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NASA NTRS2000

Smoke-Point Properties of Nonbuoyant Round Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

The laminar smoke-point properties of nonbuoyant round laminar jet diffusion flames were studied emphasizing results from long duration (100-230 s) experiments at microgravity carried -out on- orbit in the Space Shuttle Columbia. Experimental conditions included ethylene-and propane-fueled flames burning in still air at an ambient temperature of 300 K, initial jet exit diameters of 1.6 and 2.7 mm, jet exit velocities of 170-1630 mm/s, jet exit Reynolds numbers of 46-172, characteristic flame residence times of 40-302 ms, and luminous flame lengths of 15-63 mm. The onset of laminar smoke-point conditions involved two flame configurations: closed-tip flames with first soot emissions along the flame axis and open-tip flames with first soot emissions from an annular ring about the flame axis. Open-tip flames were observed at large characteristic flame residence times with the onset of soot emissions associated with radiative quenching near the flame tip; nevertheless, unified correlations of laminar smoke-point properties were obtained that included both flame configurations. Flame lengths at laminar smoke-point conditions were well-correlated in terms of a corrected fuel flow rate suggested by a simplified analysis of flame shape. The present steady and nonbuoyant flames emitted soot more readily than earlier tests of nonbuoyant flames at microgravity using ground-based facilities and of buoyant flames at normal gravity due to reduced effects of unsteadiness, flame disturbances and buoyant motion. For example, laminar smoke-point flame lengths from ground-based microgravity measurements were up to 2.3 times longer and from buoyant flame measurements were up to 6.4 times longer than the present measurements at comparable conditions. Finally, present laminar smoke-point flame lengths were roughly inversely proportional to pressure, which is a somewhat slower variation than observed during earlier tests both at microgravity using ground-based facilities and at normal gravity.

Urban, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Volatiles Evolved from Soybean Products Intended for Use in Long Duration Space Missions

Soybeans have been baselined to be grown in a habitat (Advanced Life Support Systems Integration Test Bed, ALSSITB) intended for evaluating advanced life support systems developed for long duration missions to the Moon or Mars. The ALSSITB is being constructed at NASA-Johnson Space Center and is composed of 5 chambers (4.6 m x 11.3 m each) and an airlock joined by an interconnecting tunnel (3.7 m x 19.2 m). Processed soy products such as soy milk and soy bread are planned to be incorporated into a nutritionally sound, plant-based food system. Since all consumables will be recycled and reused, volatile compounds evolved during the manufacturing of these food products need to be quantified to assess their impact on this closed loop system. Soy milk was made in a prototype machine and bread in a commercial bread baking machine. These machines were each placed in a tightly closed chamber and, at the completion of the process, air volatiles were identified and quantified by GC/MS. For soy milk, ethanol, acetaldehyde, methanol, hexanal, propanal and acetone and for soybread, acetaldehyde, ethanol, N-propanol and ethyl acetate were detected in significant quantities. The crew members will spend an average of 180 days in the ALSSITB and it was estimated that 138 batches of soy milk will be processed in the tunnel and 130 loaves of soybread would be baked in the habitat chamber during their stay. The aforementioned volatiles would surpass the 180 day Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMACs) if no means of scrubbing are adapted which would lead to toxic levels of these compounds. Therefore, sufficient means for eliminating the contribution of volatiles evolved from food processing and preparation equipment needs to be provided in the ALSSITB.

Vodovotz, Yael↗

NASA NTRS2000

Raman Gas Species Measurements in Hydrocarbon-Fueled Rocket Engine Injector Flows

Rocket engine propellent injector development at NASA-Marshall includes experimental analysis using optical techniques, such as Raman, fluorescence, or Mie scattering. For the application of spontaneous Raman scattering to hydrocarbon-fueled flows a technique needs to be developed to remove the interfering polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluorescence from the relatively weak Raman signals. A current application of such a technique is to the analysis of the mixing and combustion performance of multijet, impinging-jet candidate fuel injectors for the baseline Mars ascent engine, which will burn methane and liquid oxygen produced in-situ on Mars to reduce the propellent mass transported to Mars for future manned Mars missions. The Raman technique takes advantage of the strongly polarized nature of Raman scattering. It is shown to be discernable from unpolarized fluorescence interference by subtracting one polarized image from another. Both of these polarized images are obtained from a single laser pulse by using a polarization-separating calcite rhomb mounted in the imaging spectrograph. A demonstration in a propane-air flame is presented, as well as a high pressure demonstration in the NASA-Marshall Modular Combustion Test Artice, using the liquid methane-liquid oxygen propellant system

Wehrmeyer, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS2001

Flame-Vortex Interactions Imaged in Microgravity - To Assess the Theory Flame Stretch

The goals of this research are to: 1) Assess the Theory of Flame Stretch by operating a unique flame-vortex experiment under microgravity conditions in the NASA Glenn 2.2 Second Drop Tower (drops to identify operating conditions have been completed); 2) Obtain high speed shadowgraph images (500-1000 frames/s) using the drop rig (images were obtained at one-g, and the NASA Kodak RO camera is being mounted on the drop rig); 3) Obtain shadowgraph and PIV images at 1-g while varying the effects of buoyancy by controlling the Froude number (completed); 4) Numerically model the inwardly-propagating spherical flame that is observed in the experiment using full chemistry and the RUN 1DL code (completed); 5) Send images of the flame shape to Dr. G. Patniak at NRL who is numerically simulating the entire flame-vortex interaction of the present experiment (data transfer completed); and 6) Assess the feasibility of obtaining PIV velocity field images in the drop rig, which would be useful (but not required) for our assessment of the Theory of Flame Stretch (PIV images were obtained at one-g using same low laser power that is available from fiber optic cable in drop tower). The motivation for the work is to obtain novel measurement needed to develop a physically accurate model of turbulent combustion that can help in the control of engine pollutants. The unique experiment allows, for the first time, the detailed study of a negatively-curved (negatively stretched) flame, which is one of the five fundamental types of premixed flames. While there have been studies of flat flames, positively-curved (outwardly-propagating) cases and positively-strained (counterflow) cases, this is the first detailed study of a negatively-curved (inwardly-propagating) flame. The first set of drops in the 2.2 Second Drop Tower showed that microgravity provides more favorable conditions for achieving inwardly-propagating flames (IPFs) than 1-g. A vortex interacts with a flame and creates a spherical pocket, which burns inwardly. Shadowgraphs at 1000 frames/sec quantify the Markstein number and flame speed. A Low-Laser Power PIV System was developed and is being added to the drop package. Numerical computations were required to explain why the Markstein numbers measured for the inwardly-propagating flames differ from those of outward propagating flames; this is an important research issue in the assessment of the Theory of Flame Stretch. The RUN-1DL code (developed by Prof. B. Rogg) was run for IPF and OPFs with complex methane and propane chemistry. Results confirmed that Ma for the IPFs are larger than for OPFs as was observed experimentally. Physical reasons for these new findings about the Theory of Flame Stretch are being determined from the experiments and the computations. Several journal papers have been published; the drop package is described in the AIAA Journal, while the one-g results appear in three other journal papers.

Driscoll, James F.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Combustion of Gaseous Fuels with High Temperature Air in Normal- and Micro-gravity Conditions

The objective of this study is determine the effect of air preheat temperature on flame characteristics in normal and microgravity conditions. We have obtained qualitative (global flame features) and some quantitative information on the features of flames using high temperature combustion air under normal gravity conditions with propane and methane as the fuels. This data will be compared with the data under microgravity conditions. The specific focus under normal gravity conditions has been on determining the global flame features as well as the spatial distribution of OH, CH, and C2 from flames using high temperature combustion air at different equivalence ratio.

Wang, Y.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Development and Demonstration of a 25 Watt Thermophotovoltaic Power Source for a Hybrid Power System

The development of a propane-fueled, 25 W thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power source for use in a hybrid power system is described. The TPV power source uses a platinum emitting surface with an anti-reflective coating to radiate to gallium antimonide photocells, which converts the radiation to electric power. The development program started with the design and fabrication of an engineering prototype system. This was used as a component development vehicle to develop the technologies for the various components. A 25 W demonstration prototype was then designed and fabricated using the most advanced component approaches. The designs and test results from this development program are discussed.

Doyle, Edward↗

NASA NTRS2000

Smoke-Point Properties of Non-Buoyant Round Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

The laminar smoke-point properties of non-buoyant round laminar jet diffusion flames were studied emphasizing results from long-duration (100-230 s) experiments at microgravity carried out in orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Experimental conditions included ethylene- and propane-fueled flames burning in still air at an ambient temperature of 300 K, pressures of 35-130 kPa, jet exit diameters of 1.6 and 2.7 mm, jet exit velocities of 170-690 mm/s, jet exit Reynolds numbers of 46-172, characteristic flame residence times of 40-302 ms, and luminous flame lengths of 15-63 mm. Contrary to the normal-gravity laminar smoke point, in microgravity, the onset of laminar smoke-point conditions involved two flame configurations: closed-tip flames with soot emissions along the flame axis and open-tip flames with soot emissions from an annular ring about the flame axis. Open-tip flames were observed at large characteristic flame residence times with the onset of soot emissions associated with radiative quenching near the flame tip: nevertheless, unified correlations of laminar smoke-point properties were obtained that included both flame configurations. Flame lengths at laminar smoke-point conditions were well correlated in terms of a corrected fuel flow rate suggested by a simplified analysis of flame shape. The present steady and non-buoyant flames emitted soot more readily than non-buoyant flames in earlier tests using ground-based microgravity facilities and than buoyant flames at normal gravity, as a result of reduced effects of unsteadiness, flame disturbances, and buoyant motion. For example, present measurements of laminar smoke-point flame lengths at comparable conditions were up to 2.3 times shorter than ground-based microgravity measurements and up to 6.4 times shorter than buoyant flame measurements. Finally, present laminar smoke-point flame lengths were roughly inversely proportional to pressure to a degree that is a somewhat smaller than observed during earlier tests both at microgravity (using ground-based facilities) and at normal gravity.

Urban, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Soot Oxidation in Laminar Hydrocarbon/Air Diffusion Flames at Atmospheric Pressure

Soot oxidation was studied experimentally in laminar hydrocarbon/air diffusion flames at atmospheric pressure. Measurements were carried out along the axes of round jets burning in coflowing air considering acetylene, ethylene, proplyene and propane as fuels. Measurements were limited to the initial stages of soot oxidation (carbon consumption less than 70%) where soot oxidation mainly occurs at the surface of primary soot particles. The following properties were measured as a function of distance above the burner exit: soot concentrations by deconvoluted laser extinction, soot temperatures by deconvoluted multiline emission, soot structure by thermophoretic sampling and analysis using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), concentrations of stable major gas species (N2, H2O, H2, 02, CO, CO2, CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, and C3H8) by sampling and gas chromatography, concentrations of some radical species (H, OH, O) by the deconvoluted Li/LiOH atomic absorption technique and flow velocities by laser velocimetry. It was found that soot surface oxidation rates are not particularly affected by fuel type for laminar diffusion flames and are described reasonably well by the OH surface oxidation mechanism with a collision efficiency of 0.10, (standard deviation of 0.07) with no significant effect of fuel type in this behavior; these findings are in good agreement with the classical laminar premixed flame measurements of Neoh et al. Finally, direct rates of surface oxidation by O2 were small compared to OH oxidation for present conditions, based on estimated O2 oxidation rates due to Nagle and Strickland-Constable, because soot oxidation was completed near the flame sheet where O2 concentrations were less than 1.2% by volume.

Xu, F.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Flame Shapes of Nonbuoyant Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

The shapes (flame-sheet and luminous-flame boundaries) of steady nonbuoyant round hydrocarbon-fueled laminar-jet diffusion flames in still and coflowing air were studied both experimentally and theoretically. Flame-sheet shapes were measured from photographs using a CH optical filter to distinguish flame-sheet boundaries in the presence of blue C02 and OH emissions and yellow continuum radiation from soot. Present experimental conditions included acetylene-, methane-, propane-, and ethylene-fueled flames having initial reactant temperatures of 300 K, ambient pressures of 4-50 kPa, jet exit Reynolds number of 3-54, initial air/fuel velocity ratios of 0-9 and luminous flame lengths of 5-55 mm; earlier measurements for propylene- and 1,3-butadiene-fueled flames for similar conditions were considered as well. Nonbuoyant flames in still air were observed at micro-gravity conditions; essentially nonbuoyant flames in coflowing air were observed at small pressures to control effects of buoyancy. Predictions of luminous flame boundaries from soot luminosity were limited to laminar smoke-point conditions, whereas predictions of flame-sheet boundaries ranged from soot-free to smoke-point conditions. Flame-shape predictions were based on simplified analyses using the boundary layer approximations along with empirical parameters to distinguish flame-sheet and luminous-flame (at the laminar smoke point) boundaries. The comparison between measurements and predictions was remarkably good and showed that both flame-sheet and luminous-flame lengths are primarily controlled by fuel flow rates with lengths in coflowing air approaching 2/3 lengths in still air as coflowing air velocities are increased. Finally, luminous flame lengths at laminar smoke-point conditions were roughly twice as long as flame-sheet lengths at comparable conditions due to the presence of luminous soot particles in the fuel-lean region of the flames.

Xu, F.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Shapes of Nonbuoyant Round Luminous Hydrocarbon/Air Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

The shapes (luminous flame boundaries) of round luminous nonbuoyant soot-containing hydrocarbon/air laminar jet diffusion flames at microgravity were found from color video images obtained on orbit in the Space Shuttle Columbia. Test conditions included ethylene- and propane-fueled flames burning in still air at an ambient temperature of 300 K ambient pressures of 35-130 kPa, initial jet diameters of 1.6 and 2.7 mm, and jet exit Reynolds numbers of 45-170. Present test times were 100-200 s and yielded steady axisymmetric flames that were close to the laminar smoke point (including flames both emitting and not emitting soot) with luminous flame lengths of 15-63 mm. The present soot-containing flames had larger luminous flame lengths than earlier ground-based observations having similar burner configurations: 40% larger than the luminous flame lengths of soot-containing low gravity flames observed using an aircraft (KC-135) facility due to reduced effects of accelerative disturbances and unsteadiness; roughly twice as large as the luminous flame lengths of soot-containing normal gravity flames due to the absence of effects of buoyant mixing and roughly twice as large as the luminous flame lengths of soot-free low gravity flames observed using drop tower facilities due to the presence of soot luminosity and possible reduced effects of unsteadiness, Simplified expressions to estimate the luminous flame boundaries of round nonbuoyant laminar jet diffusion flames were obtained from the classical analysis of Spalding; this approach provided successful correlations of flame shapes for both soot-free and soot-containing flames, except when the soot-containing flames were in the opened-tip configuration that is reached at fuel flow rates near and greater than the laminar smoke point fuel flow rate.

Lin, K.-C.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Low Ozone in the Marine Boundary Layer of the Tropical Pacific Ocean

Aircraft measurements of ozone, its key precursors, and a variety of chemical tracers were made in the troposphere of the western and central Pacific in October 1991. These data are presented and analyzed to examine the occurrence of low ozone concentrations in the remote marine boundary layer of the tropical and equatorial Pacific Ocean. The data from these flights out of Guam, covering an area extending from the equator to 20 N and from south of the Philippines to Hawaii, show average O3 concentrations as low as 8-9 ppb (ppb=10(exp-9)v/v) at altitudes of 0.3-0.5 km in the boundary layer. Individual measurements as low as 2-5 ppb were recorded. Low O3 concentrations do not always persist in space and time. High O3, generally associated with the transport of upper tropospheric air, was also encountered in the boundary layer. In practically all cases, O3 increased to values as large as 25-30 ppb within 2 km above the boundary layer top. Steady state model computations are used to suggest that these low O3 concentrations are a result of net photochemical O3 destruction in a low NO environment, sea-surface deposition, and extremely low net entrainment rates (1-2 mm per second) from the free troposphere. Day/night measurements of ethane, propane, gaseous and aerosol Cl suggest that daytime (morning) Cl atom concentrations in the vicinity of 10(exp 5) molecules per cubic centimeter may be present in the marine boundary layer. This Cl atom abundance can be rationalized only if sea salt aerosols can release free chlorine (Cl2) to the gas phase in the presence of sun light (and possibly O3). These Cl atom concentrations, however, are still insufficient and Cl (or Br) chemistry is not likely to be an important cause of the observed low O3.

Singh, Hanwant B.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Raman Spectroscopy for Instantaneous Multipoint, Multispecies Gas Concentration and Temperature Measurements in Rocket Engine Propellant Injector Flows

Propellent injector development at MSFC includes experimental analysis using optical techniques, such as Raman, fluorescence, or Mie scattering. For the application of spontaneous Raman scattering to hydrocarbon-fueled flows a technique needs to be developed to remove the interfering polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluorescence from the relatively weak Raman signals. A current application of such a technique is to the analysis of the mixing and combustion performance of multijet, impinging-jet candidate fuel injectors for the baseline Mars ascent engine, which will bum methane and liquid oxygen produced in-situ on Mars to reduce the propellent mass transported to Mars for future manned Mars missions. The present technique takes advantage of the strongly polarized nature of Raman scattering. It is shown to be discernable from unpolarized fluorescence interference by subtracting one polarized image from another. Both of these polarized images are obtained from a single laser pulse by using a polarization-separating calcite rhomb mounted in the imaging spectrograph. A demonstration in a propane-air flame is presented.

Wehrmeyer, Joseph A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Raman Spectroscopy for Instantaneous Multipoint, Multispecies Gas Concentration and Temperature Measurements in Rocket Engine Propellant Injector Flows

Propellant injector development at MSFC includes experimental analysis using optical techniques, such as Raman, fluorescence, or Mie scattering. For the application of spontaneous Raman scattering to hydrocarbon-fueled flows a technique needs to be developed to remove the interfering polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluorescence from the relatively weak Raman signals. A current application of such a technique is to the analysis of the mixing and combustion performance of multijet, impinging-jet candidate fuel injectors for the baseline Mars ascent engine, which will burn methane and liquid oxygen produced in-situ on Mars to reduce the propellant mass transported to Mars for future manned Mars missions. The present technique takes advantage of the strongly polarized nature of Raman scattering. It is shown to be discernable from unpolarized fluorescence interference by subtracting one polarized image from another. Both of these polarized images are obtained from a single laser pulse by using a polarization-separating calcite rhomb mounted in the imaging spectrograph. A demonstration in a propane-air flame is presented.

Wehrmeyer, Joseph A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Soot Surface Growth in Laminar Hydrocarbon/Air Diffusion Flames

The structure and soot surface growth properties of round laminar jet diffusion flames were studied experimentally. Measurements were made along the axes of ethylene-, propylene-propane- and acetylene-benzene-fueled flames burning in coflowing air at atmospheric pressure with the reactants at normal temperature. The measurements included soot structure, soot concentrations, soot temperatures, major gas species concentrations, some radial species (H, OH and O) concentrations, and gas velocities. These measurements yielded the local flame properties that are thought to affect soot surface growth as well as local soot surface growth rates. When present results were combined with similar earlier observations of acetylene-fueled laminar jet diffusion flames, the results suggested that soot surface growth involved decomposition of the original fuel to form acetylene and H, which were the main reactants for soot surface growth, and that the main effect of the parent fuel on soot surface growth involved its yield of acetylene and H for present test conditions. Thus, as the distance increased along the axes of the flames, soot formation (which was dominated by soot surface growth) began near the cool core of the flow once acetylene and H appeared together and ended near the flame sheet when acetylene disappeared. Species mainly responsible for soot oxidation - OH and O2 were present throughout the soot formation region so that soot surface growth and oxidation proceeded at the same time. Present measurements of soot surface growth rates (corrected for soot surface oxidation) in laminar jet diffusion flames were consistent with earlier measurements of soot surface growth rates in laminar premixed flames and exhibited good agreement with existing Hydrogen-Abstraction/Carbon-Addition (HACA) soot surface growth mechanisms in the literature with steric factors in these mechanisms having values on the order of unity, as anticipated.

El-Leathy, A. M.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Extinction and Scattering Properties of Soot Emitted from Buoyant Turbulent Diffusion Flames

Extinction and scattering properties at wavelengths of 250-5200 nm were studied for soot emitted from buoyant turbulent diffusion flames in the long residence time regime where soot properties are independent of position in the overfire region and characteristic flame residence times. Flames burning in still air and fueled with gas (acetylene, ethylene, propane, and propylene) and liquid (benzene, toluene, cyclohexane, and n-heptane) hydrocarbon fuels were considered Measured scattering patterns and ratios of total scattering/absorption cross sections were in good agreement with predictions based on the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (RDG) scattering approximation in the visible. Measured depolarization ratios were roughly correlated by primary particle size parameter, suggesting potential for completing RDG methodology needed to make soot scattering predictions as well as providing a nonintrusive way to measure primary soot particle diameters. Measurements of dimensionless extinction coefficients were in good agreement with earlier measurements for similar soot populations and were independent of fuel type and wavelength except for reduced values as the near ultraviolet was approached. The ratios of the scattering/absorption refractive index functions were independent of fuel type within experimental uncertainties and were in good agreement with earlier measurements. The refractive index function for absorption was similarly independent of fuel type but was larger than earlier reflectometry measurements in the infrared. Ratios of total scattering/absorption cross sections were relatively large in the visible and near infrared, with maximum values as large as 0.9 and with values as large as 0.2 at 2000 nm, suggesting greater potential for scattering from soot particles to affect flame radiation properties than previously thought.

Krishnan, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Flame Shapes of Nonbuoyant Laminar Jet Diffusion Flames

The shapes (flame-sheet and luminous-flame boundaries) of steady nonbuoyant round hydrocarbon-fueled laminar-jet diffusion flames in still and coflowing air were studied both experimentally and theoretically. Flame-sheet shapes were measured from photographs using a CH optical filter to distinguish flame-sheet boundaries in the presence of blue CO2 and OH emissions and yellow continuum radiation from soot. Present experimental conditions included acetylene-, methane-, propane-, and ethylene-fueled flames having initial reactant temperatures of 300 K, ambient pressures of 4-50 kPa, jet exit Reynolds number of 3-54, initial air/fuel velocity ratios of 0-9 and luminous flame lengths of 5-55 mm; earlier measurements for propylene- and 1,3-butadiene-fueled flames for similar conditions were considered as well. Nonbuoyant flames in still air were observed at micro-gravity conditions; essentially nonbuoyant flames in coflowing air were observed at small pressures to control effects of buoyancy. Predictions of luminous flame boundaries from soot luminosity were limited to laminar smokepoint conditions, whereas predictions of flame-sheet boundaries ranged from soot-free to smokepoint conditions. Flame-shape predictions were based on simplified analyses using the boundary layer approximations along with empirical parameters to distinguish flame-sheet and luminous flame (at the laminar smoke point) boundaries. The comparison between measurements and predictions was remarkably good and showed that both flame-sheet and luminous-flame lengths are primarily controlled by fuel flow rates with lengths in coflowing air approaching 2/3 lengths in still air as coflowing air velocities are increased. Finally, luminous flame lengths at laminar smoke-point conditions were roughly twice as long as flame-sheet lengths at comparable conditions due to the presence of luminous soot particles in the fuel-lean region of the flames.

Xu, F.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Soot Oxidation in Hydrocarbon/Air Diffusion Flames at Atmospheric Pressure

Soot oxidation was studied experimentally in laminar hydrocarbon/air diffusion flames at atmospheric pressure. Measurements were carried out along the axes of round jets burning in coflowing air considering acetylene, ethylene, propylene and propane as fuels. Measurements were limited to the initial stages of soot oxidation (carbon consumption less than 70%) where soot oxidation mainly occurs at the surface of primary soot particles. The following properties were measured as a function of distance above the burner exit: soot concentrations by deconvoluted laser extinction, soot temperatures by deconvoluted multiline emission, soot structure by thermophoretic sampling and analysis using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), concentrations of stable major gas species (N2, H2O, H2, O2, CO, CO2, CH4, C2H2,C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, and C3H8) by sampling and gas chromatography, concentrations of some radical species (H, OH, O) by the deconvoluted Li/LiOH atomic absorption technique and flow velocities by laser velocimetry. It was found that soot surface oxidation rates are not particularly affected by fuel type for laminar diffusion flames and are described reasonably well by the OH surface oxidation mechanism with a collision efficiency of 0.10, (standard deviation of 0.07) with no significant effect of fuel type in this behavior; these findings are in good agreement with the classical laminar premixed flame measurements of Neoh et al. Finally, direct rates of surface oxidation by O2 were small compared to OH oxidation for present conditions, based on estimated O2 oxidation rates due to Nagle and Strickland-Constable (1962), because soot oxidation was completed near the flame sheet where O2 concentrations were less than 1.2% by volume.

Xu, F.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Extinction and Scattering Properties of Soot Emitted from Buoyant Turbulent Diffusion Flames

Extinction and scattering properties at wavelengths of 250-5200 nm were studied for soot emitted from buoyant turbulent diffusion flames in the long residence time regime where soot properties are independent of position in the overfire region and characteristic flame residence times. Flames burning in still air and fueled with gas (acetylene, ethylene, propane, and propylene) and liquid (benzene, toluene, cyclohexane, and n-heptane) hydrocarbon fuels were considered. Measured scattering patterns and ratios of total scattering/absorption cross sections were in good agreement with predictions based on the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (RDG) scattering approximation in the visible. Measured depolarization ratios were roughly correlated by primary particle size parameter, suggesting potential for completing RDG methodology needed to make soot scattering predictions as well as providing a nonintrusive way to measure primary soot particle diameters. Measurements of dimensionless extinction coefficients were in good agreement with earlier measurements for similar soot populations and were independent of fuel type and wavelength except for reduced values as the near ultraviolet was approached. The ratios of the scattering/absorption refractive index functions were independent of fuel type within experimental uncertainties and were in good agreement with earlier measurements. The refractive index junction for absorption was similarly independent of fuel type but was larger than earlier reflectometry measurements in the infrared. Ratios of total scattering/absorption cross sections were relatively large in the visible and near infrared, with maximum values as large as 0.9 and with values as large as 0.2 at 2000 nm, suggesting greater potential for scattering from soot particles to affect flame radiation properties than previously thought.

Krishnan, S. S.↗