Content of Lecture

1. Phenomenology of Combustion
2. Thermodynamic Fundamentals
3. Chemical Reaction Kinetics
4. Ignition and Ignition Limits
5. Laminar Flame Theory
6. Turbulent Combustion
7. Pollutants of Combustion
8. Combustion of Liquid and Solid Fuels
9. Numerical Simulation
10. Measurement Techniques of Combustion Processes
11. Applied Aspects of Turbulent Combustion
12. Technical Burner Systems
13. Internal Combustion Engines

6/1

Content

6. Fundamentals of turbulent combustion

6.0 Motivation for turbulent combustion

6.1 Turbulence quantities

6.2 Turbulent premixed flames

• Structure of turbulent flames
• Turbulent flame speed

6.3 Turbulent diffusion flames

• Examples
• Flame length

6/2

1
Motivation for turbulent combustion

• Two flows of two species at different velocities behind splitter

plate
• Shear at interface lead to formation of eddies, which grow.
• Fluid B convected upward, and Fluid A convected downward
• Interfacial area over which diffusion occurs is increased
->enhanced mixing

6/3

Motivation for turbulent combustion

6.0 Motivation for turbulent combustion

Why turbulent combustion ?

• Mixing is enhanced Heat release per volume (power density)

increases smaller burning chambers possible (engine, airplane engine)

foll. Hottel u. Hawthorne,

3. Comb. Symp. (1949)
Fuel flow rate

6/4

2
Motivation for turbulent combustion

Why turbulent combustion ?

Pratt & Whitney

PW4000 Engine

e.g. Boeing 747-400

Airbus A310-300
6/5

Turbulence quantities

7.1 Turbulence Quantities

Turbulent Flow:
• time dependent fluctuating velocities
• three dimensional
• eddy structures (e.g. Karman's eddy street)

2 possible approaches:
• statistical u(t )  u  u (t )
• -> Mean value
u(t)
• -> Standard deviation etc.

an einem Ort x gemessen

• structural t

• eddy description, LES, DNS

6/6

3
Turbulence quantities
Homogeneous Turbulence
Idealization: Homogeneous isotropic turbulence (assumed in the following)
• In reality only as approximation:
• 1: Stirred chamber with strong mixing without swirl
• 2: "Grid turbulence " = "Wind channel turbulence"

6/7

Turbulence quantities
Homogeneous Turbulence
Common statistical approach: Reynolds decomposition
Mean value
u(t )  u  u (t ) (6.1) u (t )  0 (6.3)

u   urms
  u (t )
2
(6.2)
"Turbulence intensity" (Fluctuation velocity =
Root-Mean-Square Velocity)
"Turbulence degree" (v. Kármán Number)

u
Tu  (6.4) (typ. Tu < 10% for grid turbulence )
u
u(t )  u  u (t )
Turbulent kinetic energy k u(t)

an einem Ort x gemessen

t
6/8

4
Turbulence quantities

Concept of Eddy cascade

Eddies of different size
"Concept of eddy cascade" (eddy spectrum)

Hindrance -> Large eddies -> smaller eddies -> very small eddies

(Energy transport = Dissipation rate e) -> Molecular dissipation

(to heat)

"Integral length scale" Lx "Kolmogorov-scale" h (or lk )

("Macro length scale") ("Micro length scale")
The dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy proceeds from the large eddies to
the small eddies
6/9

Turbulence quantities

Transition laminar - turbulent

Note: depends on geometry !

u D
Reynolds number Re  (6.5) D = geometrical size
  = kin. viscosity

Rekr  2200 Flow in tube

100 - 1000 Axial free jet flow

"Turbulent Reynolds number"

Independent from geometry !
u  Lx characteristic local quantity
Ret  (6.6)

turbulent: Ret > 1

Note: Ret is about 100 - 1000 times smaller than Re

6/10

5
Turbulence quantities

Turbulence characterization:

(Assumption: fully developed turbulence, homogeneous, isotropic)

Turbulent fluctuation velocity u' = urms (measured)

Integral length scale (Macro length) Lx (measured)
Turbulent Reynolds number Ret = u' Lx /  (6.7)
Kolmogorov length (Micro length) h = Lx / Ret 3/4 (6.8)

Increase of turbulent Reynolds number broadens turbulence spectrum

Integral length scale : distance over which a " particle " of fluid is influenced by its
previous position

6/11

Turbulence

With the increase

in Reynolds
number, the range
of fluctuation
scales increases

Sakamoto and Hanui, Trans. ASME, 112 (1990) 386

6/12

6
Turbulent premixed flames

7.2 Turbulent premixed Flames

Turbulent premixed flames

• Fuel and air are premixed
• Danger of flash back
• Lean premixed flames can have low pollutant emissions:
• No soot
• Very low NOX formation (stationary gas turbines, 'Blue burner')
• Turbulence increases the density of reaction (P thermal / Vflame). How ?

6/13

Turbulent premixed flames

Turbulent premixed flames

Bunsen
flame
(Heidelberg)

D=80 mm
100 kW

Photograph:
Laser-
diagnostics
(15x10 cm)

6/14

7
Turbulent premixed flames

Turbulent premixed flames

Several instantaneous images Average image

Flame brush
Flame front
(Flammen-
(Flammenfront) zone)

Fuel + Air

6/15

Turbulent premixed flames

Turbulent flame speed sT

Definition: 'turbulent flame speed' sT

Idea: Kinematic Balance between

sT
turbulent flame speed sT and the un
normal velocity component un for a
stationary flames. u

sT
sin a 
u

6/16

8
Turbulent premixed flames

Turbulent flame speed sT

Height of flame
as approximation
sT
sin a  (6.14)
u sT
with unburnt gas velocity u and angle un
a between u and flame front. a
u
For Bunsen flame (assumed u =
const.) follows with
H sT
R
sin a 
tan a  (6.15) u
H R
as (rough) approximation the flame
height H.
u

6/17

Turbulent premixed flames

Turbulent flame speed sT

Turbulent flame speed sT is effective propagation velocity of premixed flame
in turbulent flow field.

Necessary for calculation:

• Relation for sT as function of
• flame parameters (fuel, stoichiometry, p, T --> sL)
• Turbulence parameters (u', Lx , Ret , Da, ...)

Is discussed in literature with several different approaches:

• Theory (Damköhler 1940): For wrinkled laminar flame surfaces the turbulent
reaction rate and thus also the turbulent flame speed is proportional to
geometrical flame surface area

sT A u'
 L  1 (6.16)
sL AT sL

6/18

9
Turbulent non-premixed flames

7.3 Turbulent non-premixed flames

• Fuel and air are mixed in burning chamber

• Turbulence supports mixing
• Large practical relevance
• Also for solid and liquid fuels
• Disadvantage: More pollutants and soot as premixed flames

6/19

Turbulent non-premixed flames

Snap-shot of a turbulent jet-

diffusion flame (schematics)

6/20

10
Turbulent non-premixed flames
Example: Burning chamber of air gas turbine (schematic)

Use of non-premixed (diffusion) flames owing to safety reasons (flashback)

6/21

Turbulent non-premixed flames

Length of turbulent jet non-premixed flames

Length of flame nearly independent on fuel exit velocity, for developed

turbulent flame

Fuel flow rate

6/22

11
Turbulent non-premixed flames

Length of turbulent jet non-premixed flames

Empirical relation for flame length of turbulent jet non-premixed flame
(Delichatsios 93, Turns 96)
Length of diffusion flame is controlled by mixing. From that the following relation is
derived for jet flames (here for "sufficiently" large momentum of the fuel flow,
buoyancy is neglected, calm surroundings; for other conditions see Turns 96).

Flame length Lf

1/ 2
23  d j   B  Diameter of fuel inlet dj
 L  Density ratio between fuel and air B/L
Lf 
YB,st Stoichiometric fuel mass fraction YB,st (Lecture 2,
Table 2.1)
(6.20)
Note:
Length of flame is (approx.) independent of inlet velocity !
Length of flame is proportional to diameter of inlet!
Length of flame depends on fuel
Example: Methane in air, dj = 10 mm, gives length Lf = 3,1 m

6/23

Summary

Turbulent premixed flames

• Typically: fluctuating wrinkled thin flame fronts result in a broad
flame brush
• Turbulent flame speed sT

Turbulent diffusion flames

• Turbulence enhances fuel-air mixing
• Flame height becomes independent of flow rate

6/24

12