Stability analysis of thermodiffusively unstable counterflow lean premixed hydrogen flames

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of increasing strain rate on thermodiffusively unstable, lean premixed hydrogen flames in a 2D counterflow configuration through detailed-chemistry numerical simulations for the first time. The analysis of transient flame dynamics without imposed perturbations reveals that a steady-state flame front is achieved only when the strain rate exceeds a certain threshold. Below this threshold, the flame exhibits unstable oscillatory behavior. When subjected to a range of perturbation wavelengths, the flame front exhibits an exponentially increasing wavelength over time, driven by the flame-tangential velocity component, with the applied strain rate acting as the amplification factor. It is shown that any perturbation is damped at sufficiently high applied strain rate conditions after a transient phase. At these high strain regimes, the growth rate transient follows a characteristic onset that depends uniquely on the initial perturbation wavelength and exhibits a linear dependence on the applied strain rate.