Flame extinction limit and particulates formation in fuel blends

Mahesh Subramanya, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Many fuels used in material processing and power generation applications are generally a blend of various hydrocarbons. Although the combustion and aerosol formation dynamics of individual fuels is well understood, the flame dynamics of fuel blends are yet to be characterized. This research uses a twin flame counterflow burner to measure flame velocity, flame extinction, particulate formation and particulate morphology of hydrogen fuel blend flames at different H2 concentration, oscillation frequencies and stretch conditions. Phase resolved spectroscopic measurements (emission spectra) of OH, H, O and CH radical/atom concentrations is used to characterize the heat release processes of the flame. In addition flame generated particulates are collected using thermophoretic sample technique and are qualitative analyzed using Raman Spectroscopy and SEM. Such measurements are essential for the development of advanced computational tools capable of predicting fuel blend flame characteristics at realistic combustor conditions. The data generated through the measurements of this research are representative, and yet accurate, with unique well defined boundary conditions which can be reproduced in numerical computations for kinetic code validations.

Subject Area

Mechanical engineering|Materials science

Recommended Citation

Subramanya, Mahesh, "Flame extinction limit and particulates formation in fuel blends" (2007). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI3262915.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI3262915

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