Estimates of the heat release (HR) of unconfined lean premixed methane-air flames stabilized on an axisymmetric bluff body have been measured for conditions increasingly closer to blowoff. Simultaneous imaging of OH-and CH 2 O-PLIF was performed, and HR measurements obtained using the pixel-by-pixel multiplication of the OH-and CH 2 O-PLIF images. Blow-off was approached by slowly reducing the fuel flow rate. At conditions far from blow-off, HR occurred along the shear layer, whereas at conditions near blow-off, HR was also observed inside the recirculation zone (RZ). Localised extinctions along the flame front were seen at conditions away from blow-off, and increased in frequency and size as blow-off was approached. At conditions near blow-off, HR was detected on the boundary of flame pockets inside the RZ which had detached from the fragmented flame at the attachment point. Regions void of OH in the RZ near blow-off were often seen to be filled with CH 2 O. Regions void of both OH and CH 2 O were also observed, but less often, indicating the presence of both preheated gases and fresh reactants inside the RZ. Such images do not show a connection with the annular air jet, implying the cold reactants entered the RZ from the top. HR was observed to increase as a function of the absolute value of flame front curvature for the near unity Lewis number flames investigated. The measurements reported here are useful for model validation and for exploring the changes in turbulent premixed flame structure as extinction is approached.
The sound emission from open turbulent flames is dictated by the two-point spatial correlation of the rate of change of the fluctuating heat release rate. This correlation in premixed flames can be represented well using Gaussian-type functions and unstrained laminar flame thermal thickness can be used to scale the correlation length scale, which is about a quarter of the planar laminar flame thermal thickness. This correlation and its length scale are observed to be less influenced by the fuel type or stoichiometry or turbulence Reynolds and Damkohler numbers. The time scale for fluctuating heat release rate is deduced to be about τ c /34 on an average, where τ c is the planar laminar flame time scale, using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data. These results and the spatial distribution of mean reaction rate obtained from Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations of open turbulent premixed flames employing the standard k-ε model and an algebraic reaction rate closure, involving a recently developed scalar dissipation rate model, are used to obtain the far-field sound pressure level from open flames. The calculated values agree well with measured values for flames of different stoichiometry and fuel types, having a range of turbulence intensities and heat output. Detailed analyses of RANS results clearly suggest that the noise level from turbulent premixed flames having an extensive and uniform spatial distribution of heat release rate is low.
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