Structure and extinction of methane and propane nonpremixed counterflow flames at extremely low stretch rates in buoyant flowfields

This study experimentally investigated the structures and extinction behaviors of methane-air and propane-air counterflow nonpremixed flames influenced by individually controlled fuel injection velocity uF at extremely low stretch rates, which were induced by natural convection alone. A sooting limit fuel injection velocity (SLFIV) index was introduced, which increased with stretch rate in the low stretch rate region. Methane had higher SLFIV than propane. Quasi-one-dimensional blue flames appeared for both methane and propane within a certain uF range. The range for methane was higher than that for propane. The steady flame standoff distances yf had a relationship with uF and low stretch rate ab of yf & PROP;(ab & lambda;& INFIN;uF)1/2, which differed from high-stretch flames. Different flame instabilities occurred for methane and propane by changing uF only without fuel or oxidizer dilutions. At low uF near extinction limit of methane, periodic flame holes appeared, which was due to large heat loss. This instability finally caused flame extinction by keeping retreating edges. At high uF, simultaneous cellular and wave flame instability appeared for propane, which differed from cellular flames occurred alone in highly diluted oxy-fuel flames. By modulating uF alone in this experiment, the cellular/wave flame was due to Rayleigh-Taylor and hydrodynamic instabilities. Flame extinction at the lowest uF for propane was through outer edge shrinking, where the displacement speed increased with stretch rate. Flammability maps of limit uF versus low ab were established for both methane and propane. Both maps were divided into four regions by sooting, instability and extinction limits. The three limits uF all increased with ab. This changing tendency was opposite with high-stretch flames reported previously. For propane, the instability limit uF approached infinity at higher ab. This work provided knowledge of extremely low stretch flame combustion, which can be applied to microgravity flames, because the combustion characteristics of microgravity forced low stretch flames were identical to those of low stretch flame induced by natural convection alone.