On the determination of laminar flame speeds from stretched flames

C. K. Wu, C. K. Law

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

289 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effects of stretch on the determination of the laminar flame speed are experimentally studied by using the positively-stretched stagnation flame and negatively-stretched bunsen flame, and by using lean and rich mixtures of methane, propane, butane, and hydrogen with air whose effective Lewis numbers are either greater or less than unity. Results demonstrate that flame speed determination can be influenced by stretch through two factors: (1) Preferential diffusion which tends to increase or decrease the flame temperature and burning rate depending on the effective Lewis number, and (2) Flow divergence which causes the flame speed to assume higher values when evaluated at the upstream boundary of the preheat zone instead of the reaction zone. Recent data on flame speed including the present ones are then examined from the unified viewpoint of flame stretch, leading to satisfactory resolution of the discrepancies between them. The present study also proposes a methodology of determining the laminar flame speeds by using the stagnation flame and linearly extrapolating the data to zero stretch rate.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1941-1949
Number of pages9
JournalSymposium (International) on Combustion
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1985
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

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