KIT University of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg and

National Research Center of the Helmholtz Association

Bibliography
Long term:
Create experimental data for model validation;
In particular: mixtures of bio-components and traditional fuels;
short term: setup appropriatley the experiment.
Extinction limits in atmospheric turbulent lean
CH
4
and C
2
H
5
OH/air mixtures
R.M. Hartmann
1,2,*
, R. Schiessl
1
, A.A.M. Oliveira
2
, U. Maas
1


1
ITT, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

2
LABCET, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
ricardo.hartmann@kit.edu
Institute of Technical Thermodynamics (ITT)
Engelbert-Arnold-Strae 4
76131 Karlsruhe
Web: http://www.itt.kit.edu
Lean flame extinction limit in turbulent flow important characteristic of a fuel
significant for applications (e.g., gas turbines)
test case for:
detailed reaction mechanisms
combustion models
Influence of bio-components onto extinction limits
paucity of systematic studies
Goals
Extinction Limits (Work In Progress)
In our experiments, methane was more stable than ethanol
Methane:

our laminar limit close to flammability limit of [1]
Ethanol: our laminar limit inconsistent with flammability limit of [1]
further scrutiny of experiment is ongoing (no flaw found so far)
scatter in extinction limit mean values (limited number of experimental points)
choice of improved scheme for measurement point selection (e.g. [2] and refs. therein)
search more robust choice of criterion for distinction extinction / flame propagation
further studies on mixtures (alkanes/ethanol)
better characterization of turbulence in cell (consider length scales in addition to rms velocity)
Experiment
[1] Zabetakis, M. G., Flammability Characteristics of Combustible Gases and Vapors, U.S.
Bureau of Mines, Bulletin 627, Washington-USA, 1963.

[2] Bane, S. P. M. ,Spark Ignition: Experimental and Numerical Investigation with Application
to Aviation Safety, PhD Thesis, CalTech, Pasadena-USA, 2010.

[3] Coronado, C. J. R., Carvalho Jr, J. A., Andrade, J. C., Cortez, E. V., Carvalho, F. S.,
Santos, J. C., Mendiburu, A. Z., Flammability Limits: a Review with emphasis on ethanol for
aeronautical applications and description of the experimental procedure, Journal of
Hazardous Materials 241-242 (2012) 32-54.
Combustion cell (front lid opened)
Fans for turbulence generation
electrodes (electrode gap = ~ 3 mm)
Constant-volume combustion cell: V
in
= 55 l
spark electrode
distance 3 mm, ignition energy ~10 mJ
Introduction Air, 3.1 ms after spark
initiation
Air, 3.7 ms Air, 4.1 ms
C
2
H
5
OH/air =0.74
laminar (V_turb=0 m/s)
4.2 ms after spark initiation
(was followed by flame
propagation)

C
2
H
5
OH/air, =0.79,
V_turb = 3.5 m/s,
4.2 ms after spark initiation
(was followed by flame
propagation)
C
2
H
5
OH/air, =0.79,
V_turb = 3.5 m/s,
4.2 ms after spark initiation.
(did not lead to flame
propagation)
The flame kernel was detected in all shots.
flame kernel images
different single-shots
y = 0.0007x - 0.039
R = 0.99962
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
R
o
o
t
M
e
a
n
S
q
u
a
r
e
o
f
T
u
r
b
u
le
n
t
V
e
lo
c
it
y

F
lu
c
t
u
a
t
io
n
s
[
m
/s
]

Fan Speed [rpm]
Speed [rpm]
Linear (Speed [rpm])
turbulent fluctuation of velocity
field (rms) at cell center was
calibrated against fan speed by
LDA measurements
equipped with 4 fans for turbulence
generation
adjustable fan speed
Flame extinction: Succesful flame kernel generation, but no subsequent flame
propagation
Important distinction: spark luminosity vs. flame kernel
Optical diagnostics: ICCD camera (La Vision Flame Star 2)
check for succesful flame kernel generation at each shot
Spark / flame images (luminescence)
~3 mm
spark luminosity images
different single-shots, nominally identical conditions
Air, 3.1 ms after spark initiation Air, 3.7 ms Air, 4.1 ms
Statistical analysis
conditioned on succesful flame kernel generation
Flame propagation: 1 succesful, 0 extinction

Overlap of regions:
Uncertainty in equivalence ratio (< 5 %)
Genuine stochastics of the system (turbulence)
Maximum likelihood fit of a logistic function to data for a
given turbulence level
estimate of extinction limit vs. turbulence strength
Mixture preparation

Cell is
1. evacuated
2. filled with fuel
3. filled with synthetic air
Determination of equivalence ratio via

partial pressures of gases
additional check: comparison of mass / partial pressure for
liquid fuels
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
0.49 0.59 0.69 0.79 0.89 0.99
T
u
r
b
u
l
e
n
t

M
e
a
n

V
e
l
o
c
i
t
y

[
m
/
s
]

Fuel/air equivalence ra o
Ex nc on Limits Methane vs Ethanol
Ethanol Mean Values
Methane Mean Values
Ethanol, Reference [1]
Methane, Reference [1]
Ethanol Methane
f
l
a
m
e

p
r
o
p
a
g
a
t
i
o
n

fuel/air equivalence ratio