Experiments on Flame Flashback in a Quasi-2D Turbulent Wall Boundary Layer for Premixed Methane-Hydrogen-Air Mixtures

Abstract

Premixed combustion of hydrogen-rich mixtures involves the risk of flame flashback through wall boundary layers. For laminar flow conditions, the flashback mechanism is well understood and is usually correlated by a critical velocity gradient at the wall. Turbulent transport inside the boundary layer considerably increases the flashback propensity. Only tube burner setups were investigated in the past, and thus turbulent flashback limits were only derived for a fully developed Blasius wall friction profile. For turbulent flows, details of the flame propagation in proximity to the wall remain unclear. This paper presents results from a new experimental combustion rig, apt for detailed optical investigations of flame flashbacks in a turbulent wall boundary layer developing on a flat plate and being subject to an adjustable pressure gradient. Turbulent flashback limits are derived from the observed flame position inside the measurement section. The fuels investigated cover mixtures of methane, hydrogen, and air at various mixing ratios. The associated wall friction distributions are determined by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) computations of the flow inside the measurement section with fully resolved boundary layers. Consequently, the interaction between flame back pressure and incoming flow is not taken into account explicitly, in accordance with the evaluation procedure used for tube burner experiments. The results are compared with literature values, and the critical gradient concept is reviewed in light of the new data.