• 한국가시화정보학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.74-79
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• 2005

The tribrachial flame in laminar coflow jet has been investigated experimentally with unsteady propagating condition. With adopting various visualization techniques, including OH-PLIF, Rayleigh Scattering technique, it was confirmed that the location of tribrachial point is on the inclined surface of flame and the propagation speed of tribrachial flame was significantly affected by the velocity gradient.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 2010

The tribrachial flame has attracted interest as a basic structure of the flame edge. This flame structure helps understand stabilization of laminar flames and re-ignition of turbulent flames. A number of analytical and experimental studies have been carried out on the tribrachial flame. However, the effect of the variation of the flammability limits on the structure of the tribrachial flame has not been studied in detail. In this study, the effect of non-symmetric flammability limits on the flame structure was investigated by adopting a simple numerical scheme based on several laminar flame theories. A fixed velocity field was considered and boundary matching algorithm was used on the premixed branch. The variation of the diffusion branches under the non-symmetric flammability limits and heat loss was investigated. The formation and extinction of the diffusion branch behind the premixed branch were successfully described. This basic study can help understand the fundamental structure of the flame and can form the basis of subsequent detailed studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

Characteristics of laminar lifted flames of propane highly-diluted with nitrogen have been investigated at various temperatures of coflow air. At various fuel mole fractions, the base of laminar lifted flames has the structure of tribrachial (or triple) flame. The liftoff heights are correlated well with the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity considering initial temperature at a given coflow velocity. It shows that lifted flames are stabilized on the basis of the balance mechanism between local flow velocity and the propagation speed of tribrachial flame, regardless of the temperature of coflow and fuel mole fraction. Lifted flames exist for a jet velocity even smaller than the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity, and liftoff velocity increases more rapidly than stoichiometric laminar burning velocity as coflow temperature increases. These can be attributed to the buoyancy effect due to the density difference.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.9-15
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• 2000

Characteristics of lifted flames for highly diluted propane and methane with nitrogen in coflowing air is experimentally investigated. In case of propane, for various fuel mole fractions and jet velocities, three distinctive types of flames are observed; nozzle attached flames, stationary lifted flames, and oscillating lifted flames. When fuel jet velocity is much smaller than coflow velocity, the base of nozzle attached flame has a tribrachial structure unlike usual coflow difusion flames. Based on the balance mechanism of the propagation speed of tribrachial flame with flow velocity, jet velocity is scaled with stoichiometric laminar burning velocity. Results show that there exists two distinctive lifted flame stabilization; stabilization in the developing region and in the developed region of jets depending on initial fuel mole fraction. It has been found that lifted flame can be stabilized for fuel velocity even smaller than stoichiometric laminar burning velocity. This can be attributed to the buoyancy effect and flow visualization supports it. Lifted flames are also observed for methane diluted with nitrogen. The lifted flames only exist in the developing region of jet.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.149-156
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• 2006

Structure of edge flame established in a mixing layer, formed between two uniformly flowing pure $CH_4$ and pure $O_2$ streams, is numerically investigated by employing a detailed methane-oxidation mechanism. The numerical results exhibited the most outstanding distinction of using pure oxygen in the fuel-rich premixed-flame front, through which the carbon-containing compound is found to leak mainly in the form of CO instead of HC compounds, contrary to the rich $CH_4-air$ premixed flames in which $CH_4$ as well as $C_2H_m$ leakage can occur. Moreover, while passing through the rich premixed flame, a major route for CO production, in addition to the direct $CH_4$ decomposition, is found to be $C_2H_m$ compound formation followed by their decomposition into CO. Beyond the rich premixed flame front, CO is further oxidized into $CO_2$ in a broad diffusion-flame-like reaction zone located around moderately fuel-rich side of the stoichiometric mixture by the OH radical from the fuel-lean premixed-flame front. Since the secondary CO production through $C_2H_m$ decomposition has a relatively strong reaction intensity, an additional heat-release branch appears and the resulting heat-release profile can no longer be seen as a tribrachial structure.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2006

Structure of edge flame established in a mixing layer, formed between two uniformly flowing pure $CH_4$ and pure $O_2$ streams, is numerically investigated by employing a detailed methane-oxidation mechanism. The numerical results exhibited the most outstanding distinction of using pure oxygen in the fuel-rich premixed-flame front, through which the carbon-containing compound is found to leak mainly in the form of CO instead of HC compounds, contrary to the rich $CH_4-air$ premixed flames in which $CH_4$ as well as $C_2H_m$ leakage can occur. Moreover, while passing through the rich premixed flame, a major route for CO production, in addition to the direct $CH_4$ decomposition, is found to be $C_2H_m$ compound formation followed by their decomposition into CO. Beyond the rich premixed flame front, CO is further oxidized into $CO_2$ in a broad diffusion-flame-like reaction zone located around moderately fuel-rich side of the stoichiometric mixture by the OH radical from the fuel-lean premixed-flame front. Since the secondary CO production through $C_2H_m$ decomposition has a relatively strong reaction intensity, an additional heat-release branch appears and the resulting heat-release profile can no longer be seen as a tribrachial structure.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.131-138
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• 1998

Flame characteristics in a double concentric burner has been studied experimentally. Air is supplied through a central nozzle, methane/air premixture is supplied in a inner annular part, and coflowing shield air is supplied to minimize outside disturbances. Depending on flow rate and concentration, various flame shapes can be observed. As the flow rate difference between central air jet and annular premixed jet is varied, several distinctive flames are observed. Conditions of partially premixed flames are further investigated; nozzle attached rich premixed flame, inner lifted flame, and outer lifted flame. Using the Abel transformation of digitized images of flames, cross- sectional images of flames can be obtained, from which overall structure of flames can be identified. PLIF measurement of OR radical was also conducted. OR radicals were mainly distributed in diffusion flame region. From the difference of OR distribution between nozzle attached and lifted flames, similarity of OR distribution between tribrachial flame and lifted flames in this study are observed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.864-870
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• 2001

Flame propagation along vortex tube was experimentally investigated. The vortex tube was generated by the ejection of propane from a nozzle through a single stroke motion of a speaker and the ignition was induced from a single pulse laser. Non-reactive flow fields were visualized using shadow technique. From these images, vortex ring size and translational velocity were measured in order to determine the ignition time and position. Flame structure and flame speed were measured using high speed CCD camera. Flame speed was accelerated during the initial stage of flame kernel growth, and reached near constant value during steady propagation period. Near the completion of propagation, flame speed was decelerated and then extinguished. Flame speed along the non-premixed vortex tube was found to be linearly proportional to circulation, which was similar to that of the flame propagation along premixed vortex ring. Ignition position minimally affects the propagation characteristics. These imply that flame is propagating along the maximum speed locus expected to be along stoichiometric contour and also support the existence of tribrachial flames.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.9-16
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• 2001

When large size nozzle with low jet velocity is used, the buoyancy effect arises from the density difference among propane, air, and burnt gas. Flame characteristics in such buoyant jets have been investigated numerically to elucidate the effect of buoyancy on lifted flames. It has been demonstrated that the cold jet has circular cone shape since upwardly injected propane jet decelerates and forms stagnation region. In contrast to the cold flow, the reacting flow with a lifted flame has no stagnation region by the buoyancy force induced from the burnt gas. To further illustrate the buoyancy effect on lifted flames, the reacting flow with buoyancy is compared with non-buoyant reacting flow. Non-buoyant flame is stabilized at much lower height than the buoyant flame. At a certain range of fuel jet velocities and fuel dilutions. an oscillating flame is demonstrated numerically showing that the height of flame base and tip vary during one cycle of oscillation. Under the same condition. non-buoyant flame exhibits only steady lifted flames. This confirms the buoyancy effect on the mechanism of lifted flame oscillation.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.13-18
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• 2007

When triple flames propagated in a diverging channel, the effects of fuel dilution on the lift-off characteristics of triple flames were investigated. A multi-slot burner was used to stabilize the lift-off flame especially at weak fuel concentration gradients. It was reported that there is a maximum propagation velocity at a critical concentration gradient in an open jet regardless of fuel dilution. The enhancement of a diffusion flame affected to increase the propagation velocity around critical concentration gradients. However, the influence of a confined channel on the structure of triple flames according to fuel dilution needs to be investigated compared with an open jet case. This study aimed to examine the effect of a confined channel on the structure and the propagation velocity of the triple flames according to fuel dilution. Lift-off height and propagation velocity of triple flames were investigated by employing three kinds of fuel compositions diluted by nitrogen (0%, 25%, 50% $N_2$), Fuel dilution reduced the propagation velocity of triple flame in a confined channel mainly due to the decrease of flame temperature in premixed branch. Despite the difference in fuel dilution, the propagation velocity has a maximum value at a specific fuel concentration gradient even though the critical concentration gradient increases with fuel dilution. And the critical concentration gradient in a confined channel is larger than that in an open jet due to enhancement of convective diffusion.