Turbulent Burning Velocity of High Hydrogen Flames

Abstract The turbulent burning velocity (ST) is one of the most important combustion properties controlling combustor operability limits, directly influencing blowoff, flashback, and combustion instabilities. Hydrogen has particularly significant influences on the turbulent flame speed. This paper presents new H2/CH4 data of high pressure, high hydrogen turbulent burning velocities. The datasets were designed to address fundamental questions as well as provide engineering/design relevant insights. This paper presents new scaling analysis of fuel composition, pressure, and preheat temperature effects on turbulent burning velocity. We also discuss the importance of considering what is being held constant (temperature, flame speed, Reynolds number, etc.) when one is analyzing these sensitivities. Data show that hydrogen fraction and pressure cause an increase in turbulent flame speed; whether quantified as raw ST,GC or normalized as ST,GC/SL,0 or ST,GC/SL,max (where SL,0 and SL,max are the unstretched and stretched laminar flame speed, respectively). We also propose that observed increases in ST,GC with pressure are due to increases in Reynolds number and not a kinetics/stretch sensitivity effect. With increasing preheat temperature, ST,GC increases while its normalized value (ST,GC/SL,0 and ST,GC/SL,max) can either increase or decrease, depending upon fuel composition. We also show how these sensitivities vary, depending on whether these comparisons are made at constant raw turbulence intensity urms or at constant normalized urms/SL,0 or urms/SL,max.