An a priori Analysis of Mixture Fraction-Based Modeling of Coal Combustion
Due to the high computational cost associated with using detailed kinetic mechanisms, it is common practice to implement reaction models which rely on relatively small number of variables when simulating turbulent combustion systems. In this study, we perform an a priori assessment of the accuracy of three chemistry models: a Burke-Schumann chemistry model, an equilibrium chemistry model, and a steady laminar flamelet model. All chemistry modeling approaches considered include a mixture fraction for devolatilization products, and a normalized enthalpy deficit as parameters, with scalar dissipation rate as an additional input parameter for the flamelet model. Data used as a basis for the study is generated through One-Dimensional Turbulence (ODT) simulation of a coal combustion system in which high-fidelity models are used for gas phase chemistry and devolatilization. The flamelet model was found to be more accurate than both the equilibrium and Burke-Schumann models over a majority of parameter space. The performance of all models considered declined substantially for sufficiently fuel-rich conditions. Furthermore, the analysis in this work indicate that both differential diffusion and speciation of volatiles have a perceptible negative impact on flamelet reconstructions, though the effect of differential diffusion was more substantial.