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ARTICLE

The Effect of Swirl Intensity on the Flow Behavior and Combustion Characteristics of a Lean Propane-Air Flame

Hemaizia Abdelkader^*, Bentebbiche Abdelhalim

Laboratory of Energetic Mechanics and Conversion System, University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene, Algiers, 16111, Algeria

* Corresponding Author: Hemaizia Abdelkader. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Materials and Energy an Updated Image for 2021)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2022, 18(6), 1749-1762. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2022.022006

Received 16 February 2022; Accepted 18 March 2022; Issue published 27 June 2022

Abstract

The effect of swirl number (Sn) on the flow behavior and combustion characteristics of a lean premixed propane Flame Ф = 0.5 in a swirl burner configuration was numerically verified in this study. Two-dimensional numerical simulations were performed using ANSYS-Fluent software. For turbulence closure, a standard K-ε turbulence model was applied. The turbulence-chemistry interaction scheme was modeled using the Finite Rate-Eddy Dissipation hybrid model (FR/EDM) with a reduced three-step reaction mechanism. The P1 radiation model was used for the flame radiation inside the combustion chamber. Four different swirl numbers were selected (0, 0.72, 1.05, and 1.4) corresponding to different angles (0°, 39°, 50°, and 57.8°). The results show that the predicted model agrees very well with the experimental data, especially with respect to the axial and radial velocity and temperature profiles. An outer recirculation zone (ORZ) is present in the combustor corner at Sn = 0 and an inner recirculation zone (IRZ) appears at the combustor centerline inlet at a critical Sn = 0.72. When the Sn reaches an excessive value, the IRZ moves toward the premixing tube, leading to a flame flashback. The flame structure and its length are strongly affected by changes in the Sn as well as the formation of NOx and CO at the combustor exit.

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Keywords

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