Three-dimensional simulations of premixed hydrogen/air flames in microtubes

The dynamics of fuel-lean (equivalence ratio phi = 0.5) premixed hydrogen/air atmospheric pressure flames are investigated in open cylindrical tubes with diameters of d = 1.0 and 1.5mm using three-dimensional numerical simulations with detailed chemistry and transport. In both cases, the inflow velocity is varied over the range where the flames can be stabilized inside the computational domain. Three axisymmetric combustion modes are observed in the narrow tube: steady mild combustion, oscillatory ignition/extinction and steady flames as the inflow velocity is varied in the range 0.5 <= U-IN <= 500 cm s(-1). In the wider tube, richer flame dynamics are observed in the form of steady mild combustion, oscillatory ignition/extinction, steady closed and open axisymmetric flames, steady non-axisymmetric flames and azimuthally spinning flames (0.5 <= U-IN <= 600 cm s(-1)). Coexistence of the spinning and the axisymmetric modes is obtained over relatively wide ranges of U-IN. Axisymmetric simulations are also performed in order to better understand the nature of the observed transitions in the wider tube. Fourier analysis during the transitions from the steady axisymmetric to the three-dimensional spinning mode and to the steady non-axisymmetric modes reveals that the m = 1 azimuthal mode plays a dominant role in the transitions.