Diffusion-flame flickering as a hydrodynamic global mode

TL;DR

This study uses linear global stability analysis to understand buoyancy-driven flickering in laminar jet diffusion flames, identifying critical conditions and oscillation characteristics related to hydrodynamic global modes.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive linear stability framework for predicting flame flickering, linking buoyancy effects with chemical heat release in a detailed parametric analysis.

Findings

Critical conditions for instability are identified.

The analysis predicts oscillation frequencies consistent with simulations.

Marginal instability boundaries are mapped in parameter space.

Abstract

The present study employs a linear global stability analysis to investigate buoyancy-induced flickering of axisymmetric laminar jet diffusion flames as a hydrodynamic global mode. The instability-driving interactions of the buoyancy force with the density differences induced by the chemical heat release are described in the infinitely fast reaction limit for unity Lewis numbers of the reactants. The analysis determines the critical conditions at the onset of the linear global instability as well as the Strouhal number of the associated oscillations in terms of the governing parameters of the problem. Marginal instability boundaries are delineated in the Froude-number/Reynolds-number plane for different fuel-jet dilutions. The results of the global stability analysis are compared with direct numerical simulations of time-dependent axisymmetric jet flames and also with results of a local spatio-temporal stability analysis.