An experimental investigation on self-acceleration of cellular spherical flames

Fujia Wu, Grunde Jomaas, Chung K. Law

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

153 Scopus citations

Abstract

The cells that continuously develop over the flame surface of an expanding spherical flame increase its area and thereby the global propagation rate, resulting in the possibility of self-acceleration. The present study examines whether this self-acceleration could be self-similar, and, if so, whether it could also be selfturbulizing. Extensive experiments at elevated pressures and thereby reduced laminar flame thicknesses and enhanced propensity to exhibit Darrieus-Landau instability were conducted for hydrogen/air mixtures over an extensive range of equivalence ratios. The results demonstrate the strong possibility of self-similar flame acceleration, weak influence of the system pressure and diffusional-thermal instability, and a corresponding moderate spread in the power-law acceleration exponent.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)937-945
Number of pages9
JournalProceedings of the Combustion Institute
Volume34
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Keywords

  • Cellular flames
  • Expanding spherical flame
  • Hydrodynamic (Darrieus-Landau) instability
  • Self-acceleration
  • Self-similar propagation

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