Effect of dilution and Lewis number of the fuel in the fuel-air mixture on the heat flux during flame wall interaction (FWI)

Abstract

Most combustion systems where flame is bounded by walls encounter Flame-wall interactions (FWI). Heat losses during FWI are in the magnitude of MW/m² leading to concern about inefficiency, and thermal stresses. Hence, FWI is a topic of significant interest. With the goals of climate change pushing us toward renewable fuels with least carbon emissions, it is imperative to understand the FWI of renewable fuels like hydrogen-air mixture. In this study, FWI in a head-on-quenching configuration is carried out in a constant volume chamber. High-speed surface temperature measurement is carried out to compute instantaneous wall heat flux. Adding inert diluents to methane-air mixtures, the effect of dilution on the peak of heat flux during FWI is studied. Dilution affects the peak of heat flux predominantly by changing the adiabatic flame power of the fuel-air mixture. Furthermore, a large variation in flame power is carried out by changing the dilution fraction in the methane-air mixture to quantify its effect. It is found that the peak of heat flux and non-dimensional heat flux follows a nonlinear decrease with an increase in flame power. Knowing this effect, FWI of three different fuels, that is, methane, hydrogen, and a mixture of acetylene and hydrogen, having different Lewis numbers (Le) of fuel in a fuel-oxidizer mixture are studied at equivalent flame power. This comparison shows that FWI of hydrogen-air mixtures in HOQ configuration have a lower peak of heat flux compared to other fuels which may be due to the preferential diffusion of hydrogen-air mixture.

Keywords

Flame-wall interaction thin junction thermocouples hydrogen heat flux high-frequency measurement combustion constant volume combustion chamber thermodiffusive instabilities

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Onorati

Payri

Vaglieco

, et al. The role of hydrogen for future internal combustion engines. Int J Engine Res 2022; 23(4): 529–540.

Valera-Medina

Amer-Hatem

Azad

, et al. Review on ammonia as a potential fuel: from synthesis to economics. Energy Fuels 2021; 35(9): 6964–7029.

Senecal

Leach

. Racing toward zero: the untold story of driving green. Warrendale, PA: SAE International, 2021.

Baglione

. Development of system analysis methodologies and tools for modeling and optimizing vehicle system efficiency. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 2007.

Dreizler

Böhm

. Advanced laser diagnostics for an improved understanding of premixed flame-wall interactions. Proc Combust Inst 2015; 35(1): 37–64.

Boust

Sotton

Labuda

Bellenoue

. A thermal formulation for single-wall quenching of transient laminar flames. Combust Flame 2007; 149(3): 286–294.

Padhiary

Pilla

Sotton

Bellenoue

. Effect of pressure and turbulence intensity on the heat flux during flame wall interaction (FWI). Flow Turbul Combust 2023; 111(4): 1345–1370.

Labuda

Karrer

Sotton

Bellenoue

. Experimental study of single-wall flame quenching at high pressures. Combust Sci Technol 2011; 183(5): 409–426.

Poinsot

Veynante

(eds.). Theoretical and numerical combustion. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Edwards, 2005.

10.

Ezekoye

Greif

Sawyer

. Increased surface temperature effects on wall heat transfer during unsteady flame quenching. Symp (Int) Combust 1992; 24(1): 1465–1472.

11.

Dabireau

Cuenot

Vermorel

Poinsot

. Interaction of flames of H2 + O2 with inert walls. Combust Flame 2003; 135(1-2): 123–133.

12.

Gruber

Sankaran

Hawkes

Chen

. Turbulent flame–wall interaction. A direct numerical simulation study. J Fluid Mech 2010; 658: 5–32.

13.

Berger

Grinberg

Jürgens

, et al. Flame fingers and interactions of hydrodynamic and thermodiffusive instabilities in laminar lean hydrogen flames. Proc Combust Inst 2023; 39(2): 1525–1534.

14.

Pickett

Genzale

Bruneaux

, et al. Comparison of diesel spray combustion in different high-temperature, high-pressure facilities. SAE Int J Engines 2010; 3(2): 156–181.

15.

Padhiary

. Analysis of heat loss during flame wall interaction of premixed propagative flames and diffusive spray flames. PhD Thesis, Ecole nationale supérieure de mécanique et d’aérotechnique, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France, 2022.

16.

Moussou

. Caractérisation expérimentale du flux thermique transitoire pariétal pour différents modes de combustion. PhD Thesis, Ecole nationale supérieure de mécanique et d’aérotechnique, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France, 2019.

17.

Smith

Tao

Wang

. Foundational fuel chemistry model version 1.0 (FFCM-1), 2016.

18.

Smith

Golden

Frenklach

, et al. GRI-Mech 3.0, http://www.me.berkeley.edu/gri_mech (accesed 2023).

19.

Burke

Chaos

Dryer

Klippenstein

. Comprehensive H₂/O₂ kinetic model for high-pressure combustion. Int J Chem Kinet 2012; 44(7): 444–474.

20.

Gingrich

Ghandhi

Reitz

. Experimental investigation of piston heat transfer in a light duty engine under conventional diesel, homogeneous charge compression ignition, and reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion regimes. SAE Int J Engines 2014; 7(1): 375–386.

21.

Hendricks

Ghandhi

. Estimation of surface heat flux in IC engines using temperature measurements: processing code effects. SAE Int J Engines 2012; 5(3): 1268–1285.

22.

Moussou

Pilla

Sotton

Bellenoue

Rabeau

. High-frequency wall heat flux measurement during wall impingement of a diffusion flame. Int J Engine Res 2021; 22(3): 847–855.

23.

Sotton

. Interactions entre une combustion turbulente et la paroi dans une enceinte fermée. PhD Thesis, Ecole nationale supérieure de mécanique et d’aérotechnique, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France, 2003.

24.

Gautrot

Bardi

Leroy

, et al. Swumble in-cylinder fluid motion for high-efficiency gasoline SI engines: development of the second generation. In: Proceedings of the SIA powertrain and electronics, Rouen, France, 3–4 June 2020.

25.

Law

Jomaas

Bechtold

. Cellular instabilities of expanding hydrogen/propane spherical flames at elevated pressures: theory and experiment. Proc Combust Inst 2005; 30(1): 159–167.

26.

Abd-Alla

. Using exhaust gas recirculation in internal combustion engines: a review. Energy Convers Manag 2002; 43(8): 1027–1042.

27.

Khoa

Quach Nhu

Lim

. Estimation of parameters affected in internal exhaust residual gases recirculation and the influence of exhaust residual gas on performance and emission of a spark ignition engine. Appl Energy 2020; 278: 115699.

28.

Nidhi Subramanian

. Experimental investigation on effects of oxygen enriched air on performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a methanol fuelled spark ignition engine. Appl Therm Eng 2019; 147: 501–508.

29.

Szybist

Busch

McCormick

, et al. What fuel properties enable higher thermal efficiency in spark-ignited engines? Prog Energy Combust Sci 2021; 82: 100876.

30.

Berger

Kleinheinz

Attili

Pitsch

. Characteristic patterns of thermodiffusively unstable premixed lean hydrogen flames. Proc Combust Inst 2019; 37(2): 1879–1886.

31.

Shi

Breicher

Trabold

, et al. Cellular structures of laminar lean premixed H2/CH4/air polyhedral flames. Appl Energy Combust Sci 2023; 13: 100105.

32.

Ojo

Padhiary

Peterson

. Spatiotemporal surface temperature measurements resolving flame-wall interactions of Lean H2-air and CH4-air flames using phosphor thermometry. Flow Turbul Combust 2024; 1–28.

33.

Demuynck

De Paepe

Verhaert

Verhelst

. Heat loss comparison between hydrogen, methane, gasoline and methanol in a spark-ignition internal combustion engine. Energy Proc 2012; 29: 138–146.

34.

Demuynck

Raes

Zuliani

De Paepe

Sierens

Verhelst

. Local heat flux measurements in a hydrogen and methane spark ignition engine with a thermopile sensor. Int J Hydrogen Energy 2009; 34(24): 9857–9868.