Proceedings of the 22nd National Conference on IC Engines and Combustion

NIT-Calicut, Kerala, India: 10-13 December, 2011: Paper No: 2-021

Temperature-Field above Flame-Apex of Low-Swirl Premixed Turbulent Flames

U.S.P.Shet*, K.Kumaran
Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT-Madras, Chennai-600036
*Former Professor, e-mail: uspshet@iitm.ac.in

Abstract
This paper presents the temperature distribution above the flame-apex region of open pilot-stabilized premixed-swirled
turbulent flames. The influence of equivalence ratio and flame shape of un-swirled and swirled flame on thermal field
downstream of the flame apex region is anlyzed. Due to the lower flame height of swirled flame compared to the un-
swirled flame, the hot gas temperature for swirled flames is seen to be lower compared to the un-swirled case at given
axial distance above the flame apex. The axial temperature decreased due to the entrainment of surrounding air into the
hot product gases. For the fuel-rich swirled flame of equivalence ratio,  =1.25 hot gas temperature is seen to be slightly
higher than in the case of un-swirled flame: this is attributed to the secondary combustion of hot fuel rich intermediates
with the entrained ambient air which is promoted by the prevailing turbulence above the flame apex region. The
temperature distribution provides useful data in the design of heat exchanger system handling these burner flames.

Keywords: Low swirl burner; temperature distribution; flame-apex-region; premixed turbulent flames

Introduction
Swirling flows are extensively used in burner systems to stabilize flame and in developing low-emission burner systems.
The fundamental aspects of the complex interaction of swirl with flames in a wide variety of burner configurations have
been explained [1]. Experimental studies by Gupta et al. [2] have shown that swirl has large-scale effects on flow field,
i.e., on jet growth, entrainment and decay in case of inert flows and flame size, shape, stability and combustion intensity
in case of reacting flows. Their results show that the distinct flow field feature of swirling flow is the formation of large
central recirculation zone or toroidal vortex, which is vital for steady burner operation and flame stability. Swirl is used to
reduce the flame length and consequently flame impingement on the burner which extends life of the burner unit and also
in developing low-emission burner systems. In designing these efficient burner systems, the designer needs to know
information about the flame characteristics and the thermal field provided by the flame as a function of varied operating
parameters. The working of the heating system operating with gas flames is influenced by flame height, heating height,
i.e., separation distance between the heat exchanger and burner mouth, hot product gas temperature, air entrainment and
secondary combustion occurring in case of fuel-rich flames. Flame impingement on heating surface should be avoided by
employing shorter flames and thermal efficiency of these heating systems can further be improved by reducing optimally
the separation distance (heating height). The present work focuses on analyzing the characteristics of the thermal field
data, i.e., temperature distribution in axial and radial directions obtained in premixed swirl burner.

Zhao et al. [3] numerically studied the flame properties of open, swirl stabilized turbulent premixed flames by simulating
combustion, heat transfer and flow field details. They observed that flame stabilization depends on flow divergence and
does not rely on recirculation zone, though a re-circulation zone is located downstream of the flame. The degree of
premixing controls the thermal field uniformity of premixed flames and the corresponding emission levels. The extent of
thermal non-uniformity in premixed combustors depends on the input and operational parameters of the combustor
including premixing method, turbulence level, degree and distribution of swirl in the combustor. The non-uniformity in
thermal field can have an influence on the overall performance of the combustor including stability limits and emissions.
Qi et al. [4] studied the effect of swirl and momentum distribution on thermal field non-uniformity, thermal time scales
and their correlation with the emission levels in premixed/partially premixed flames, and suggested optimum levels of
swirl and momentum distribution in a premixed burner for achieving uniform thermal field and low emission levels. Their
results showed that the distribution of swirl in the burner has a strong influence on the flow structures and flame
characteristics. Yegian and Cheng [5] evaluated the performance of low swirl burner in configurations that simulate the
commercial heating systems.

Recently, a novel low swirl burner concept [6] has gained momentum as an effective burner emission control strategy,
which provides conditions for stable lean premixed flames. Although several weak swirl configurations were developed
in the past, the low swirl burner differs in burner design concept. Low swirl burner technology provides the conditions for
achieving stable lean premixed flames, which in turn enables lower temperature levels and hence low NOx emission
levels without any efficiency penalties. The above studies reveal that low swirl burners exhibit a wide range of operating
conditions and have significant application in open premixed flame systems. The present work discusses the influence of
equivalence ratio and flame shape exhibited by un-swirled or swirled flame on thermal field downstream of the flame
apex region. The temperature field above the flame apex region for swirled and un-swirled flames over a range of
equivalence ratios,  = 0.85, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.45 are analyzed.

Experimental Setup and Methodology

Figure 1a gives a schematic of an experimental set-up comprising a swirl-nozzle burner of 19mm diameter employed to
study the thermal field of swirled flame issuing from the burner port. Swirl is imparted to the main mixture tangentially
through two diametrically opposite air inlets of 8mm diameter at 300mm above the axial air and fuel inlets. After a
settling section of 240mm length, a short nozzle of contraction ratio 4.9: 1 is provided. A water-cooled annular pilot
burner is provided at the mouth of the nozzle burner which is operated with stoichiometric LPG-air mixture. This pilot
burner stabilize the main flame issuing from the nozzle burner. The fuel and tangential-air flow rates are metered
independently using calibrated rotameters (accuracy  1 % respectively). The axial air is regulated using sonic flow
meter (accuracy  1 %). Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG (commercial butane) is used as fuel. The air and LPG flow rates
for the pilot-burner are metered using calibrated rotameters of same accuracies.

Premixed Turbulent Flames,  = 1.0 and RE= 3484

Fig.1a) Schematic of burner set-up 1b) Un-swirled Flame, 1c) Swirled Flame,
Sg = 0 S g =1.26

Quantification of input burner-swirl level

Swirl is generated using axial-plus-tangential entry ports, to generate low-swirl intensity jet issuing from the nozzle
burner. In swirl burners, swirl is characterized by conventional swirl number, S, as given by Beer and Chigier [1]:

S  G / (Gx  R) (1)

where G is the axial flux of angular momentum, Gx is the axial flux of axial momentum and the ratio G / Gx is made
non-dimensional by using the burner radius R. The above equation involves the magnitudes of tangential- and axial- flow
velocity parameters, which necessitate the measurement of velocity distribution in respective directions. However, in the
absence of detailed velocity measurements, the swirl intensity is quantified by using the geometrical swirl number, Sg,
proposed by Claypole and Syred [7], viz.,

 ro R mTA
Sg  [ ][ ]2 (2)
At ( mTA  m AA  m f )
For the given burner geometry the swirl level of the mixture flow rate can be varied by varying the mass flow rates of
tangential and axial flow streams fed to the burner as described by Kumaran and Shet [8]. Here, S g depends on burner
parameters, viz., the burner radius R, the distance ro is the shortest distance from swirl port axis to the burner axis, the
port area At of swirl ports and the operating flow rates. For given fuel mass flow rate m f , the tangential mass flow rate
mTA is varied to change S g by adjusting axial-air flow rate, m AA such that total mass flow rate
mTotal  mTA  m AA  m f is constant. The operating Reynolds number RE is hence known. Similarly, the equivalence
ratio can be varied at constant S g and RE. Here, mTA is fixed, and m f is varied by adjusting m AA , keeping
mTotal constant. With the available flow metering facility, S g is varied from 0 to 1.26. It is noted that the conventional
swirl number S > 0.6 implies strong-swirl which is accompanied by central recirculation zone. Feikama et al. [9] based on
laser diagnostic flow-field measurements in their burner system, showed that the S g values estimated from the equation
(2) are four times higher than the measured value of standard swirl number S given by equation (1). For the maximum
value of S g = 1.26 studied in the present work, the burner flow field is assessed as rotating flow without presenting
recirculation zone at the burner mouth: this is evidenced by the flow-visualization studies by the tuft-experiments and
flame-visualization by NaCl injection experiments [10]. Figures 1b-c show the marked effect of swirl action on the
structure of premixed turbulent flames [8].

Measurements of Product Gas Temperature

In the present work, the hot product gas temperatures are measured using a R type, i.e., Pt/Pt-13% Rd thermocouple in
conjunction with a data logger. The thermocouple wire is of 0.3 mm diameter and configured into twin-bored 300 mm
long porcelain tube. The thermocouple bead of 0.8 mm diameter protrudes by 5 mm from one end of the porcelain tube. A
water-cooling arrangement is also provided to prevent overheating of the porcelain tube. The thermocouple output is fed
to a data-logger with a built-in reference junction, which in turn is interfaced with a PC. The data logger records the
instantaneous flame temperature data at various stations over scan duration of 30 seconds at an interval of 0.1 second. The
time constant of the thermocouple is found to be 1.67 second. A three-dimensional traversing mechanism is used to
traverse the thermocouple probe for linear movement in X and Y directions (accuracy: 0.05 mm), and in Z (vertical)
direction (accuracy: 0.5mm).
Thermocouple readings are taken at several axial locations, viz., X/D = 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15 (where X is the
axial distance from the burner exit plane, non-dimensionized by burner diameter, D) and at several radial positions, r = 0,
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30mm from the burner axis. The temperature measurements were confined to flow field regions
above the flame apex from x/D = 5 and downstream region to restrict measurements below the level of 1600 K as
necessitated by the R-Type thermocouple used in the present work.
The actual gas temperatures are determined from energy balance based on radiation for the thermocouple bead. By
applying thermocouple properties, ambient temperature and the thermocouple temperature, the error estimate in
temperature measurement due to heat loss from thermocouple bead by radiation is found to be 219 K at the maximum gas
temperature of 1600 K. The temperature plots are presented without applying correction for heat losses.

Results and Discussion

Figures 3 and 4 show the influence of swirled and un-swirled flame on thermal field downstream of the burner.
They show the axial temperature decay of hot products for the flames of equivalence ratio,  = 0.8, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.45
without and with swirl action on flame respectively. Figure 3 (on the left) shows that for the no-swirl case, for x/D > 5,
the product gas temperature increases with increase in equivalence ratio, ER more drastically for fuel-rich flames. The
small spread of temperature levels noted at X/D = 5 is attributed to the varied flame heights associated with ER and swirl
effect on the flame (Kumaran and Shet[11]) and the proximity of the flame tip to the thermocouple bead.
For both swirled and un-swirled flames, the axial temperature decay trend is seen to be almost same for lean and
stoichiometric flames for X/D > 5, temperature gradient being higher for the fuel rich flames. The higher temperature
level noted for fuel-rich flames,  = 1.25 and 1.45, in the downstream direction is attributed to the secondary combustion
occurring due to the ambient air getting entrained into the fuel-rich products of combustion. Also, the lower temperature
levels noted for lean (  = 0.8) and stoichiometric flames in the downstream direction are mainly due to the dilution of
the hot gases with the ambient air, there being no secondary combustion, flames being fuel lean. Though the flame height
is shorter for  = 1.0, higher temperature level measured by the thermocouple is attributed to the higher flame
temperature associated with  = 1.0.
Figure 5 shows the axial temperature decay of hot products of un-swirled and swirled flames from the axial
location, X/D = 5 for fuel-rich situation,  = 1.25. The temperature variation is seen to be less steep for the swirled
flames compared to un-swirled flames which is explained as due to the effect of more turbulence generated by the
widened flame apex (Fig. 1c). Interestingly, for the swirled fuel-rich flames, the hot gas temperatures for X/D > 10 are
found to be higher compared to no-swirl case: this is attributed to the swirled flame producing more turbulence by the
widened flame apex which in turn promotes mixing and secondary combustion of fuel intermediate species with entrained
 Figs. 3-4: Axial temperature decay without and with swirl respectively at Re = 3484

Fig. 5 Axial temperature decay at ER = 1.25 and Re = 3484

Figs. 6-7: Radial temperature decay for un-swirled and swirled flame at Re = 3484, x/D =7
ambient air. It is also observed that for X/D up to 7.5, with swirl the peak temperature values are less compared to no-
swirl case: this is attributed to the cooling of hot products by the entrained surrounding air over larger axial distance,
flame being shorter with swirl than in no swirl case.
In axial temperature decay, the difference in temperature between swirled and no-swirl flames is not much in
lean and stoichiometric cases, but at fuel-rich conditions, there is substantial increase (~ 90K) in temperature for
swirled condition. Figure 6 (left) and Fig.7 show the temperature variation of hot products at different radial locations
at X/D = 7.0, for no-swirl and swirled flame respectively. The temperature distribution is plotted in terms of r/D, where
r is the radial distance from the burner axis. In the case of no-swirl, the radial temperature distribution showed higher
values for  = 0.8 compared to  = 1.0. This is due to the fact that lean flame of  = 0.8 is taller compared to
stoichiometric flame [11] and consequently the flame tip is closer to the thermocouple bead location (X/D = 7).
Interestingly this trend is not seen for swirled flame as shown in Fig. 7. This is due to the fact that swirl reduces the
flame height drastically on leaner flames compared to stoichiometric flame [11]. In the case of both swirled and un-
swirled flames, the radial temperature values of hot products for  = 1.25 and 1.45 are seen to be higher than lean and
stoichiometric case due to the occurrence of secondary combustion.

Conclusions
The height of open premixed turbulent flame is rendered shorter when weak swirl motion is imparted to premixed
mixture. Due to shorter flame height of swirled flame compared to un-swirled flame the hot gas temperature for swirled
flames is seen to be lower than in the case of un-swirled flames at the same axial distance above flame apex region.
Fuel-rich swirled flame of equivalence ratio,  =1.25 presented slightly higher product gas temperature compared to
the un-swirled flame: this is attributed to the secondary combustion of hot fuel rich species with the entrained ambient
air, a process which is enhanced perhaps due to the mixing promoted by turbulence of the hot products of swirled flame
above the apex region. The temperature distribution data obtained is useful in the design of heat exchanger system
handling these types of swirl burner flames.

References
[1] Beer, J. M. and Chigier, N. A., (1972) Combustion Aerodynamics, Applied Science Publications, London.
[2] Gupta, A. K., Lilley D. G. and Syred, N., (1984) Swirl Flows, Abacus Press, England.
[3] Zhao, Q.W.,Chan, C.K. and Zhao, H. F.,(2004) Numerical simulation of open swirl-stabilized premixed
combustion, Fuel, 83, 1615-1623.
[4] Qi, S., Gupta, A. K. and Lewis, M. J.,(1997), Effect of swirl on temperature distribution in premixed flames, The
35th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, AIAA-1997-373
[5] Yegian, D. T. and Cheng, R. K., (1998), Development of a lean premixed low-swirl burner for low-NOx practical
applications, Combustion Science and Technology, 139, 207-227
[6] Chan, K., Lau, K. S., Chin, W. K. and Cheng, R. K., (1992) Freely propagating open premixed turbulent flames
stabilized by swirl, Twenty-fourth Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute,511-518.
[7] Claypole, T. C. and Syred, N.,(1981), The effect of swirl burner aerodynamics on NOx formation, Eighteenth
Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, 81-89.
[8] Kumaran, K. and U. S. P. Shet.,(2007) Effects of swirl on lean flame limits of pilot-stabilized open premixed
turbulent flames, Combustion and Flame, 151, 1-2, pp 391-395
[9] Feikama, D.,Chen R.H.and Driscoll,J. F,(1990), Enhancement of flame blowout limits by the use of swirl,
Combustion and .Flame, 80, 183-195.
[10] U. S. P. Shet.and Kumaran, K.,(2007) Flame-flow visualization in a swirl burner, The 10th Asia Symposium on
Visualization, March 1-5, 2010, SRM University, Chennai-603 203, pp 303-338.
[11] Kumaran, K.and Shet, U. S. P., (2005) Studies on flame characteristics of swirled-turbulent open premixed nozzle
flames, Proc. 5th Asia Pacific Conference on Combustion, The University of Adelaide, Australia, p 405.