Investigation of Flame Structure and PAHs’ Evolution in a Swirl-Stabilized Spray Flame at Elevated Pressure

Wenyu Wang, Runfan Zhu, Siyu Liu, Yong He (), Wubin Weng, Shixing Wang, William L. Roberts and Zhihua Wang
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Wenyu Wang: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Runfan Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Siyu Liu: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Yong He: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Wubin Weng: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Shixing Wang: Clean Energy Research Platform, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
William L. Roberts: Clean Energy Research Platform, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
Zhihua Wang: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: Swirl spray combustion has attracted significant attention due to its common usage in gas turbines. However, the high pressure in many practical applications remains a major obstacle to the deep understanding of flame stability and pollutant formation. To address this concern, this study investigated a swirl spray flame fueled with n-decane at elevated pressure. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of OH and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were used simultaneously, enabling the distinction of the locations of OH, PAHs, and mixtures of them, providing detailed information on flame structure and evolution of PAHs. The effects of swirl number and ambient pressure on reaction zone characteristics and PAHs’ formation were studied, with the swirl number ranging from 0.30 to 1.18 and the pressure ranging from 1 to 3 bar. The data suggest that the swirl number changes the flame structure from V-shaped to crown-shaped, as observed at both atmospheric and elevated pressures. Additionally, varying swirl numbers lead to the initiation of flame divergence at distinct pressure levels. Moreover, PAHs of different molecular sizes exhibit significant overlap, with larger PAHs able to further extend downstream. The relative concentration of PAH increased with pressure, and the promoting effect of pressure on producing larger PAHs was significant.

Keywords: spray combustion; swirl; elevated pressures; OH; PAH; PLIF (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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