Edge-Stabilized Rotating Flames in a Circular Hele-Shaw Cell

TL;DR

This paper reports experimental and numerical analysis of self-sustaining rotating methane-air flames in a circular Hele-Shaw cell, revealing their structure, stability conditions, and dependence on flow parameters, with implications for micro-combustion technology.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed experimental and numerical characterization of rotating flames in a Hele-Shaw cell, including a semi-empirical model for their rotation frequency.

Findings

Rotating flames exhibit stable traveling-wave patterns with edge velocities exceeding nominal flame speed.

A semi-empirical model predicts rotation frequencies based on flow rate and temperature.

Mode transitions occur from single-headed to multi-headed flames and eventually to steady ring-shaped flames.

Abstract

In this study, we report direct experimental observations of self-sustaining CH4-air rotating flames formed spontaneously in an unheated, open, circular Hele-Shaw cell. These flames are observed under fuel-rich conditions and exhibit stable traveling-wave patterns, with edge velocities that can significantly exceed the nominal flame speed of the unburned mixture. PLIF measurements across the central plane reveal that the flame front consists of a bibrachial structure, with a diffusion branch gliding along the side edges of the cell and a premixed branch extending into the interior. Complementary numerical simulations suggest that the formation of rotating flames is driven by a dynamic balance between local flame speed and unburned-gas velocity near the cell edges, where both wall heat loss and flow expansion play critical roles in stabilizing the rotation pattern. A parametric study is conducted for various equivalence ratios, flow rates, and gap distances, from which the regime diagrams of flame modes and rotation frequencies are obtained. At low flow rates, the rotating flames are single-headed, with a positive dependence of rotation frequency on the flow rate. For this type of flames, a semi-empirical model is established to predict their rotation frequencies and shapes as functions of mass flow rate and surface temperature. At elevated flow rates, the flames split into multiple heads at approximately equal spacing, and the product of number of heads and rotation frequency increases with the flow rate. Mode transition from rotating flames to steady ring-shaped flames anchored at the burner edges occurs at sufficiently high flow rates, while at sufficiently low flow rates, flame extinction occurs due to thermal quenching. These findings can provide useful guidance for the advancement of micro-combustion technologies.