Visualization of Different Flashback Mechanisms for H2/CH4 Mixtures in a Variable-Swirl Burner

Author(s):  
Parisa Sayad ◽  
Alessandro Schönborn ◽  
Mao Li ◽  
Jens Klingmann

Flame flashback from the combustion chamber to the premixing section is a major operability issue when using high H2 content fuels in lean premixed combustors. Depending on the flow-field in the combustor, flashback can be triggered by different mechanisms. In this work, three flashback mechanisms of H2/CH4 mixtures were visualized in an atmospheric variable swirl burner using high speed OH* chemiluminescence imaging. The H2 mole fraction of the tested fuel mixtures varied between 0.1 and 0.9. The flow-field in the combustor was varied by changing the swirl number from 0.0 to 0.66 and the total air mass-flow rate from 75 to 200 SLPM (standard liters per minute). The following three types of flashback mechanism were observed: Flashback caused by combustion induced vortex breakdown occurred at swirl numbers ≥ 0.53 for all of the tested fuel mixtures. Flashback in the boundary layer and flashback due to autoignition were observed at low swirl numbers and low total air mass-flow rates. The temporal and spatial propagation of the flame in the optical section of the premixing tube during flashback was studied and flashback speed for different mechanisms was estimated. The flame propagation speed during flashback was significantly different for the different mechanisms.

Author(s):  
Parisa Sayad ◽  
Alessandro Schönborn ◽  
Mao Li ◽  
Jens Klingmann

Flame flashback from the combustion chamber to the premixing section is a major operability issue when using high H2 content fuels in lean premixed combustors. Depending on the flow-field in the combustor, flashback can be triggered by different mechanisms. In this work, three flashback mechanisms of H2/CH4 mixtures were visualized in an atmospheric variable-swirl burner using high speed OH* chemiluminescence imaging. The H2 mole fraction of the tested fuel mixtures varied between 0.1 and 0.9. The flow-field in the combustor was varied by changing the swirl number from 0.0 to 0.66 and the total air mass-flow rate from 75 to 200 SLPM (standard liters per minute). The following three types of flashback mechanism were observed: Flashback caused by combustion induced vortex breakdown (CIVB) occurred at swirl numbers ≥0.53 for all of the tested fuel mixtures. Flashback in the boundary layer (BL) and flame propagation in the premixing tube caused by auto-ignition were observed at low swirl numbers and low total air mass-flow rates. The temporal and spatial propagation of the flame in the optical section of the premixing tube during flashback was studied and flashback speed for different mechanisms was estimated. The flame propagation speed during flashback was significantly different for the different mechanisms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 168781401879087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinli Xiao ◽  
Zhibo Cao ◽  
Changwu Wang

The objective of this study is to gain a fundamental understanding of the flow-field and flame behaviors associated with a low-swirl burner. A vane-type low-swirl burner with different swirl numbers has been developed. The velocity field measurements are carried out with particle image velocimetry. The basic flame structures are characterized using OH radicals measured by planar laser-induced fluorescence. Three combustion regimes of low-swirl flames are identified depending on the operating conditions. For the same low-swirl injector under atmospheric conditions, attached flame is first observed when the incoming velocity is too low to generate vortex breakdown. Then, W-shaped flame is formed above the burner at moderate incoming velocity. Bowl-shaped flame structure is formed as the mixture velocity increases until it extinct. Local extinction and relight zones are observed in the low-swirl flame. Flow-field features and flame stability limits are obtained for the present burner.


Author(s):  
M R Etemad ◽  
K Pullen ◽  
C B Besant ◽  
N Baines

Design and development of experimental apparatus is detailed for stator drag torque measurement as well as a method to evaluate rotor windage losses directly from air mass flow and temperature changes. Effects of air jets at the rotor rim were also investigated. Results are presented for air windage losses associated with ultra-high-speed machinery. These show that within the range investigated the air gap length between the rotor and the stator has an insignificant effect on windage losses. The lowest windage losses were encountered when air was forced through the rotor/stator gap from the direction of rim to bore.


Author(s):  
M. P. Auer ◽  
C. Hirsch ◽  
T. Sattelmayer

This paper discusses the structural changes observed in oscillating premixed turbulent swirling flames and demonstrates the influence of modulated mass flows on the flame dynamics in a preheated atmospheric test rig with a natural gas fired swirl burner. The experimentally investigated self excited and forced combustion oscillations of swirl stabilized premixed flames show varying time delays between the acoustically driven mass flow oscillations and the integral heat release rate of the flame. High speed films of the OH*-chemiluminescence reveal how the flame structure changes with the oscillation frequency and the phase angle between the fuel mass flow oscillation and the total mass flow at the burner exit. These parameters are found determine the spatial and temporal heat release distribution and thus the net heat release fluctuation. Therefore, the spatial and temporal heat release distribution along the flame length has an influence on the thermoacoustic coupling, even in the case of acoustically compact flames. The observed phenomena are discussed further using an 1-d analytical model. It underscores that for swirl stabilized premixed turbulent flames the dynamics of the flow field perturbation play a major role in creating the effective heat release fluctuation.


Energy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 3599-3605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Jing ◽  
Zhengqi Li ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Lizhe Chen ◽  
Guohua Yang

Author(s):  
Andrew P. Shroll ◽  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem

This work explores the dynamic stability characteristics of premixed CH4/O2/CO2 mixtures in a 50kW swirl stabilized combustor. In all cases, the methane-oxygen mixture is stoichiometric, with different fractions of carbon dioxide used to control the flame temperature (Tad). For the highest Tad’s, the combustor is unstable at the five-quarter wave mode. As the temperature is reduced, the combustor jumps to the three quarter mode and then to the quarter wave before eventually reaching blowoff. Similar to the case of CH4/air mixtures, the transition from one mode to another is predominantly a function of the Tad of the reactive mixture, despite significant differences in laminar burning velocity and/or strained flame consumption speed between air and oxy-fuel mixtures for a given Tad. High speed images support this finding by revealing similar vortex breakdown modes and thus similar turbulent flame geometries that change as a function of flame temperature.


Author(s):  
Andrew P. Shroll ◽  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Ahmed F. Ghoniem

This work explores the dynamic stability characteristics of premixed CH4/O2/CO2 mixtures in a 50 kW swirl stabilized combustor. In all cases, the methane-oxygen mixture is stoichiometric, with different dilution levels of carbon dioxide used to control the flame temperature (Tad). For the highest Tad’s, the combustor is unstable at the first harmonic of the combustor’s natural frequency. As the temperature is reduced, the combustor jumps to fundamental mode and then to a low-frequency mode whose value is well below the combustor’s natural frequency, before eventually reaching blowoff. Similar to the case of CH4/air mixtures, the transition from one mode to another is predominantly a function of the Tad of the reactive mixture, despite significant differences in laminar burning velocity and/or strained flame consumption speed between air and oxy-fuel mixtures for a given Tad. High speed images support this finding by revealing similar vortex breakdown modes and thus similar turbulent flame geometries that change as a function of flame temperature.


Author(s):  
Marco Konle ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer

Flame flashback driven by Combustion Induced Vortex Breakdown (CIVB) represents one of the most severe reliability problems of modern gas turbines with swirl stabilized combustors. Former experimental investigations of this topic with a 500 kW burner delivered a model for the prediction of the CIVB occurrence for moderate to high mass flow rates. This model is based on a time scale comparison. The characteristic time scales were chosen following the idea that quenching at the flame tip is the dominating effect preventing upstream flame propagation in the center of the vortex flow. Additional numerical investigations showed that the relative position of the flame regarding the recirculation zone influences the interaction of flame and flow field. The recent analysis of turbulence and chemical reaction of data acquired with high speed measurement techniques applied during the CIVB driven flame propagation by the authors lead to the extension of the prediction model. As at the flame tip the corrugated flames regime prevails at low to moderate mass flow rates, a more precise prediction in this range of mass flow rates is achieved using a characteristic burnout time τb∼1/Sl for the reactive volume. The paper presents first this new idea, confirms it then with numerical as well as experimental data and extends finally the former model to a prediction tool that can be applied in the full mass flow range of swirl burners.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 2800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiongjie Fan ◽  
Cunxi Liu ◽  
Yong Mu ◽  
Kaixing Wang ◽  
Yulan Wang ◽  
...  

Flow field, atomization field characteristics, and liquid film breakup behaviors of a pre-filming air-blast atomizer are investigated using PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry), PLIF (Fuel Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence), and high-speed shadowgraph technique under different air mass rates (ma), fuel mass rates (mf), and fuel temperatures (T). The influence of structures constituting the pre-filming air-blast atomizer on the flow field organization and atomization field organization are investigated too. The results illustrate that air-blast atomizer structures have a great difference on the flow fields and atomization fields. Air-blast atomizer structures have great differences on the liquid film breakup processes too. Flow field structure and atomization structure are mainly determined by the swirler structure, whereas there are seldom influences of air mass rate and fuel mass rate on them. The results of the mechanisms of flow field organization and atomization field organization in this study can be used to support the design of new low-emission combustor.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document