Dante McGrath: Hover flames among droplet constellations (2/2)
I am a PhD student at the Hopkinson Laboratory. This image encapsulates the focus of my current research – investigating the role of droplets in premixed combustion.
There is growing concern as to the environmental consequences of incomplete combustion from large-scale devices such as the gas turbine engine. Premixed spray flames hold the potential to optimise the combustion process, maximising efficiency and minimising pollutant emissions. The twin flames oppose one another in the counterflow configuration, allowing for stable measurements of flow chemistry and dynamics. Not only are the droplets at the forefront of enquiry, they also enable the laminar flame speed to be estimated using a technique known as Particle Image Velocimetry.
A pulsed laser is used to illuminate the droplets. A high speed camera is then used to record the displacement of particles over a fixed time interval. Laminar flame speed is a valuable parameter in combustion, indicating the reactivity and exothermicity of a given mixture and serving as a useful precursor to turbulent reacting flow studies.
This image visually embodies three areas of enquiry in my research in three distinct colours: the electric blue flames are the result of premixing fuel and air; the warm orange intermediate layer shows the radical species emanating from the reactions; and the fluorescent green droplets, enabling flame measurements from laser illumination.
Acknowledgements: The image was processed (brightness, exposure, contrast and highlights) with kind assistance from Dr Alexander Davenport.
Dante McGrath: Hover flames among droplet constellations (2/2)
I am a PhD student at the Hopkinson Laboratory. This image encapsulates the focus of my current research – investigating the role of droplets in premixed combustion.
There is growing concern as to the environmental consequences of incomplete combustion from large-scale devices such as the gas turbine engine. Premixed spray flames hold the potential to optimise the combustion process, maximising efficiency and minimising pollutant emissions. The twin flames oppose one another in the counterflow configuration, allowing for stable measurements of flow chemistry and dynamics. Not only are the droplets at the forefront of enquiry, they also enable the laminar flame speed to be estimated using a technique known as Particle Image Velocimetry.
A pulsed laser is used to illuminate the droplets. A high speed camera is then used to record the displacement of particles over a fixed time interval. Laminar flame speed is a valuable parameter in combustion, indicating the reactivity and exothermicity of a given mixture and serving as a useful precursor to turbulent reacting flow studies.
This image visually embodies three areas of enquiry in my research in three distinct colours: the electric blue flames are the result of premixing fuel and air; the warm orange intermediate layer shows the radical species emanating from the reactions; and the fluorescent green droplets, enabling flame measurements from laser illumination.
Acknowledgements: The image was processed (brightness, exposure, contrast and highlights) with kind assistance from Dr Alexander Davenport.