Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T15:02:07.794Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Shedding new light on a burning question

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2010

H. PITSCH*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94024, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Only recently, three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) with detailed chemistry have become possible. These types of simulations will have an important impact on combustion science because of the data they provide. Obtaining similar data sets through experimental characterization is very challenging and requires joint measurements of a multitude of chemical species concentrations in addition to temperature and velocity fields. Gruber et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 5–32) have performed a detailed chemistry DNS to understand the physics of flame/wall interactions. They found that flames interact with streamwise vortical structures close to the wall, and that these structures can push the flame towards or away from the wall. The flames get extinguish when they are too close to the wall. Interestingly, the extinction process actually causes an order-of-magnitude increase in heat release, and therefore, strongly amplifies wall heat transfer.

Type
Focus on Fluids
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

References

Energy Information Administration, U. 2009 2009 International Energy Outlook. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html.Google Scholar
Gruber, A., Sankaran, R., Hawkes, E. R. & Chen, J. H. 2010 Turbulent flame–wall interaction: a direct numerical simulation study. J. Fluid Mech. 658, 532.Google Scholar
Kravchenko, A. G., Choi, H. & Moin, P. 1993 On the relation of near-wall streamwise vortices to wall skin friction in turbulent boundary layers. Phys. Fluids A 5 (12), 33073309.Google Scholar
Peters, N. & Williams, F. A. 1987 The asymptotic structure of stoichiometric methane-air flames. Comb. Flame 68, 185207.Google Scholar