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Article
Publication date: 22 August 2019

Wojciech Piotr Adamczyk, Grzegorz Kruczek, Ryszard Bialecki and Grzegorz Przybyła

The internal combustion engine operated on gaseous fuels shows great potential in terms of integration of the renewable and traditional sources for an effective solution for clean…

Abstract

Purpose

The internal combustion engine operated on gaseous fuels shows great potential in terms of integration of the renewable and traditional sources for an effective solution for clean energy production challenge. Different fuel mixtures that can be used to power the engine are characterized by various combustion properties, which can affect its overall efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to provide reasonable answer, how the operation condition can change due to different fuel, without enormous cost of prototyping processes using physical models a digital model can be seen as promising technique.

Design/methodology/approach

Presented work discusses the application, and extensive description of two commercial codes Ansys Fluent and Forte for modeling stationary engine fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) and biogas. To check the model accuracy, all carried out numerical results were compared against experimental data collected at in-house test rig of single cylinder four stroke engine. The impacts of tested gaseous fuel on the engine working conditions and emission levels were investigated.

Findings

Carried out simulations showed good agreement with experimental data for investigated cases. Application on numerical models give possibility to visualize flame front propagation and pollutant formation for tested fuels. The biogas fuel has shown the impaired early flame phase, which led to longer combustion, lower efficiency, power output, repeatability and in some cases higher HC and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions as a result of combustion during the exhaust stroke. Looking at the CO formation it was observed that it instantly accrue with flame front propagation as a result of methane oxidation, while for NOx formation revers effect was seen.

Originality/value

The application of new approach for modeling combustion process in stationary engines fueled by CNG and alternative biogas fuel has been discussed. The cons and pros of the Forte code in terms of its application for engine prototaping process has been discussed.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1954

The complete system of equations for a theory of laminar flame equations is presented, taking into account both heat conduction and diffusion, and for the case of an arbitrary…

Abstract

The complete system of equations for a theory of laminar flame equations is presented, taking into account both heat conduction and diffusion, and for the case of an arbitrary number of simultaneous reactions. The eigen value problem determining the flame velocity is formulated. Two examples are given in order to show that explicit analytical expressions for the flame velocity can be obtained, which are in good agreement with the results obtained by numerical integration of the equations. In the first example (hydrazine decomposition) one reaction is considered as global reaction. In the second example (ozone decomposition) a hypothesis is introduced for the concentration of the free radical O, which corresponds to the steady‐state approximation generally used in classical chemical kinetics. In both cases the measured flame velocities are between the flame velocities computed with no diffusion, and with a coefficient estimated by Professor Hirschfelder from the kinetic theory of gases. The approximate explicit formulae are obtained without drastic assumptions and using legitimate approximation methods. The assumption used for the ozone decomposition flame has a bearing on a better understanding of the mechanism of chain reactions in general. The method indicated in the paper gives hope that the more complicated chain reactions such as the combustion of hydrocarbons will also be made accessible to theoretical computation.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2020

Alain Fossi, Alain DeChamplain, Benjamin Akih-Kumgeh and Jeffrey Bergthorson

This study aims to deal with the large eddy simulation (LES) of an ignition sequence and the resulting steady combustion in a swirl-stabilized liquid-fueled combustor. Particular…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to deal with the large eddy simulation (LES) of an ignition sequence and the resulting steady combustion in a swirl-stabilized liquid-fueled combustor. Particular attention is paid to the ease of handling the numerical tool, the accuracy of the results and the reasonable computational cost involved. The primary aim of the study is to appraise the ability of the newly developed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology to retrieve the spark-based flame kernel initiation, its propagation until the full ignition of the combustion chamber, the flame stabilization and the combustion processes governing the steady combustion regime.

Design/methodology/approach

The CFD model consists of an LES-based spray module coupled to a subgrid-scale ignition model to capture the flame kernel initiation and the early stage of the flame kernel growth, and a combustion model based on the mixture fraction-progress variable formulation in the line of the flamelet generated manifold (FGM) method to retrieve the subsequent flame propagation and combustion properties. The LES-spray module is based on an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach and includes a fully two-way coupling at each time step to account for the interactions between the liquid and the gaseous phases. The Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE) model is used for the flow field while the eddy diffusivity model is used for the scalar fluxes. The fuel is liquid kerosene, injected in the form of a polydisperse spray of droplets. The spray dynamics are tracked using the Lagrangian procedure, and the phase transition of droplets is calculated using a non-equilibrium evaporation model. The oxidation mechanism of the Jet A-1 surrogate is described through a reduced reaction mechanism derived from a detailed mechanism using a species sensitivity method.

Findings

By comparing the numerical results with a set of published data for a swirl-stabilized spray flame, the proposed CFD methodology is found capable of capturing the whole spark-based ignition sequence in a liquid-fueled combustion chamber and the main flame characteristics in the steady combustion regime with reasonable computing costs.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed CFD methodology simulates the whole ignition sequence, namely, the flame kernel initiation, its propagation to fully ignite the combustion chamber, and the global flame stabilization. Due to the lack of experimental ignition data on this liquid-fueled configuration, the ability of the proposed CFD methodology to accurately predict ignition timing was not quantitatively assessed. It would, therefore, be interesting to apply this CFD methodology to other configurations that have experimental ignition data, to quantitatively assess its ability to predict the ignition timing and the flame characteristics during the ignition sequence. Such further investigations will not only provide further validation of the proposed methodology but also will potentially identify its shortfalls for better improvement.

Practical implications

This CFD methodology is developed by customizing a commercial CFD code widely used in the industry. It is, therefore, directly applicable to practical configurations, and provides not only a relatively straightforward approach to predict an ignition sequence in liquid-fueled combustion chambers but also a robust way to predict the flame characteristics in the steady combustion regime as significant improvements are noticed on the prediction of slow species.

Originality/value

The incorporation of the subgrid ignition model paired with a combustion model based on tabulated chemistry allows reducing computational costs involved in the simulation of the ignition phase. The incorporation of the FGM-based tabulated chemistry provides a drastic reduction of computing resources with reasonable accuracy. The CFD methodology is developed using the platform of a commercial CFD code widely used in the industry for relatively straightforward applicability.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

Hitesh S. Vaid, Kanwar Devesh Singh, Helen H. Lou, Daniel Chen and Peyton Richmond

This paper aims to present a novel run time combustion zoning (RTCZ) technique based on the working principle of eddy dissipation concept (EDC) for combustion modeling. This…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a novel run time combustion zoning (RTCZ) technique based on the working principle of eddy dissipation concept (EDC) for combustion modeling. This technique selectively chooses cells in which the full reaction mechanism needs to be solved. The selection criterion is based on the concept of differentiating between combustion and the non-combustion zone. With this approach, considerable reduction in computational load and stability of the solution was observed and even the number of iterations required to achieve a stable solution was significantly reduced.

Design/methodology/approach

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of real life combustion problems such as industrial scale flares, fuel fired furnaces and IC engines are difficult due to the strong interactions of chemistry with turbulence as well as the wide range distribution of time and length scales. In addition, comprehensive chemical mechanisms for hydrocarbon combustion may include hundreds of species and thousands of reactions that are known in detail for only a limited number of fuels. Even with the most advanced computers, accurate simulation of these problems is not easy. Hence, the modeler needs to have strategies to either simplify the chemistry or to improve the computational efficiency.

Findings

The EDC turbulence model has been widely used for treating the interaction between turbulence and the chemistry in combustion problems. In an EDC model, combustion is assumed to occur in a constant pressure reactor, with initial conditions taken as the concentration of the current species and temperature in the cell. With these assumptions, EDC solves the full or simplified reaction mechanism in all the grid cells at all iterations.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel RTCZ technique for improving the computational efficiency, when the EDC model is used in CFD modeling. Considerable reduction in computational time and stability of the solution can be achieved. It was also observed that the number of iterations required to achieve a converged solution was significantly reduced.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 November 2020

Mostafa Esmaeili and Asghar Afshari

This study aims to numerically investigate the flow features and mixing/combustion efficiencies in a turbulent reacting jet in cross-flow by a hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to numerically investigate the flow features and mixing/combustion efficiencies in a turbulent reacting jet in cross-flow by a hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian methodology.

Design/methodology/approach

A high-order hybrid solver is employed where, the velocity field is obtained by solving the Eulerian filtered compressible transport equations while the species are simulated by using the filtered mass density function (FMDF) method.

Findings

The main features of a reacting JICF flame are reproduced by the large-eddy simulation (LES)/FMDF method. The computed mean and root-mean-square values of velocity and mean temperature field are in good agreement with experimental data. Reacting JICF’s with different momentum ratios are considered. The jet penetrates deeper for higher momentum ratios. Mixing and combustion efficiency are improved by increasing the momentum ratio.

Originality/value

The authors investigate the flow and combustion characteristics in subsonic reacting JICFs for which very limited studies are reported in the literature.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2000

D. Morvan, B. Porterie, J.C. Loraud and M. Larini

Reports numerical simulations of an unconfined methane‐air turbulent diffusion flame expanding from a porous burner. Turbulent combustion is simulated using the eddy dissipation…

Abstract

Reports numerical simulations of an unconfined methane‐air turbulent diffusion flame expanding from a porous burner. Turbulent combustion is simulated using the eddy dissipation concept (EDC) which supposes that the reaction rate is controlled by the turbulent structures which enhance the mixing of fuel and oxidant. Two statistical k‐ε turbulence models have been tested: a standard high Reynolds number (HRN) and a more recent model based on the renormalization group theory (RNG). Radiation heat transfer and soot formation have been taken into account using P1‐approximation and transport submodels which reproduce the main phenomena encountered during soot production (nucleation, coagulation, surface growth). The set of coupled transport equations is solved numerically using a high order finite‐volume method, the velocity‐pressure coupling is treated by a projection technique. The numerical results confirm that 20‐25 percent of the combustion heat released is radiated away from the flame. Unsteady and unsymmetrical flame behaviour is observed for small Froude numbers which results from the development of Rayleigh‐Taylor like instabilities outside the flame surface. For higher Froude numbers the steady‐state and symmetrical nature of the solution is recovered.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 July 2018

Michał T. Lewandowski, Paweł Płuszka and Jacek Pozorski

This paper aims to assess the sensitivity of numerical simulation results of turbulent reactive flow to the formulation of inlet boundary conditions. The analysis concerns the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the sensitivity of numerical simulation results of turbulent reactive flow to the formulation of inlet boundary conditions. The analysis concerns the profiles of the mean velocity the turbulence kinetic energy k and its dissipation rate ϵ. It is intended to provide guidance to the determination of inlet conditions when only global flow data are available. This situation can be met both in simple laboratory experiments and in industrial full-scale applications, when measurements are either incomplete or infeasible, resulting in lack of detailed inlet data.

Design/methodology/approach

Two turbulence–chemistry interaction models were studied: eddy dissipation concept and partially stirred reactor. Three different velocity profiles and related turbulence statistics were applied to present feasible scenarios and their consequences. Simulations with the most appropriate inlet data were accompanied with profiles of turbulent quantities obtained with a proposed method. This method was contrasted to other approaches popular in the literature: the pre-inlet pipe and the separate cold flow simulations of a burner. The methodology was validated on two laboratory-scale jet flames: Delft Jet-in-Hot-Coflow and Sandia CHN B. The simulations were carried out with open source code OpenFOAM.

Findings

The proposed relations for turbulence kinetic energy and its dissipation rate at the inlet are found to provide results comparable to those obtained with the use of experimental data as inlet boundary conditions. Moreover, from a certain location downstream the jet, weakly dependent on the Reynolds number, the influence of inlet conditions on flow statistics was found to be negligible.

Originality/value

This work reveals the consequences of the use of rather crude assumptions made for inlet boundary conditions. Proposed formulas for the profiles for k and epsilon are attractive alternatives to other approaches aiming to determine the inlet boundary conditions for turbulent jet flows.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2018

Salman Arshad, Bo Kong, Alan Kerstein and Michael Oevermann

The purpose of this numerical work is to present and test a new approach for large-scale scalar advection (splicing) in large eddy simulations (LES) that use the linear eddy…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this numerical work is to present and test a new approach for large-scale scalar advection (splicing) in large eddy simulations (LES) that use the linear eddy sub-grid mixing model (LEM) called the LES-LEM.

Design/methodology/approach

The new splicing strategy is based on an ordered flux of spliced LEM segments. The principle is that low-flux segments have less momentum than high-flux segments and, therefore, are displaced less than high-flux segments. This strategy affects the order of both inflowing and outflowing LEM segments of an LES cell. The new splicing approach is implemented in a pressure-based fluid solver and tested by simulation of passive scalar transport in a co-flowing turbulent rectangular jet, instead of combustion simulation, to perform an isolated investigation of splicing. Comparison of the new splicing with a previous splicing approach is also done.

Findings

The simulation results show that the velocity statistics and passive scalar mixing are correctly predicted using the new splicing approach for the LES-LEM. It is argued that modeling of large-scale advection in the LES-LEM via splicing is reasonable, and the new splicing approach potentially captures the physics better than the old approach. The standard LES sub-grid mixing models do not represent turbulent mixing in a proper way because they do not adequately represent molecular diffusion processes and counter gradient effects. Scalar mixing in turbulent flow consists of two different processes, i.e. turbulent mixing that increases the interface between unmixed species and molecular diffusion. It is crucial to model these two processes individually at their respective time scales. The LEM explicitly includes both of these processes and has been used successfully as a sub-grid scalar mixing model (McMurtry et al., 1992; Sone and Menon, 2003). Here, the turbulent mixing capabilities of the LES-LEM with a modified splicing treatment are examined.

Originality/value

The splicing strategy proposed for the LES-LEM is original and has not been investigated before. Also, it is the first LES-LEM implementation using unstructured grids.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 28 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2018

Raja Marudhappan, Chandrasekhar Udayagiri and Koni Hemachandra Reddy

The purpose of this paper is to formulate a structured approach to design an annular diffusion flame combustion chamber for use in the development of a 1,400 kW range aero turbo…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to formulate a structured approach to design an annular diffusion flame combustion chamber for use in the development of a 1,400 kW range aero turbo shaft engine. The purpose is extended to perform numerical combustion modeling by solving transient Favre Averaged Navier Stokes equations using realizable two equation k-e turbulence model and Discrete Ordinate radiation model. The presumed shape β-Probability Density Function (β-PDF) is used for turbulence chemistry interaction. The experiments are conducted on the real engine to validate the combustion chamber performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The combustor geometry is designed using the reference area method and semi-empirical correlations. The three dimensional combustor model is made using a commercial software. The numerical modeling of the combustion process is performed by following Eulerian approach. The functional testing of combustor was conducted to evaluate the performance.

Findings

The results obtained by the numerical modeling provide a detailed understanding of the combustor internal flow dynamics. The transient flame structures and streamline plots are presented. The velocity profiles obtained at different locations along the combustor by numerical modeling mostly go in-line with the previously published research works. The combustor exit temperature obtained by numerical modeling and experiment are found to be within the acceptable limit. These results form the basis of understanding the design procedure and opens-up avenues for further developments.

Research limitations/implications

Internal flow and combustion dynamics obtained from numerical simulation are not experimented owing to non-availability of adequate research facilities.

Practical implications

This study contributes toward the understanding of basic procedures and firsthand experience in the design aspects of combustors for aero-engine applications. This work also highlights one of the efficient, faster and economical aero gas turbine annular diffusion flame combustion chamber design and development.

Originality/value

The main novelty in this work is the incorporation of scoops in the dilution zone of the numerical model of combustion chamber to augment the effectiveness of cooling of combustion products to obtain the desired combustor exit temperature. The use of polyhedral cells for computational domain discretization in combustion modeling for aero engine application helps in achieving faster convergence and reliable predictions. The methodology and procedures presented in this work provide a basic understanding of the design aspects to the beginners working in the gas turbine combustors particularly meant for turbo shaft engines applications.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 91 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Michela Costa, Vanessa Indrizzi, Nicola Massarotti and Alessandro Mauro

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of an incinerator plant in terms of NO emissions and temperature of particles 2 s after the last air injection, which must…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of an incinerator plant in terms of NO emissions and temperature of particles 2 s after the last air injection, which must be above 850°C as established from the Directive 2000/76/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council – December 4, 2000 on dioxins formation in waste incineration plants.

Design/methodology/approach

Investigation is made by coupling proper models developed within three commercial software environments: FLUENT, to reproduce the thermodynamic field inside the combustion chamber of the incinerator plant taken into account, MATLAB, to evaluate the position and temperatures of the particles 2 s after the last air injection, MODEFRONTIER, to change both the secondary air mass flow rate and the equivalent heat transfer coefficient of the refractory walls to fulfill the conflicting objectives of reducing the NO formation and increasing the mean gases temperature as required by the Directive.

Findings

The investigations suggest that it is possible to create the conditions allowing the reduction of NO emissions and the fulfilment of the European limits. In particular, the obtained results suggest that increasing the overall mass flow rate of the secondary air and using a different refractory material on the walls, the environmental performance of the incinerator plant can be improved.

Research limitations/implications

Many other parameters could be optimized and, at the same time, more detailed models could be used for the Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. Moreover, also the energy generated at the plant would need a better investigation in order to understand if optimal conditions can be really achieved.

Originality/value

The work covers new aspects of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) systems, since it deals with an optimization study of plant design and operating parameters. This kind of investigation allows not only to improve already existing technologies for WtE systems, but also to develop new ones.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

11 – 20 of 776