Nitrogen dilution effect on flame stability in a lifted non-premixed turbulent hydrogen jet with coaxial air

The nitrogen dilution effect on flame stability was experimentally investigated in a lifted non-premixed turbulent hydrogen jet with coaxial air. Hydrogen gas was used as the fuel and coaxial air was injected to initiate flame liftoff. Hydrogen was injected into an axisymmetric inner nozzle (d(F) = 3.65 mm) and coaxial air jetted from an axisymmetric outer nozzle (d(A) = 14.1 mm). The fuel jet and coaxial air velocities were fixed at u(F) = 200 m/s and u(A) = 16 m/s, while the mole fraction of the nitrogen diluent gas varied from 0.0 to 0.2 with a 0.1 step. For the analysis of the flame structure and the flame stabilization mechanism, the simultaneous measurement of PIV/OH PLIF was performed. The stabilization point was in the region of the flame base with the most upstream region and was defined as the point where the turbulent flame propagation velocity was found to be balanced with the axial component of the local flow velocity. The turbulent flame propagation velocity increased as the nitrogen mixture fraction decreased. The nitrogen dilution makes the flame structure more premixed. That is, the stabilization mechanism shifts from edge flame propagation based mechanism toward premixed flame propagation based mechanism. We concluded that the turbulent flame propagation velocity was expressed as a function of the turbulent intensity and the axial strain rate, even though the mole fraction of the nitrogen diluent varied. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.