Tutorial 2 -answers

CP533 Clean Combustion Technologies

Q1.
Case 1:
SL=27.4 cm/s

(at Tavg = 1270K, -d[C3H8]/dt = 0.15 kmol/m3-s;  =0.000242 m2/s)

Case 2:
SL= 67 cm/s

(at Tavg = 1492K, -d[C3H8]/dt = 0.664 kmol/m3-s;  =0.000328 m2/s)

Comments:

[C3H8]= 1.64 mol/m3, [O2]= 8.19 mol/m3 at 300K and 1 atm.

You should note that, for the calculation of the fuel consumption rate, [C3H8] should refer to the
assumed average temperature and the averaged concentration.

The results are different from the measured flame speed: 38.9 cm/s, the simplified thermal theory
thus provides only a rough estimate.

Also, we derived the equations for flame speed and thickness of flame based on the energy balance,
similar equations could be derived using mass balance equations.
Q2. (a) 19.05 cm/s; (b) 73.8 cm/s; (c) 50.6 cm/s

Comments: You can see that laminar flame velocity is much greater at engine conditions than at the
reference state, with the dominant influence being the temperature. Actually, the laminar flame
speed is an important factor in determining the turbulent flame speed, which controls the burning
rate in spark-ignition engines. Results of this question also show that dilution decreases the flame
speed, which can have a detrimental effect on engine performance if too much exhaust gas is
recirculated.

Also, note that in question (a), Tr is less than the recommended minimum (350 K) for accurate use of
the empirical equation, thus underestimating the value of the flame speed at 298 K.

Q3. The calculated equivalence ratio is 0.159, which is less than the lower limit of flammability (0.51), so
the mixture in the room is not capable of supporting a flame.

Comments: Although the calculation shows that in the fully mixture state the mixture is not
flammable, it is quite possible that, during the transient leaking process, a flammable mixture can
exist somewhere within the room. Propane is heavier than air and would tend to accumulate near
the floor until it is mixed by bulk motion and molecular diffusion. In environments employing
flammable gases, monitors should be located at both low and high positions to detect leakage of
heavy and light fuels, respectively.