PhD.

Turbulent premixed propane/air and methane/air flames were studied using planar Rayleigh scattering and particle image velocimetry on a stabilized Bunsen type burner. The fuel-air equivalence ratio was varied from &phis; = 0:7 to 1.0 for propane flames, and from &phis; = 0:6 to 1.0 for methane flames. The non-dimensional turbulence intensity, u'/ SL (ratio of fluctuation velocity to laminar burning velocity), covered the range from 3 to 24, equivalent to conditions of corrugated flamelets and thin reaction zones regimes. Temperature gradients decreased with the increasing u'/SL and levelled off beyond u'/SL > 10 for both propane and methane flames. Flame front thickness increased slightly as u'/SL increased for both mixtures, although the thickness increase was more noticeable for propane flames, which meant the thermal flame front structure was being thickened. A zone of higher temperature was observed on the average temperature profile in the preheat zone of the flame front as well as some instantaneous temperature profiles at the highest u'/SL. Curvature probability density functions were similar to the Gaussian distribution at all u'/ SL for both mixtures and for all the flame sections. The mean curvature values decreased as a function of u'/ SL and approached zero. Flame front thickness was smaller when evaluated at flame front locations with zero curvature than that with curvature. Temperature gradients and FSD were larger when the flame curvature was zero. The combined thickness and FSD data suggest that the curvature effect is more dominant than that of the stretch by turbulent eddies during flame propagation. Integrated flame surface density for both propane and methane flames exhibited no dependance on u'/S L regardless of the FSD method used for evaluation. This observation implies that flame surface area may not be the dominant factor in increasing the turbulent burning velocity and the flamelet assumption may not be valid under the conditions studied. Dkappa term, the product of diffusivity evaluated at conditions studied and the flame front curvature, was a magnitude smaller than or the same magnitude as the laminar burning velocity.

Lean burning of premixed gases is considered to be a promising combustion technology for future clean and highly efficient gas turbine combustors. Yet researchers face several challenges in dealing with premixed turbulent combustion, from its nonlinear multiscale nature and the impact of local phenomena to the multitude of competing models. Filling a gap in the literature, Fundamentals of Premixed Turbulent Combustion introduces the state of the art of premixed turbulent combustion in an accessible manner for newcomers and experienced researchers alike. To more deeply consider current research issues, the book focuses on the physical mechanisms and phenomenology of premixed flames, with a brief discussion of recent advances in partially premixed turbulent combustion. It begins with a summary of the relevant knowledge needed from disciplines such as thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, molecular transport processes, and fluid dynamics. The book then presents experimental data on the general appearance of premixed turbulent flames and details the physical mechanisms that could affect the flame behavior. It also examines the physical and numerical models for predicting the key features of premixed turbulent combustion. Emphasizing critical analysis, the book compares competing concepts and viewpoints with one another and with the available experimental data, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. In addition, it discusses recent advances and highlights unresolved issues. Written by a leading expert in the field, this book provides a valuable overview of the physics of premixed turbulent combustion. Combining simplicity and topicality, it helps researchers orient themselves in the contemporary literature and guides them in selecting the best research tools for their work.

A work on turbulent premixed combustion is important because of increased concern about the environmental impact of combustion and the search for new combustion concepts and technologies. An improved understanding of lean fuel turbulent premixed flames must play a central role in the fundamental science of these new concepts. Lean premixed flames have the potential to offer ultra-low emission levels, but they are notoriously susceptible to combustion oscillations. Thus, sophisticated control measures are inevitably required. The editors' intent is to set out the modeling aspects in the field of turbulent premixed combustion. Good progress has been made on this topic, and this cohesive volume contains contributions from international experts on various subtopics of the lean premixed flame problem.

Turbulent combustion sits at the interface of two important nonlinear, multiscale phenomena: chemistry and turbulence. Its study is extremely timely in view of the need to develop new combustion technologies in order to address challenges associated with climate change, energy source uncertainty, and air pollution. Despite the fact that modeling of turbulent combustion is a subject that has been researched for a number of years, its complexity implies that key issues are still eluding, and a theoretical description that is accurate enough to make turbulent combustion models rigorous and quantitative for industrial use is still lacking. In this book, prominent experts review most of the available approaches in modeling turbulent combustion, with particular focus on the exploding increase in computational resources that has allowed the simulation of increasingly detailed phenomena. The relevant algorithms are presented, the theoretical methods are explained, and various application examples are given. The book is intended for a relatively broad audience, including seasoned researchers and graduate students in engineering, applied mathematics and computational science, engine designers and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) practitioners, scientists at funding agencies, and anyone wishing to understand the state-of-the-art and the future directions of this scientifically challenging and practically important field.