arXiv subjects

Xiangyu Nie

Publications and source records attributed to Xiangyu Nie.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Pulsation of Burner-Stabilized CH4-O2 Flames Moderated by CO2 Addition

This study investigated the pulsating instability of burner-stabilized premixed CH4-O2 flames at various levels of CO2 dilution. Experiments were conducted using a water-cooled porous-plug burner of 18 mm diameter over a wide range of mixture compositions and flow rates, during which time-resolved measurements of flame chemiluminescence and gas temperature were obtained. The primary oscillation frequencies of the pulsating flames were determined using fast Fourier transform and harmonic power analysis. Phase-locked analysis of the chemiluminescence images revealed an interesting mode-transition phenomenon of the flame oscillations. Under fuel-rich conditions with relatively low heat release rates and low flow rates, the flames exhibited quasi-periodic single-mode oscillations. At elevated flow rates, these oscillations were modulated by low-frequency flame flickering instabilities, which created sidebands around the primary oscillation frequency. At higher heat release rates, the flickering instability further triggered mode splitting, eventually leading to multi-mode oscillations. Regime diagrams of the flame oscillation modes, as well as the stability boundaries, were obtained under various fuel flow rates. These findings can be useful for both fundamental research on flame dynamics and practical applications of CO2-moderated oxy-combustion.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

Edge-Stabilized Rotating Flames in a Circular Hele-Shaw Cell

In this study, we report direct experimental observations of self-sustaining CH4-air rotating flames formed spontaneously in an unheated, open, circular Hele-Shaw cell. These flames are observed under fuel-rich conditions and exhibit stable traveling-wave patterns, with edge velocities that can significantly exceed the nominal flame speed of the unburned mixture. PLIF measurements across the central plane reveal that the flame front consists of a bibrachial structure, with a diffusion branch gliding along the side edges of the cell and a premixed branch extending into the interior. Complementary numerical simulations suggest that the formation of rotating flames is driven by a dynamic balance between local flame speed and unburned-gas velocity near the cell edges, where both wall heat loss and flow expansion play critical roles in stabilizing the rotation pattern. A parametric study is conducted for various equivalence ratios, flow rates, and gap distances, from which the regime diagrams of flame modes and rotation frequencies are obtained. At low flow rates, the rotating state is characterized by a single rotating flame wave, whose rotation frequency increases with flow rate. For this type of flames, a semi-empirical model is established to predict their rotation frequencies and shapes as functions of mass flow rate and surface temperature. At elevated flow rates, multiple rotating waves appear with approximately equal azimuthal spacing, and the product of the wave number and rotation frequency increases with flow rate. Mode transition from rotating flames to steady ring-shaped flames anchored at the burner edges occurs at sufficiently high flow rates, while at sufficiently low flow rates, flame extinction occurs due to thermal quenching. These findings can provide useful guidance for the advancement of micro-combustion technologies.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

Cavity-Stabilized Rotating Flames in a Circular Hele-Shaw Burner

We report direct experimental observations of self-organized rotating flames of premixed CH4 and air in an open circular Hele-Shaw burner equipped with an annulus cavity flame holder. These flames formed spontaneously at sufficiently low flow rates, where flame flashback was counteracted by thermal quenching, resulting in a dynamic balance between the local flame speed and flow velocity. Unlike flames propagating in closed micro-channels, these flames exhibited stable traveling-wave patterns with heads gliding along the leading edge of the cavity, where rapid expansion created a low-speed zone that facilitated flame stabilization. At low flow rates, the rotating flames were single-headed, with their rotation frequencies roughly proportional to the laminar flame speeds, suggesting that the flame fronts traveled in a nearly constant-shape fashion. As the flow rate increased, the rotating flames split into multiple heads at approximately equal spacing, and the number of heads and rotation frequency increased with the flow rate, until these rotating flames transitioned into steady ring-shaped flames anchored at the cavity leading edge. Blow-off or extinction occurred at sufficiently high flow rates, where the flame front was pushed out of the rear side of the cavity. Parametric measurements were conducted over a wide range of equivalence ratios and flow rates, from which a regime diagram of different flame modes and their transition boundaries was obtained. Additional experiments were conducted on C3H8 and DME. It was found that the critical total mass flow rate at the rotating-steady flame transition boundary is insensitive to equivalence ratio, gap distance, and fuel type. These results should be useful not only for the fundamental understanding of flame dynamics in micro-channels but also for the practical design of micro-combustors and the application of micro-combustion technologies.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Quantitative 3D Morphology of Cellular H2/O2/N2 Flames on a Porous-Plug Burner: Spatially Resolved Measurements of Temperature and OH Radical

This study presents a systematic characterization of burner-stabilized lean hydrogen flame morphology across a wide range of equivalence ratios, dilution factors, and flow rates. Spatially resolved measurements of three-dimensional temperature and OH distributions were achieved. A comprehensive dataset of over 200 flame cases was obtained, enabling accurate determination of regime diagrams for different flame modes. Linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulations were also performed and compared with the experimental results. The dominant wavenumbers of steady-state cellular flames were found to be consistently lower than the most unstable wavenumbers predicted by the linearized dispersion relation, indicating that nonlinear interactions between finite-amplitude perturbations of different length scales favored the growth of low-frequency components at long times. The cellular structures were found to be critically important in stabilizing the flame, especially at nominal equivalence ratios near the lean flammability limit. The mechanism of cellular flame stabilization was analyzed by complementary numerical simulations using a detailed reaction model. The combined effect of curvature-induced flame acceleration, local flow expansion/compression near the burner surface, and stratification of equivalence ratio caused by Soret diffusion created regions of reduced flow speed and enriched hydrogen concentration that helped anchor flames at nominal conditions where they would have blown off without the flame cells. The results of the present study are useful for understanding the fundamental flame dynamics of lean hydrogen mixtures and for improving the design of practical hydrogen combustors.

physics.flu-dyn↗