Microcombustion

'Microcombustion', i.e. combustion with representative length scales equivalent to or smaller than the ordinary quenching distance are examined for developing new concept combustion technologies such as portable power generations and heating device for micro fuel reformer. Since heat recirculation is extensively employed as a thermal management for achieving stable combustion in micro scale, we introduced a new experimental geometry of "micro and meso scale channels with temperature gradients" as a simplified model of heat recirculation condition. Results showed FREI (Flames with repetitive extinction and ignition) as well as normal and weak flames. Then, 2-D radial microchannel was also introduced and various flame pattern formations, such as Pelton-like, spiral, broken and triple-branch flames, were investigated. The microcombustion facility is also applied for identifying lower temperature limit of stable exothermic reaction, and transition from ignition to deflagration as fundamentals in conventional combustion science.

Click here to watch movie of flame pattern formations.

　　

Related references

• Aiwu Fan, Sergey S. Minaev, Evgeniy V. Sereshchenko, Yosuke Tsuboi, Hiroshi Oshibe,Hisashi Nakamura and Kaoru Maruta, Dynamic behavior of splitting flames in a heated channel, Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, Vol. 45, No. 3：245-250 (2009)
  doi:10.1007/s10573-009-0032-6, Link.
• Sergey S. Minaev, Evgeniy V. Sereshchenko, Roman V. Fursenko, Aiwu Fan, and Kaoru Maruta, Splitting Flames in a Narrow Channel with a Temperature Gradient in the Walls, Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, Vol. 45, No. 2：119-125 (2009)
  doi:10.1007/s10573-009-0016-6, Link.
• Aiwu Fan, Sergey Minaev, Evgeniy Sereshchenko, Roman Fursenko, Sudarshan Kumar, Wei Liu, Kaoru Maruta, Experimental and numerical investigations of flame pattern formations in a radial microchannel, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 32, Issue 2: 3059-3066 (2009)
  doi:10.1016/j.proci.2008.06.092, Link.
• Sudarshan Kumar, Kaoru Maruta, S. Minaev, and R. Fursenko, Appearance of target pattern and spiral flames in radial microchannels with CH4-air mixtures, Physics of Fluids, Vol. 20: 024101 (2008).
  doi:10.1063/1.2836670. Link.
• Aiwu Fan, Sergey Minaev, Sudarshan Kumar, Wei Liu and Kaoru Maruta, Experimental study on flame pattern formation and combustion completeness in a radial microchannel, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Vol.17: 2398-2406 (2007)
  doi: 10.1088/0960-1317/17/12/002, Link.
• Sudarshan Kumar, Kaoru Maruta and S. Minaev, Experimental investigations on the combustion behavior of methane-air mixtures in a micro-scale radial combustor configuration, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Vol.17: 900-908 (2007)
  doi: 10.1088/0960-1317/17/5/008, Link.
• Sudarshan Kumar, Kaoru Maruta and Sergey Minaev, Pattern formation of flames in radial microchannels with lean methane-air mixtures, Physical Review E, Vol. 75, Issue 1: 016208 (2007)
  doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.75.016208. Link.
• Sergey Minaev, Kaoru Maruta, and Roman Fursenko, Nonlinear dynamics of flame in a narrow channel with a temperature gradient, Combustion Theory and Modelling, Vol. 11: 187- 203 (2007),
  doi: 10.1080/13647830600649364. Link.
• Sudarshan Kumar, Kaoru Maruta and Sergey Minaev, On the formation of multiple rotating pelton-like flame structures in radial microchannels with lean methane-air mixtures, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 31: 3261-3268 (2007)
  doi:10.1016/j.proci.2006.07.174 , Link.
• Nam Il Kim, Takuya Kataoka, Shigenao Maruyama and Kaoru Maruta, Flammability limits of stationary flames in tubes at low pressure, Combustion and Flame, Vol. 141: 78-88 (2005)
  doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2004.12.011, Link.
• Kaoru Maruta, Takuya Kataoka, Nam Il Kim, Sergey Minaev and Roman Fursenko, Characteristics of combustion in a narrow channel with a temperature gradient, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 30: 2429-2436 (2005)
  doi:10.1016/j.proci.2004.08.245, Link.
• Kaoru Maruta, J. K. Park, K. C. Oh, T. Fujimori, S. Minaev and R. Fursenko, Characteristics of Microscale Combustion in Narrow Heated Channel, Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, Vol. 40 No. 5: 516-523 (2004)
  doi:10.1023/B:CESW.0000041403.16095.a8, Link.
• K. Maruta, K. Takeda, J. Ahn, K. Borer, L. Sitzki, P. D. Ronney and O. Deutschmann, Extinction Limits of Catalytic Combustion in Microchannels, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 29: 957-963 (2002)
  doi:10.1016/S1540-7489(02)80121-3, Link.