College of Engineering

A combustion air stream is introduced tangentially into the interior of a premix burner by means of a swirl producer, and is mixed with fuel. At the burner outlet, the vortex flow which arises bursts open at a sudden change of cross section, with the initiation of a back-flow zone which serves to stabilize a flame in the operation of the burner. Although premix burners make possible an operation with very low pollutant emissions, they often operate dangerously near to the extinction limit of the flame. Cavity structures have been designed for the purpose of improving flame stability. However, the precise mechanism by which the cavity method provides increased flame stability remains unclear. This study relates to the combustion characteristics and flame stability of a micro-structured cavity-stabilized burner. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are conducted to gain insights into burner performance such as reaction rates, species concentrations, temperatures, and flames. Factors affecting combustion characteristics and flame stability are determined. Design recommendations are provided. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity of the burner walls plays a vital role in flame stability. Improvements in flame stability are achievable by using walls with anisotropic thermal conductivity. Heat-insulating materials are favored to minimize external heat losses. Burner dimensions greatly affect flame stability. The inlet velocity of the mixture is a critical factor in assuring flame stability within the cavity-stabilized burner. There is a narrow range of inlet velocities that permit sustained combustion within the cavity-stabilized burner. There are issues of efficiency loss for fuel-rich cases. Burners with large dimensions lead to a delay in flame ignition and may cause blowout. The combustion is stabilized by recirculation of hot combustion products induced by the cavity structure.