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An experimental study on the structural alteration of C3H8-air premixed flame affected by ultrasonic standing waves of various frequencies

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Abstract

This experimental study scrutinizes the structural variation of a premixed propane-air flame according to the frequency change of ultrasonic standing waves (USWs) at various equivalence ratios. Visualization technique via Schlieren photography is employed in the observation of the flame structure and in the analysis of the flame velocities along the propagation. A distorted flame front and horizontal splitting in the burnt zone result from the USW. The vertical locations of the distortion and horizontal stripes are closely dependent on the frequency of the USW. In addition, the propagation velocity of the flame front floored by the standing wave is greater than that in the case without the excitation by the standing wave. As expected, the influence of the USW on the premixed-flame propagation becomes prominent as the frequency increases. The results suggest that a well-defined USW may be applied to combustion devices, such as gas turbines and chemical rocket engines, to achieve an active control of the instability that frequently intervenes in such systems.

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Correspondence to Jeong Soo Kim.

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This paper was presented at the AJCPP-2014, Jeju Grand Hotel, Jeju, Korea, March 5–8, 2014. Recommended by Guest Editor Heuy Dong Kim

Sang Shin Lee received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Pukyong National University in 2012 and 2014, respectively. After graduation, he joined the Operational Excellence Team of SK E&S in Korea.

Jeong Soo Kim received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Aerospace Engineering of KAIST in 1987 and 1992, respectively. By 2004, he had worked for the Agency for Defense Development and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) as a principal researcher. While working for KARI, he participated in the development of KOMPSAT-1 at TRW (USA) from 1996 to 1998 as an assistant program manager of KARI-TRW’s co-development team. He also led his propulsion team toward the successful localization of the KOMPSAT-2 propulsion system. He is currently a faculty member of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Pukyong National University, Korea. His area of expertise and his research interests lie in the design and development of small propulsion engines and the study of the combustion phenomena of liquid propellants.

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Lee, S.S., Kim, J.S. & Kim, H.D. An experimental study on the structural alteration of C3H8-air premixed flame affected by ultrasonic standing waves of various frequencies. J Mech Sci Technol 29, 917–922 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-0205-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-0205-z

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