Flammability limits flame, extinction

Flammability Limits Ignition of a Flammable Mixture and Limit Flame Extinction... 

Laminar flame speed is one of the fundamental properties characterizing the global combustion rate of a fuel/ oxidizer mixture. Therefore, it frequently serves as the reference quantity in the study of the phenomena involving premixed flames, such as flammability limits, flame stabilization, blowoff, blowout, extinction, and turbulent combustion. Furthermore, it contains the information on the reaction mechanism in the high-temperature regime, in the presence of diffusive transport. Hence, at the global level, laminar flame-speed data have been widely used to validate a proposed chemical reaction mechanism. 

This section emphasizes on flame quenching by stretch, as well as highlights and separately discusses the four aspects of counterflow premixed flame extinction limits, including (1) effect of nonequidiffusion, (2) influence of different boundary conditions, (3) effect of pulsating instability, and (4) relahonship of the fundamental limit of flammability. 

The creation of a steady flame hole was previously carried out by Fiou et al. [36]. In their experiments, a steady-annular premixed edge flame was formed by diluting the inner mixture below the flammability limit, for both methane/air and propane/air mixtures. They found that a stable flame hole was established when the outer mixture composition was near stoichiometry. Their focus, however, was on the premixed flame interaction, rather than on the edge-flame formation, extinction, or propagation. 

In Chapter 6.3, C-J. Sung examines extinction of counterflow premixed flames. He emphasizes flame quenching by stretch and highlights four aspects of counterflow premixed flame extinction limits effect of nonequidiffusion, parf played by differences in boundary conditions, effect of pulsating insfabilify, and relation to the fundamental limit of flammability. 

The tendency of premixed flames to detach from the flame holder to stabilize further downstream has also been reported close to the flammability limit in a two-dimensional sudden expansion flow [27]. The change in flame position in the present annular flow arrangement was a consequence of flow oscillations associated with rough combustion, and the flame can be particularly susceptible to detachment and possible extinction, especially at values of equivalence ratio close to the lean flammability limit. Measurements of extinction in opposed jet flames subject to pressure oscillations [28] show that a number of cycles of local flame extinction and relight were required before the flame finally blew off. The number of cycles over which the extinction process occurred depended on the frequency and amplitude of the oscillated input and the equivalence ratios in the opposed jets. Thus the onset of large amplitudes of oscillations in the lean combustor is not likely to lead to instantaneous blow-off, and the availability of a control mechanism to respond to the naturally occurring oscillations at their onset can slow down the progress towards total extinction and restore a stable flame. 

FIGURE 8.3. Illustration of the dependence of the adiabatic flame temperature and of the Arrhenius factor on the equivalence ratio, exhibiting extinction condition for defining flammability limits. 

With regard to flammability as measured in the LOI test (25) (see section on The Limiting Oxygen Index Test), if Equation 52 applies and Aflame= LOI, then equation 74 gives the criterion for flame extinction... 

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