release rate or consumption speed of these laminar-premixed flames vary significantly from the quasi-steady flamelet model. Deviation from quasi-steady behaviour increases as the unsteady flow time scale approaches the chemical time scale that is set by the stoichiometry. A challenge remains in how to use such results predictively for local and instantaneous consumption speed for small segments of turbulent flames where their unsteady stretch history is not periodic.
This paper uses a frequency response analysis as a characterization tool to simplify the complex non-linear behaviour of premixed methane air flames for equivalence ratios from 1.0 down to 0.7, and frequencies from quasi-steady up to 2000 Hz using flame transfer functions. Various linear and nonlinear models were used to identify appropriate flame transfer functions for low and higher frequency regimes, as well as extend the predictive capabilities of these models. Linear models were only able to accurately predict the flame behaviour below a threshold of when the fluid and chemistry time scales are the same order of magnitude. Other proposed transfer functions were tested against arbitrary multi-frequency stretch inputs and were shown to be effective over the full range of frequencies.
Predicting the consumption speed of a premixed flame subjected to unsteady stretch rates
