Flame structure of ethanol-air premixed mixtures at high pressures in microgravity

M. Nassouri (1) , C. Chauveau (1) , F. Halter (2) , I. Gökalp (1)

1 ICARE - Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité et Environnement
2 PRISME - Laboratoire pluridisciplinaire de recherche en ingénierie des systèmes, mécanique et énergétique

The objective of the present research is the experimental determination of the flame structure for both droplet-vapor-air and vapor-air mixtures. The effects of initial conditions and the smallest fuel droplets on the flame structure and cell formation are particularly investigated. Idealization of spray configurations in a quiescent environment has been impossible in normal gravity with droplet-vapor-air mixtures due to the settling of large droplets. Therefore, the experiments were conducted for initial pressures up to 9 bars, both in normal and microgravity conditions. The experimental equipment is designed to be used aboard the Airbus A300-0g of the CNES. The results obtained allowed determining the effects of the gravity on the flame behavior for both vapor-air and droplet-vapor-air mixtures. The effect of drop concentrations on the flame structure is also investigated. Experimental results reveal that the pressure and the equivalence ratio are the most dominant parameters in terms of the onset of flame instability for the vapor-air mixtures.

Mots clés: Aerosol; Combustion; Droplet; Flame structure

Domaines: Milieux fluides et réactifs

M. Nassouri, C. Chauveau, F. Halter, I. Gökalp. Flame structure of ethanol-air premixed mixtures at high pressures in microgravity. Proceedings of the European Combustion Meeting, Jun 2013, Lund, Sweden. ⟨10.13140/RG.2.1.3531.2724⟩. ⟨hal-02019729⟩