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Results are presented from the application of Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV) to the overfire region of a laminar gas jet diffusion flame in normal gravity. A methane flame burning in air at 0.98 bar was considered. The apparatus demonstrated here is packaged in a drop rig designed for use in the 2.2 second drop tower.
The Cool Flame Experiment aims to address the role of diffusive transport on the structure and the stability of gas-phase, non-isothermal, hydrocarbon oxidation reactions, cool flames and auto-ignition fronts in an unstirred, static reactor. These reactions cannot be studied on Earth where natural convection due to self-heating during the course of slow reaction dominates diffusive transport and produces spatio-temporal variations in the thermal and thus species concentration profiles. On Earth, reactions with associated Rayleigh numbers (Ra) less than the critical Ra for onset of convection (Ra(sub cr) approx. 600) cannot be achieved in laboratory-scale vessels for conditions representative of nearly all low-temperature reactions. In fact, the Ra at 1g ranges from 10(exp 4) - 10(exp 5) (or larger), while at reduced-gravity, these values can be reduced two to six orders of magnitude (below Ra(sub cr)), depending on the reduced-gravity test facility. Currently, laboratory (1g) and NASA s KC-135 reduced-gravity (g) aircraft studies are being conducted in parallel with the development of a detailed chemical kinetic model that includes thermal and species diffusion. Select experiments have also been conducted at partial gravity (Martian, 0.3gearth) aboard the KC-135 aircraft. This paper discusses these preliminary results for propane-oxygen premixtures in the low to intermediate temperature range (310- 350 C) at reduced-gravity.
A simplified analysis is presented to extend a previous work on flame extinction in a quiescent microgravity environment to a more likely situation of a mild opposing flow. The energy balance equation, that includes surface re-radiation, is solved to yield a closed form spread rate expression in terms of its thermal limit, and a radiation number that can be evaluated from the known parameters of the problem. Based on this spread rate expression, extinction criterions for a flame over solid fuels, both thin and thick, have been developed that are qualitatively verified with experiments conducted at the MGLAB in Japan. Flammability maps with oxygen level, opposing flow velocity and fuel thickness as independent variables are extracted from the theory that explains the well-established trends in the existing experimental data.
Enclosed flames are found in many industrial applications such as power plants, gas-turbine combustors and jet engine afterburners. A better understanding of the burner stability limits can lead to development of combustion systems that extend the lean and rich limits of combustor operations. This paper reports a fundamental study of the stability limits of co-flow laminar jet diffusion flames. A numerical study was conducted that used an adaptive mesh refinement scheme in the calculation. Experiments were conducted in two test rigs with two different fuels and diluted with three inert species. The numerical stability limits were compared with microgravity experimental data. Additional normal-gravity experimental results were also presented.
The objectives of this paper are two-fold. First, a numerical scheme for the simulation of a buoyant, reacting jet is presented with special attention given to boundary conditions. In the absence of coflow, a jet flame is particularly sensitive to boundary conditions enforced upon the computational domain. However, careful consideration of proper boundary conditions can minimize their effect upon the overall simulation. Second, results of some preliminary simulations are presented over a range of Froude and Damkohler numbers. This range was chosen so as to produce lifted flames in both normal gravity and microgravity environments.
Even though much has been learned about the effects of microgravity on material flammability, flame spread, and suppressant effectiveness, uncertainties remain regarding some of the practical aspects of fire protection in spacecraft. The experiments and simulations underway in this project are aimed directly at testing, understanding and improving NASA's existing policies and practices toward fire safety in spacecraft and extraterrestrial habitats. Specifically, the objectives of this research are: 1) Determine systematically the conditions that will ignite onboard flammable materials upon passage of an initial premixed gas, firebrand, or aerosol flame over these materials; 2) Test the effect of firebrands and configuration spacing; and 3) Determine the effectiveness of the flow of CO2 extinguisher or other extinguishing agents. Experimental and computational investigations are planned to achieve each of the three objectives above. Even though progress has been made in all of the areas, the majority of data has been collected for objective (3). Current results from these investigations are discussed.
As part of a program to develop fire resistant exterior composite structures for future subsonic commercial aircraft, flame retardant epoxy resins are under investigation. Epoxies and their curing agents (aromatic diamines) containing phosphorus were synthesized and used to prepare epoxy formulations. Phosphorus was incorporated within the backbone of the epoxy resin and not used as an additive. The resulting cured epoxies were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, propane torch test, elemental analysis and microscale combustion calorimetry. Several formulations showed excellent flame retardation with phosphorous contents as low as 1.5% by weight. The fracture toughness of plaques of several cured formulations was determined on single-edge notched bend specimens. The chemistry and properties of these new epoxy formulations are discussed.
The objective of this experiment is to better understand the combustion behavior of pulsed, turbulent diffusion flames by conducting experiments in microgravity. The fuel jet is fully-modulated (i.e., completely shut off between pulses) by an externally controlled valve system leading to enhanced fuel/air mixing compared to acoustically excited or partially-modulated jets. Experiments are conducted both in laboratories at UW and WPI and in the GRC 2.2s Drop Tower. A single fuel nozzle with diameter d = 2 mm is centered in a combustor 20 x 20 cm in cross section and 67 cm in height. The gaseous fuel flow (ethylene or a 50/50 ethylene/nitrogen mixture by volume) is fully-modulated by a fast-response solenoid valve with injection times from tau = 4 to tau = 300 ms. The nominal Reynolds number based on the fuel velocity during injection, U(sub jet), is 5,000. A slow oxidizer co-flow properly ventilates the flame and an electrically heated wire loop serves as a continuous ignition source. Diagnostic techniques include video imaging, fine-wire thermocouples and thermopile radiometers, and gas sampling and standard emissions instruments (the last in the laboratory only).
Laminar fuel-air counterflow diffusion flames (CFDFs) were studied using axisymmetric convergent-nozzle and straight-tube opposed jet burners (OJBs). The subject diagnostics were used to probe a systematic set of H2/N2-air CFDFs over wide ranges of fuel input (22 to 100% Ha), and input axial strain rate (130 to 1700 Us) just upstream of the airside edge, for both plug-flow and parabolic input velocity profiles. Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) was applied along the centerline of seeded air flows from a convergent nozzle OJB (7.2 mm i.d.), and Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) was applied on the entire airside of both nozzle and tube OJBs (7 and 5 mm i.d.) to characterize global velocity structure. Data are compared to numerical results from a one-dimensional (1-D) CFDF code based on a stream function solution for a potential flow input boundary condition. Axial strain rate inputs at the airside edge of nozzle-OJB flows, using LDV and PIV, were consistent with 1-D impingement theory, and supported earlier diagnostic studies. The LDV results also characterized a heat-release hump. Radial strain rates in the flame substantially exceeded 1-D numerical predictions. Whereas the 1-D model closely predicted the max I min axial velocity ratio in the hot layer, it overpredicted its thickness. The results also support previously measured effects of plug-flow and parabolic input strain rates on CFDF extinction limits. Finally, the submillimeter-scale LDV and PIV diagnostics were tested under severe conditions, which reinforced their use with subcentimeter OJB tools to assess effects of aerodynamic strain, and fueVair composition, on laminar CFDF properties, including extinction.
Space Fire Suppression Processes & Technology. Space experiment concepts of cup-burner flame extinguishment have been conceived to address to the key issues (i.e., organizing questions) in space fire suppression. Cup-burner flame extinguishment experiment can reveal physical and chemical suppression processes and provide agent effectiveness data useful for technology development of space fire suppression systems in various reduced-gravity platforms.
The prospect of long-term manned space flight brings fresh urgency to the development of an integrated and fundamental approach to the study of material flammability. Currently, NASA uses two tests, the upward flame propagation test and heat and visible smoke release rate test, to assess the flammability properties of materials to be used in space under microgravity conditions. The upward flame propagation test can be considered in the context of the 2-D analysis of Emmons. This solution incorporates material properties by a "mass transfer number", B in the boundary conditions.
The objective of this experiment is to better understand the combustion behavior of pulsed, turbulent diffusion flames by conducting experiments in microgravity. The fuel jet is fully-modulated (i.e., completely shut off between pulses) by an externally controlled valve system leading to enhanced fuel/air mixing compared to acoustically excited or partially-modulated jets. Experiments are conducted both in laboratories at UW and WPI and in the GRC 2.2s Drop Tower. A single fuel nozzle with diameter d = 2 mm is centered in a combustor 20 20 cm in cross section and 67 cm in height. The gaseous fuel flow (ethylene or a 50/50 ethylene/nitrogen mixture by volume) is fully-modulated by a fast-response solenoid valve with injection times from tau = 4 to tau = 300 ms. The nominal Reynolds number based on the fuel velocity during injection, U(sub jet), is 5,000. A slow oxidizer co-flow properly ventilates the flame and an electrically heated wire loop serves as a continuous ignition source. Diagnostic techniques include video imaging, fine-wire thermocouples and thermopile radiometers, and gas sampling and standard emissions instruments (the last in the laboratory only).
Two optically based flame-detection systems have been developed for use in NASA Langley's 8-Foot High-Temperature Tunnel (8-ft HTT). These systems are used to detect the presence and stability of the main-burner and pilot-level flames during facility operation. System design considerations will be discussed, and a detailed description of the system components and circuit diagrams will be provided in the Appendices of this report. A more detailed description of the manufacturing process used in the fabrication of the fiber-optic probes is covered in NASA TM-2001-211233.
We analyse archival Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) proportional counter array (PCA) data of thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the 2002 outburst of the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX 51808.4-3658. We present evidence of a complex frequency modulation of oscillations during burst rise, and correlations among the time evolution of the oscillation frequency, amplitude, and the inferred burning region area. We discuss these findings in the context of a model, based on thermonuclear flame spreading on the neutron star surface, that can qualitatively explain these features. From our model, we infer that for the 2002 Oct. 15 thermonuclear burst, the ignition likely occurred in the mid-latitudes, the burning region took approx. 0.2 s to nearly encircle the equatorial region of the neutron star, and after that the lower amplitude oscillation originated from the remaining asymmetry of the burning front in the same hemisphere where the burst ignited. We emphasize that studies of the evolution of burst oscillation properties during burst rise can provide a powerful tool to understand thermonuclear flame spreading on neutron star surfaces under extreme physical conditions.
Unique nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen air-contamination effects on the extinction Flame Strength (FS) of non-premixed hydrocarbon (HC) vs. air flames are characterized for 7 gaseous HCs, using a new idealized 9.3 mm straight-tube Opposed Jet Burner (OJB) at 1 atm. FS represents a laminar strain-induced extinction limit based on cross-section-average air jet velocity, Uair, that sustains combustion of a counter jet of gaseous fuel just before extinction. Besides ethane, propane, butane, and propylene, the HCs include ethylene, methane, and a 64 mole-% ethylene / 36 % methane mixture, the writer s previously recommended gaseous surrogate fuel for HIFiRE scramjet tests. The HC vs. clean air part of the work is an extension of a May 2008 JANNAF paper that characterized surrogates for the HIFiRE project that should mimic the flameholding of reformed (thermally- or catalytically-cracked) endothermic JP-like fuels. The new FS data for 7 HCs vs. clean air are thus consolidated with the previously validated data, normalized to absolute (local) axial-input strain rates, and co-plotted on a dual kinetically dominated reactivity scale. Excellent agreement with the prior data is obtained for all 7 fuels. Detailed comparisons are also made with recently published (Univ. Va) numerical results for ethylene extinction. A 2009-revised ethylene kinetic model (Univ. Southern Cal) led to predicted limits within approx. 5 % (compared to 45 %, earlier) of this writer s 2008 (and present) ethylene FSs, and also with recent independent data (Univ. Va) obtained on a new OJB system. These +/- 5 % agreements, and a hoped-for "near-identically-performing" reduced kinetics model, would greatly enhance the capability for accurate numerical simulations of surrogate HC flameholding in scramjets. The measured air-contamination effects on normalized FS extinction limits are projected to assess ongoing Arc-Heater-induced "facility test effects" of NO production (e.g., 3 mole-%) and resultant oxygen depletion (from 21 to 19.5 %), for testing the "64/36" surrogate fuel in Langley s Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility for HIFiRE engine designs. The FS results show a generally small (< 4 %) "nitric oxide enhancement" effect, relative to clean air, for up to 3 % NO (freestream Mach number up to 7 in Arc Jet testing). However, a progressively large "oxygendeficiency weakening" effect develops. For 3 % NO, a net weakening of 26 % in FS is derived for the "64/36" fuel vs. air. The corresponding net weakening for pure ethylene is 20 %. A number of practical recommendations regarding facility test effects are offered.
The development of a unified tightly coupled multi-phase computational framework is described for the analysis and design of cooling spray nozzle configurations on the flame deflector in rocket engine test stands. An Eulerian formulation is used to model the disperse phase and is coupled to the gas-phase equations through momentum and heat transfer as well as phase change. The phase change formulation is modeled according to a modified form of the Hertz-Knudsen equation. Various simple test cases are presented to verify the validity of the numerical framework. The ability of the methodology to accurately predict the temperature load on the flame deflector is demonstrated though application to an actual sub-scale test facility. The CFD simulation was able to reproduce the result of the test-firing, showing that the spray nozzle configuration provided insufficient amount of cooling.
Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center have developed a new ceramic design flame holder with a service temperature of 4,000 F (2,204 C). The combination of high strength and high temperature capability, as well as a twist-lock mounting method to the steel burner, sets this flame holder apart from existing technology.
Planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used by the Combustion Branch at the NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA Glenn) to assess the characteristics of the flowfield produced by aircraft fuel injectors. To improve and expand the capabilities of the PLIF system new equipment was installed. The new capabilities of the modified PLIF system are assessed by collecting OH PLIF in a methane/air flame produced by a flat flame burner. Specifically, the modifications characterized are the addition of an injection seeder to a Nd:YAG laser pumping an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and the use of a new camera with an interline CCD. OH fluorescence results using the injection seeded OPO laser are compared to results using a Nd:YAG pumped dye laser with ultraviolet extender (UVX). Best settings of the new camera for maximum detection of PLIF signal are reported for the controller gain and microchannel plate (MCP) bracket pulsing. Results are also reported from tests of the Dual Image Feature (DIF) mode of the new camera which allows image pairs to be acquired in rapid succession. This allows acquisition of a PLIF image and a background signal almost simultaneously. Saturation effects in the new camera were also investigated and are reported.