Combustion and Flame, Vol.113, No.1-2, 79-91, 1998
A model for calculating heat release in premixed turbulent flames
A unified reaction model, being valid in all turbulent combustion regimes, has been developed and tested. Based on a thoroughly validated model for the turbulent burning velocity the Kolmogorov, Petruvski and Piskunuv (KPP) theorem was applied, thus leading to the formulation of the mean reaction rate as a function of local turbulence and kinetic parameters in the flow. Numerical calculations, comprising all flame structures (0.2 < Da(t) < 2.8) of premixed flames were performed and compared with experimental data. At first, an unsteady spherical flame, propagating in a defined turbulence field was simulated, thus emphasizing the correct representation of the turbulent burning velocity. Thereafter, the mean flame lengths of two stationary, highly turbulent Bunsen-type flames were compared with experiments, varying the affecting turbulence parameters. The last premixed example was a strongly swirling flame in a combustor, related to kinetically controlled flame structures. Although those very different flame configurations cover a broad range in the Borghi diagram, the agreement with measured temperature profiles was found satisfactory. Finally, the model was extended to partially premixed systems by accounting for the influence of the mean mixture fraction on local kinetic parameters. The predictions of stability limits of unconfined, strongly swirling flames show satisfying agreement with experiments, supporting the earlier formulated opinion [25] that the blow-off limits of strongly swirling flames are determined by chemical kinetic limitation of the mean reaction rate. The results demonstrate the high performance of the reaction model and recommend its application also in complex 3-D hows, because of its simplicity and numerical robustness even in conjunction with higher order turbulence models.