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Combustion of lean methane–air mixtures in a slot burner with adiabatic outer

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Article  in  Combustion Explosion and Shock Waves · January 2016

DOI: 10.1134/S0010508216010068

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A. Yu. Krainov Kseniya Moiseeva

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 c Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2016.
ISSN 0010-5082, Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, 2016, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 45–52. 
c A.Yu. Krainov, K.M. Moiseeva.
Original Russian Text 

Combustion of Lean Methane–Air Mixtures

in a Slot Burner with Adiabatic Outer Walls

A. Yu. Krainova and K. M. Moiseevaa UDC 536.46

Published in Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 52–59, January–February, 2016.
Original article submitted January 21, 2015; revision submitted March 18, 2015.

Abstract: The problem of the combustion of a methane–air mixture in a slot burner with adiabatic
outer walls is solved. The problem is investigated numerically in a one-dimensional formulation
and dimensional variables. The range of existence of stable high-temperature combustion of the
methane–air mixture is determined as a function of gas flow rate and methane content in the mix-
ture. The mechanism of failure of stable combustion is determined. The effect of heat transfer of
the gas insert with an inner insert on combustion stability is shown.
Keywords: slot burner, methane–air mixture, inner insert, thermal expansion, stable combus-
tion.
DOI: 10.1134/S0010508216010068

INTRODUCTION heating of the gas or the entire device. It has been

An important task of modern industry is the devel-
opment of miniature burners and methods for efficient
combustion of gas mixtures. This task is closely related
to the question of the stability of combustion, which is
known to be determined by the combined effect of heat
and mass transfer [1]. In miniature burners, heat trans-
fer to the environment through the side surface can sig-
nificantly affect the stability of combustion. In addition
to heat transfer, the composition of the reaction mix-
ture influences the combustion stability. Under normal
conditions, the flammability of methane–air mixtures is
in the range of volume content of methane of 5.3–15%
[2]. Beyond this range, stable combustion is possible
only with a change in the conditions of combustion [2].
The stability of combustion of a gas mixture in a
small burner device is significantly affected by the heat
exchange between the mixture and the structural ele-
ments of the device. The heat transfer in the device
and hence combustion stability of the mixture can be
changed by using additional structural elements, e.g., a
porous filter layer [3] or an inner inert insert [4]. Com-
bustion stability can also be improved by additional
a
Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 634050 Russia;
Moiseeva KM@t-sk.ru.
0010-5082/16/5201-0045 
c 2016 by Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.
shown [5, 6] that this process can be implemented and
sustained by heating a portion of the walls with a nar-
row tube or a radial channel. Zamashchikov [7] im-
plemented low-velocity gas combustion by heating the
walls with a narrow tube from the reacting reaction mix-
ture. Fursenko and Minaev [8] have studied gas com-
bustion in a counterflow heat exchanger assuming that
the gases passed through parallel channels in opposite
directions and mutually influence each other due to heat
transfer through the common boundary of the channels.
It has been found that the stability of the gas combus-
tion is determined by the composition of the reaction
mixture and the heat exchange between the mixture and
the walls of the heat exchanger. Belmont et al. [9–11]
have performed an experimental study of combustion of
hydrocarbon mixtures in a counterflow burner consist-
ing of four tubes and have found the ranges of stable
combustion modes depending on the feed rate and the
content of the combustible component in the mixture.
For lean mixtures, stable combustion occurs in a nar-
rower range of velocities than for nearly stoichiometric
mixtures.
Gas combustion in a U-shaped burner or a bent
channel is studied in [12, 13]. In [12], it is assumed that
the fresh mixture is supplied to one of the tubes of the
U-shaped burner and hot reaction products flow out of
45
46
the other tube. Chemical reaction is possible only at
the curved site where an analog of a chemical reactor
is located. Heating of the fresh mixture is due to heat
transfer from the hot reaction product through the in-
ner wall of the burner. Analytical study has shown that
there are the lower and upper limits of the mass feed
rate of the mixture at which it is impossible to maintain
stable combustion. Krainov and Moiseeva [13] have for-
mulated and solved the problem of stable combustion
of a lean methane–air mixture in a U-shaped tube of
rectangular cross section. The tube was bent so that
one of the walls became an inner wall and the second
played the role of external walls. Combustion was initi-
ated by a preheated inner wall. The problem was solved
numerically. The ranges of dimensionless flow and heat
transfer parameters on the walls of the U-tube were de-
termined in which of high-temperature stable or oscilla-
tory combustion modes are possible. Maruta et al. [5]
have performed an experimental study of the process in
the case of an external electrical heating of a U-shaped
burner. Regions of combustion modes in terms of the
average gas flow velocity and the methane content in
the mixture have been obtained.
The classical thermal diffusion model of gas com-
bustion does not account for the dependence of the dif-
fusion coefficient and thermal conductivity on temper-
ature. The density and gas flow velocity are also as-
sumed to be constant. Heat exchange with the outer
walls is described assuming that the Nusselt number is
constant. Solution of the problem of combustion under
these conditions provides qualitative regularities of com-
bustion. Change in the transfer coefficient has a signifi-
cant effect on the results, and this should be considered
in engineering calculations. Temperature dependence
of the coefficients of transfer and thermal expansion of
the gas has been shown by Shkadinskii and Barzykin
[14] in solving the problem of ignition and determin-
ing the amount of heat transferred from the hot wall to
the gas. Thermal expansion of the gas was taken into
account in [15, 16]. Krainov and Moiseeva [15] used
a physicomathematical model for combustion of a gas
mixture in a U-shaped tube [13] that takes into account
the change in the density of the reaction mixture under
a change in the temperature; consideration of thermal
expansion made it possible to clarify the position of the
flame front and the time of establishment of the com-
bustion mode. Kuznetsov et al. [17] have found the
substantial dependence of heat transfer on the gas flow
rate in a slot heat exchanger.
In the present paper, we investigate the combustion
of a lean methane–air mixture in a slot burner with an
inert inner insert. The inner insert is a thin partition
through which there is heat exchange between the gas
Krainov and Moiseeva
Fig. 1. Model of a slot burner (a) and a schematic of
motion and heat transfer of the mixture (b): (I) inlet
tube; (II) inner insert; (III) outlet tube.
flowing in the top and bottom parts of the burner [13,
15] (Fig. 1). The temperature of the insert changes due
to heat exchange with the reaction mixture and affects
the stability of the combustion mode. The mathemat-
ical formulation of the problem is based on [4, 13–15]
and takes into account the dependence of heat conduc-
tion, diffusion, and heat transfer on temperature. The
objective of the study is to determine the conditions
of existence of stable high-temperature combustion of
a lean methane–air mixture depending on the methane
content in the mixture and gas flow rate to the burner.
MATHEMATICAL MODEL
A cold methane–air mixture with a methane con-
tent av and temperature Tv is fed at rate uv to a
preheated slot burner from the side x = 0 (region I
in Fig. 1b). The mixture passes through the upper
part of the burner, changes direction at the boundary
x = L, and flows out at the boundary x = 2L (re-
gion III). Flowing through the device, the reaction mix-
ture exchanges heat with the inner insert (region II) by
Newton’s law of heat transfer with heat-transfer coeffi-
cient α. It is assumed that the outer walls of the burner
are heat insulated, and heat transfer to the environment
through the outer side surface is absent.
In the formulation of the problem, the following as-
sumptions are used: flow rate of the reaction mixture
through the inlet section of the slot burner is constant;
the rate of chemical reactions is determined by the first-
order Arrhenius law; the temperature distribution of the
mixture and the burnout of the combustible component
are taken into account only along the direction of mo-
Combustion of Lean Methane–Air Mixtures in a Slot Burner with Adiabatic Outer Walls 47

tion of the mixture; the temperature in the transverse The boundary conditions are
direction of the inner insert is considered to be uniform; ∂T (2L, t)
the burner pressure is constant. T (0, t) = Tv , = 0,
∂x
In view of the assumptions made, the mathematical
∂a(2L, t)
formulation of the problem has the following form. The a(0, t) = av , = 0,
energy equation for the reaction mixture is given by ∂x
(7)
  ∂T1 (0, t) ∂T1 (L, t)
∂T ∂T ∂ ∂T α = = 0,
cρ + cρu = λ + (T1,S − T ) ∂x ∂x
∂t ∂x ∂x ∂x h pμ
  ρ(0, t) = , u(0, t) = uv .
E RT (0, t)
+ ρQak0 exp − , 0  x  2L, (1)
RT The following notation is used: t is time, x is the
 coordinate in the longitudinal direction, T is the tem-
T1 (x, t), x < L, perature, a is the mass concentration of methane in the
T1,S (x, t) =
T1 (2L − x, t), x  L; mixture, ρ is the density, p is the pressure, c is the spe-
cific heat, u is the flow velocity of the mixture, D is the
the energy equation for the insert is diffusion coefficient, λ is the thermal conductivity, α is
∂T1 ∂ 2 T1 α the heat transfer coefficient, R is the universal gas con-
c 1 ρ1 = λ1 − (T1 − T (x, t))
∂t ∂x2 h1 stant, k0 is the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius
α law, E is the activation energy, Q is the heat of reac-
− (T1 − T (2L − x, t)), 0  x  L; (2) tion, h is the height of the section of the slot burner,
h1
μ is the molar weight of the gas, ξ is the boundary of
the mass balance equation of the combustible compo- the preheated region of the insert, L is the length of the
nent in the mixture is insert, and Tw and T1w are the maximum temperatures
 
∂a ∂a ∂ ∂a of the initial heating of the mixture and the inner in-
ρ + ρu = Dρ
∂t ∂x ∂x ∂x sert, respectively. The subscripts 1 and v denote the
  parameters of the inner insert and the parameters at
E
− ρak0 exp − , 0  x  2L; (3) the burner inlet.
RT The initial conditions for the combustion problem
the ideal gas equation is can generally introduce non-uniqueness into the solu-
ρ tion. For example, in studies [4, 18] for a chemical re-
p = RT = const; (4) actor with an inert inset, it has been shown that the
μ
combustion mode being established depends on the ini-
the continuity equation is
tial conditions and non-uniqueness regions for this mode
∂ρ ∂(ρu) have been determined in the case where the character-
+ = 0. (5)
∂t ∂x istics of the state being established depend on the ini-
The initial conditions are tial temperature of the gas. It has been demonstrated
⎧ [13, 15] that stable combustion of a gas mixture in a
⎪
⎪ Tv , x  ξ,
⎪
⎪ U-shaped channel can be achieved in the case of com-
⎪
⎨ x−ξ
Tv + Tw , ξ < x  L, bustion initiation by a preheated inner wall. In the
T (x, 0) =
⎪ L −ξ present study, the effect of the initial conditions on the
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ Tv + Tw 2L − x , L < x  2L,
⎪ combustion mode being established is not considered as
L the main objective was to investigate the conditions of
⎧ (6) the maintenance of combustion. The initial conditions
⎪ av , x  ξ,
⎪
⎪ given by Eqs. (6) imply that prior to the process, the
⎨ L−x burner is filled with heated gas, whose density is deter-
a(x, 0) = av , ξ < x  L,
⎪
⎪ L−ξ mined from the gas temperature.
⎪
⎩ The mass concentration of methane in the mixture
0, L < x  2L,
a is related to its volume contents avol as
x−ξ avol μCH4
T1 (x, 0) = T1v + T1w , 0  x  L, a= ,
L−ξ (100 − avol )μair + avol μCH4
pμ where μCH4 is the molar weight methane and μair is
ρ(x, 0) = , U (x, 0) = Uv .
RT (x, 0) the molar weight of air. The diffusion coefficient and
thermal conductivity depend on temperature as follows:
48 Krainov and Moiseeva
 s  s
T T (n + 1)th time layer (Tin+1 ) is calculated by Eq. (1),
λ = λst , Dρ = Dst ρst [14].
Tv Tv the gas density ρn+1
i by Eq. (4), and the temperature of
n+1
The subscript “st” denotes the parameters at the inner insert T1,i by Eq. (2). The velocity of the
T = 300 K. gas phase ui is determined from the difference analog
The heat transfer coefficient in Eqs. (1) and (2) is of Eq. (5) at known density on the nth and (n + 1)-
given by the expression α = λNu/h, where the Nusselt th time layers. The concentration of the combustible
number Nu for the flow of the mixture in the narrow component on the (n + 1)th time layer (an+1 i ) is calcu-
gap formed by two parallel plates is defined, according lated by Eq. (3). The calculations are performed until
to [19], as a steady-state distribution of the state variables in the
⎧  0.33
⎪ hRePr hRePr slot burner is established.
⎪
⎪ 0.979 , > 1000,
⎪
⎪ The algorithm described above was used to develop
⎪
⎪ x x
⎪
⎪ a computer program study the results of calculations
⎪
⎪ hRePr/x − 100
⎪
⎨ 3.78 + (Nu∗ − 3.78)
⎪ , for convergence with decreasing step in space. From
900 convergence of the results, a step in space was selected
Nu = (8)
⎪
⎪ hRePr that provides convergence of the results with an error
⎪
⎪ 100   1000,
⎪
⎪ x of no more than 0.3%. In the calculations, we checked
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ the satisfaction of the laws of conservation of mass and
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ 3.78, hRePr energy, which was 99.5%.
< 100.
x The establishment of the solution of the combus-
Here Re = ρuh/η is the Reynolds criterion, Pr = tion problem for the methane–air mixture in the slot
cη/λ is the Prandtl number, η is the dynamic viscos- burner was controlled by checking the satisfaction of
ity of air, and Nu∗ is the Nusselt number corresponding the conservation relations. The balance of the en-
to hRePr/x = 1000. Local values of the Nusselt num- ergy released and absorbed by the inert insert ΔQ =
ber (8) take into account the effect of the establishment 
of the flow of the mixture in the inlet portion of the
burner on the heat-transfer coefficient between the gas
and the wall [19].
Problem (1)–(7) was solved numerically using a
four-point implicit difference scheme [20]. Equation
(5) was approximated by an implicit difference scheme
with upwind differences. The difference grid was spec-
ified so as to describe in detail the heating zone and
the narrow zone of chemical reactions and provide a
value of the order of unity for the Courant number
λst Δt
ΔM
r= 2
≈ 1 . These requirements were satis-
cρst Δh
fied by steps in time and space (Δt = 10−5 s and
Δh = 10−5 m). According to [1], the thickness of
the heating zone ahead of the flame front is defined
λst 1
by the expression l = , where un is the flame
cρst un
propagation rate. According to [2], for a 6% methane–
air mixture, un = 0.065 m/s and the corresponding
width of the heating zone ahead of the flame front for
λst
≈ 2 · 10−5 m/s is l = 3 · 10−4 m. For the chosen
cρst
step in space, the heating zone ahead of the reaction
front contains 30 points of the difference scheme.
System (1)–(7) is solved using the following algo-
rithm for calculating the unknowns on the (n+1)th time
layer. The coefficients of heat transfer, diffusion, and
heat conduction αi , Di , and λi are calculated from the
known velocity, density, and temperature of the mix-
ture on the nth time layer. The gas temperature on the
2L 
α(T − T1 )dx ≈ [Δhαi (Ti − T1,i )] was calculated.
0 i
In steady-state combustion of the mixture in the
slot burner, ΔQ = 0, i.e., the heat absorbed by the
inert inner insert in the gas combustion zone is equal to
the heat transferred to the gas in the zone of its heating.
The mass balance at the inlet and outlet of the burner,
ΔM = ρv uv h − ρ(2L, t)u(2L, t)h was controlled. In
steady-state combustion in the slot burner, ΔM = 0.
The balanced relations were satisfied with accuracy
· 100% ≈ 0.01%,
ρv u v h
ΔQ
· 100% ≈ 0.25%.
(Qav + cTv )ρv uv h
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The calculations were performed for the following
thermal and kinetic parameters: Q = 55.7 MJ/kg, E =
239 kJ/mol, c = 1065 J/(kg · K), λst = 0.025 W/(m · K),
ρst = 1.179 kg/m3 , Dst = 1.992 · 10−5 m2 /s, R =
8.31 J/(mol · K), p = 0.10132 MPa, s = 2/3, η =
2 · 10−5 Pa · s, μ = 28 · 10−3 kg/mol, ξ = 10−2 m, Tv =
300 K, T1v = 1000 K, Tw = 1700 K, and Tw1 = 1400 K.
In the slot burner, the slot size was h = 6 · 10−3 m,
the thickness of the insert h1 = 2 · 10−3 m, and the
total length of the channel 2L = 0.1 m. The ther-
mal and physical properties of the material of the
Combustion of Lean Methane–Air Mixtures in a Slot Burner with Adiabatic Outer Walls
Fig. 2. Dependence of the position of the combustion
front on time: (1) avol = 6% and uv = 0.335 m/s;
(2) avol = 3% and uv = 0.1 m/s; (3) avol = 4% and
uv = 0.1 m/s; (4) avol = 6% and uv = 0.1 m/s.
burner walls were taken equal to c1 = 687 J/(kg · K),
λ1 = 30 W/(m · K), and ρ1 = 7500 kg/m3 (heat-
resistant steel).
According to [2], the experimental flame speed of a
6% methane–air mixture is un = 0.065 m/s. This value
was fitted to the results of model (1)–(7) for this mixture
by selecting values of k0 in the Arrhenius law. Coinci-
dence (0.065 m/s) was obtained for k0 = 2.1 · 1010 s−1 .
The flame speed calculated by the Zel’dovich–Frank-
Kamenetskii formula [1] for the given thermal and for-
mal kinetic parameters of the 6% methane–air mixture
is un = 0.0676 m/s. The results of the calculation of the
flame speed for model (1)–(7) are in satisfactory agree-
ment with the experimental values and the calculation
by the formula from [1]. The fitted value of k0 was used
in all subsequent calculations of the combustion process
in lean methane–air mixtures in the slot burner.
In the calculations, the gas flow rate at the burner
inlet (uv ) was varied from 10−3 to 0.4 m/s. The volume
concentration of methane in air (avol ) was varied from
6% to 2%. The results of solving the problem for the
given values of uv and avol are presented in Figs. 2–4.
Figure 2 shows the position of the flame front xf in time
at different gas feed rates uv and methane concentra-
tions avol . The coordinate of the combustion front was
determined as the value of x at which the concentration
of methane is one half the concentration at the burner
inlet. Tracking the flame front in terms of the current
content of the fuel component in the mixture is due to
the fact that in the region of existence of the flame, the
combustible component burns rapidly with a simulta-
neous increase in the gas temperature. The methane
concentration in the mixture equal to half the input
concentration corresponds, with a small shift, to the
maximum temperature at the combustion wave crest.
When a 6% methane–air mixture is fed at a rate
uv = 0.335 m/s to the inlet the slot burner, the combus-
tion front after ignition is displaced beyond the burner,
the temperature of the insert decreases, and the com-
49
Fig. 3. (a) Steady-state distributions of the gas tem-
perature T (curve 2) and inner wall surface tempera-
ture T1 (curve 1); (b) mass concentration of methane
a (avol = 4% and uv = 0.1 m/s).
bustion ceases (curve 1 in Fig. 2). Reducing the gas
flow rate at the burner inlet results in stabilization of
the position of the flame front in the vicinity of the in-
let (curve 4 in Fig. 2). At a gas feed rate of 0.1 m/s at
the inlet, the combustion front is established at a dis-
tance x = 0.002 m from the inlet. Reducing the volume
concentration of methane in the mixture to avol = 4%
(curve 3 in Fig. 2) leads to the establishment of the
combustion front at a greater distance from the burner
inlet—x = 0.025 m.
For lean mixtures, maximum heating is lower than
for mixtures with high methane content. The higher
the methane content in the mixture, the more heated
the inner insert and the gas. The methane content also
determines the flame propagation rate: it is the higher
the greater the concentration of methane. The coor-
dinate of the establishment of the combustion front is
determined by the difference between the gas feed rate
and the flame spread. Therefore, the greater the value
of avol , the closer to the burner inlet, the front is estab-
lished. Conversely, the smaller the volume content of
methane in the mixture, the farther from the inlet the
flame front is established. Reducing the methane con-
tent in the mixture to 3% at a feed rate uv = 0.1 m/s
results in displacement of the combustion front out of
the burner and cessation of the combustion (curve 2 in
Fig. 2).
Figure 3 shows the distributions of the tempera-
tures of the gas and the walls of the insert and the mass
concentration of methane along the length of the burner
passage uv = 0.1 m/s and avol = 4% (the data corre-
spond to curve 3 in Fig. 2). The maximum temperature
50
Fig. 4. Boundary of the stable high-temperature
combustion mode of the methane–air mixture.
reached in the gas mixture for the given calculation pa-
rameters was 2082.9 K. At the outlet, the temperature
of the reaction products is 1453.8 K. The established
temperature of the inner insert changes from 1250 K at
the inlet (x = 0) to 1903.8 K at the turn of the gas in
the burner (x = L).
Calculations showed that the feed rate of the
mixture at the inlet uv and the volume content of
methane avol determine whether the combustion of the
methane–air mixture in the burner is steady-state or
not. The combined effect of the parameters avol and uv
determines the stability of the combustion mode, the co-
ordinate position of the flame front, and the maximum
temperature of the gas.
The results of the parametric calculations in the
plane (uv and avol ) were used to plot the boundary
of existence of the high-temperature steady-state com-
bustion mode (Fig. 4). Stable high-temperature com-
bustion occurs in the region above the curve. The re-
gion under the curve corresponds to inefficient combus-
tion which comprises oscillatory and steady-state low-
temperature modes as well as the cases of no ignition
and displacement of the combustion front out of the
burner [4, 13]. In the case where the gas feed rate and
the volume content of methane in the mixtures satisfy
the region located above the curve in Fig. 4, steady-
state high-temperature combustion is established in the
slot burner. In this case, the flame can be established
only in the upper part of the burner, xf < L. The
dependence of the maximum depth of establishment of
the combustion front on the composition of the mixture
is shown in Fig. 5.
According to Fig. 4, the lower flammability limit
of the methane–air mixture in the slot burner with the
Krainov and Moiseeva
Fig. 5. Depth of maximum advance of the combustion
front versus composition of the mixture.
inert insert is extended compared to the flammability
limit under normal conditions. This is due to the influ-
ence of the internal insert on the combustion stability
of the gas mixture. The inner insert, as shown in [13], is
a combustion stabilizer, allowing one to ignite and sus-
tain combustion of lean mixtures. On the one hand, the
insert is a heat sink through which there is exchange be-
tween the upper and lower portions of the device. On
the other hand, it serves as a heat recovery unit. In
the inlet part of the burner, the inner insert heats the
incoming gas, and behind the combustion front, it re-
moves excess heat.
The analysis of the results indicates that the range
of uv in which may stable combustion of methane–air
mixtures in the slot burner depends on the volume con-
tent of methane in the mixture. At high feed rates close
to the flame propagation rate, the combustion front at
the start of the process is displaced to the lower part
of the burner. If the feed rate is lower than the critical
value, the displaced front moves upstream until it stops
in the upper part of the burner. If the feed rate is higher
than the flame propagation rate, the combustion front
moves downstream toward the outlet of the burner, and
after a while the flame quenches.
The existence of the lower limit of the gas flow rate
in the slot burner (left branch of the curve in Fig. 4) is
due to the fact that at low feed rates, methane in mix-
ture did not have time to burn completely during the
process. The flame propagation rate is higher than the
feed rate, so that after ignition, the combustion front
moves toward the burner inlet. During this time, the
temperature profile of the inner insert is equalized, due
to heat conduction, relative to the initial profile. The
Combustion of Lean Methane–Air Mixtures in a Slot Burner with Adiabatic Outer Walls
coefficient of heat transfer between the gas and the inner
insert is determined by the flow velocity: it decreases
with decreasing flow velocity, and the inert insert does
not transfer enough heat to maintain the temperature
of the mixture. Simultaneously, the incoming cold re-
action mixture lowers the temperature in the heated
region of the gas and the flame quenches in a time.
According to Fig. 5, the curve describing the max-
imum advance of the combustion front has an inflec-
tion in the intervals avol = 5.2–5.3% and 4–4.2%. The
behavior of the curve in Fig. 5 corresponds to the in-
flections of the right branch of the curve in Fig. 4. At
avol = 5.2–5.3%, the slope of the curve in Fig. 4 changes.
At avol = 4–4.2%, there is a sharp decrease in the up-
per value of the gas feed rate uv at which the establish-
ment of a stable high-temperature combustion mode is
still possible (see Fig. 4). Reducing the upper value of
uv decreases the maximum depth of establishment of
the front. A further decrease in the concentration of
methane, avol < 4% leads to a reduction in the nor-
mal flame propagation rate and hence to displacement
of the combustion front into the interior of the burner.
According to Fig. 5, at a low concentration of methane,
avol < 4%, the position of the maximum depth of estab-
lishment of the flame front is practically a linear func-
tion of the methane content in the mixture.
CONCLUSIONS
The problem of combustion of methane–air mix-
tures in a slot burner with an inner insert and adiabatic
outer walls was numerically studied. The region of ex-
istence of high-temperature steady-state combustion of
lean formulations was determined in terms of the gas
feed rate and the volume content of methane in the
mixture. The boundary of the maximum advance of
the combustion front in the channel of a slot burner as
a function of the composition of the mixture was deter-
mined. The fact that the flame can be established only
in the upper U-part of the U-shaped burner is in quali-
tative agreement with the theoretical predictions of [8]
and the results of [9–11].
It is shown that in combustion of methane–air mix-
tures in a slot burner with an inert inner insert, the
flammability limits of the mixtures are extended. The
shift of the lower flammability limit toward lower con-
centrations of methane is attributed to the stabilizing
role of the inert insert.
The work was supported by the program
D. I. Mendeleev Science Foundation of Tomsk State
University (Grant No. 8.1.70.2015).
51
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