CH4-O2 flame acceleration morphology: A comparative analysis under different hydrocarbon fuel, channel geometry and scale

Overview & Synopsis

In this work, a fully optically accessible polycarbonate channel, 1-m long with a square cross-section (10 mm × 10 mm) is used to characterize stoichiometric CH4-O2 flame acceleration (FA) via simultaneous schlieren visualization (SSV); the three-dimensional (3-D) flame morphologies that develop in the FA process can be thus unveiled. The morphologies are compared with results available in the literature in a 6-m long cylindrical tube with an inner diameter of 60 mm using an Argon diluted stoichiometric C2H2-O2 mixture. This comparison is of interest since significant similarities were found in scenarios with a different hydrocarbon fuel, channel scale and cross section. Furthermore, it allows us to show the importance of characterizing the FA process via SSV since asymmetries are observed throughout.