Dynamics of acoustically forced non-premixed flames close to blow-off

The effect of forced oscillations on the behaviour of non-premixed swirling methane flames close to the lean blow out limits was investigated using experiments in a lab-scale burner. Two different fuel injection geometries, non-premixed with radial -NPR- and non-premixed with axial -NPA- fuel injection, are considered. The flame behaviour is studied using 5 kHz OH center dot chemiluminescence and OH Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (OH PLIF) imaging. In both systems, acoustic forcing reduces the stability of the flame, and in particular, the stability was found to decrease with the increase in forcing amplitude. Flame lift-off was observed in both configurations, with the magnitude of the effect of forcing depending on the fuel injection configuration. The results provide insight on the effect of superimposed flow field fluctuations in systems operating close to the lean blow out limits and offer useful data for the development and validation of numerical models for the prediction of the dynamic behaviour of flames of industrial interest.