Effects of intense strain on flame structure and NOx generation in turbulent counterflow lean-premixed hydrogen flames

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are conducted for reactants-to-products counterflow configurations at turbulent conditions to understand how strain affects the structure and NOx emissions of lean premixed hydrogen flames. Two nominal equivalence ratio conditions, 0.5 and 0.7, are investigated. Under unstretched conditions, the Markstein length is negative for the former and slightly positive for the latter, indicating distinct responses of heat release rate and flame consumption speed to strain in each case. For each equivalence ratio condition, three levels of applied strain rate are considered, resulting in a total of six DNS. Results indicate that overall NOx emissions decrease with increasing strain at turbulent conditions, consistent with recent results for laminar conditions presented in Porcarelli et al. (2024). However, the relative decrease of NOx with strain is faster under turbulent conditions because turbulent mixing limits the occurrence of super-adiabatic temperatures. Moreover, the decrease of NOx is strongly correlated only to the mean applied tangential strain rate, while local fluctuations of strain due to vortices exhibit more stochastic behaviour. The detailed analysis presented in this article indicates that the applied strain can be used to substantially decrease NOx emissions in premixed hydrogen flames under practical conditions. Novelty and Significance statement: This work examines for the first time in detail the coupled effects of strain and turbulence in hydrogen flames, for various conditions spanning different signs of the Markstein length and increasing applied strain levels. In particular, it clarifies the different roles of applied strain, turbulence-driven strain, and curvature on both flame structure and NOx generation. Results further show for the first time that both in-flame and post-flame NOx can be suppressed at high strain levels under turbulent conditions. This result is of paramount importance as it implies that NOx can be suppressed at combustor-relevant conditions by straining the flame.