Combustion of liquid fuel in the flat micro- and minichannels

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer 2016-11, Vol.102, p.470-478
• Main Authors: Zamashchikov, V.V., Korzhavin, A.A., Chinnov, E.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diffusion combustion; Flame spread; Liquid fuel; Narrow channels
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2016.06.043

•Flame propagation above the thin films of liquid fuel in a narrow flat channel was studied.•The flame propagation velocity depends on velocity of oxidizer, oxygen content and channel height.•This velocity can be high flame velocities in the stoichiometric homogeneous gas mixture.•The flame surface is significantly distorted with increase in average flame velocity.•The quenching distance for flame penetration was determined. Flame spread over the combustible liquid, n-butanol, with the flash temperature higher than the temperature of ambient medium was studied experimentally. Experiments were carried out in a narrow rectangular channel with an opposed flow of gaseous oxidizers and variable flow parameters ensuring separate flows of liquid and gaseous phases. The oxidizer composition was varied from air to pure oxygen. Dependences of n-butanol flame propagation velocity on oxidizer velocity were obtained at different channel heights. It was found that the flame propagation velocity depends on the oxidizer velocity and channel height. With an increase in the oxidizer velocity, the flame propagation velocity may increase or decrease depending on the oxygen content. It was shown that the flame propagation velocity could be significant and comparable with the laminar burning velocity of the stoichiometric homogeneous gaseous mixture.