Extinction of premixed flames of practical liquid fuels: Experiments and simulations

Compared to those for gaseous fuels, fundamental flame studies for liquid fuels are less extensive. The reasons are the experimental difficulty in handling the liquid phase and the complexity of kinetics stemming from the structure of liquid fuel molecules. However, such fuels are important in power generation, transportation, and propulsion. In this investigation, a systematic study has been conducted on the extinction of mixtures of methanol, ethanol, n-heptane, and iso-octane with air. The experiments were performed in the counterflow configuration and the extinction strain rates were determined through the use of digital particle image velocimetry. The introduction of the liquid fuel into the air was achieved through a liquid fuel feeder. The liquid flow rates were determined through the use of a high-precision pump. The experiments were conducted at ambient pressure and temperature and the maximum achievable equivalence ratios were limited by the attendant vapor pressure of each liquid fuel. The experiments were numerically simulated using detailed descriptions of chemical kinetic and molecular transport. A number of kinetic mechanisms were tested against the experimentally determined extinction strain rates. The mechanisms were also tested against literature data of laminar flame speeds. It was found that while most mechanisms satisfactorily predict laminar flame speeds, the experimental and predicted extinction strain rates can differ by factors of as much as 2 to 3. Under certain conditions, distinct differences were identified in the kinetic pathways that control the phenomena of propagation and extinction. Additionally, it was found that the sensitivity of laminar flame speeds and extinction strain rates to diffusion could be of the same order as that to kinetics.