Turbulent Flame Structure

Knowledge of the spatial structure of turbulent flames is critical for understanding issues of turbulent mixing, flame stability, premixed flame propagation, and pollutant formation. Quantitative statistical data on such things as flame curvature and turbulence length scales are important for the development of advances combustion models.

Within the Reacting Flow Research Department, laser-based imaging techniques for measuring temperature, species concentrations, and flow velocity are applied in a variety of turbulent flames. Two or more imaging techniques are typically combined to obtain multi-species images or simultaneous measurements of scalar and velocity fields. These combined imaging experiments provide unique insights into the relationship between the turbulence field and the flame zone. The primary emphasis is on turbulent flame configurations in which the effects of complex geometry are minimized, thus facilitating interpretation of the data and the development of fundamentally-based computational models from the experimental measurements.

Current research topics include:

• Turbulent flame zone structure
• Turbulent flame stabilization mechanisms
• Structure of lifted-jet, bluff-body, and swirl-stabilized flames
• NO formation in turbulent flames
• Effects of flow dynamics on turbulent flame chemistry