Measurements of Markstein numbers and laminar burning velocities for liquefied petroleum gas-air mixtures

Experimental test for premixed laminar combustion of liquefied petroleum gas-air mixtures is conducted in a constant volume combustion bomb. Spherically expanding flames have been employed to measure laminar flame speeds over wide equivalence ratios, at the initial pressures of 0.05, 0.1 and 0. 15 MPa, and preheat temperatures from 300 to 400 K. To study the effects of stretch on burning velocity, various Markstein numbers for both strain and curvature have been measured and the effects of initial temperature and pressure on these parameters have been discussed. Following the linear relation between flame speeds and flame stretches, one has then obtained the corresponding unstretched laminar burning velocity after omitting the effect of stretches imposed on these flames. Over the ranges studied, laminar burning velocities are fit by a functional form u(1) = u(10)(T-u/T-u0)(alphaT)(P-u/P-u0)(betaP), and the dependencies of alpha(T) and beta(P) upon the equivalence ratio of mixture are also discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.