Strain distribution on material surfaces during combustion regime transitions

A multi-fluid state approach is used to analyse the underlying conditions for burning mode transitions from close to the corrugated flamelet regime to distributed reactions. Turbulent (Ret ≃ 380) premixed DME/air flames were aerodynamically stabilised in a back-to-burnt opposed jet configuration with the Damköhler number varied through the mixture stoichiometry. Simultaneous Mie scattering, OH-PLIF and PIV allowed the delineation of five separate fluid states (reactants, combustion products, mixing fluid, mildly and strongly reacting fluids) with associated material surfaces. The analysis shows self-sustained flames in low strain regions with a collocated flow acceleration for higher Damköhler numbers. By contrast, in highly strained regions (e.g. beyond the twin flame extinction point) the burning mode is governed by the counter-flowing hot combustion products resulting in increased levels of vorticity and an absence of a preferential dilatation direction. The current analysis provides novel insights into combustion regime transitions by means of (i) strain rate statistics conditioned upon material surfaces and (ii) the evolution of fluid state interface probabilities as a function of the Damköhler number. The work further shows (iii) that the combustion mode influences scalar transport and that increased levels of turbulence retards the transition to non-gradient transport.