Measurements and large eddy simulation of propagating premixed flames

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of unsteady turbulent premixed flames igniting in an initially stagnant mixture and propagating past solid obstacles. The objective here is to study the outstanding issue of flow–flame interactions in transient premixed combustion environments. Particular emphasis is placed on the burning rate and the structure of the flame front. The experimental configuration consists of a chamber with a square cross-section filled with a combustible mixture of propane–air ignited from rest. An array of baffle plates as well as geometrical obstructions of varying shapes and blockage ratios, are placed in the path of the flame as it propagates from the ignition source to the vented end of the enclosure.A range of flame propagation conditions are studied experimentally. Measurements are presented for pressure–time traces, high-speed images of the flame front, mean velocities obtained from particle imaging velocimetry and laser induced fluorescence images of the hydroxyl radical OH. Three-dimensional large eddy simulations (LES) are also made for a case where a square obstacle and an array of baffle plates are placed in the chamber. The dynamic Germano model and a simple flamelet combustion model are used at the sub-grid scale. The effects of grid size and sub-grid filter width are also discussed. Calculations and measurements are found to be in good agreement with respect to flame structure and peak overpressure. Turbulence levels increase significantly at the leading edge of the flame as it propagates past the array of baffle plates and the obstacle. With reference to the regime diagrams for turbulent premixed combustion, it is noted that the flame continues to lie in the zones of thin reactions or corrugated flamelets regardless of the stage of propagation along the chamber.