Evaluation of an Unsteady Flamelet Progress Variable Model for Autoignition and Flame Lift-Off in Diesel Jets

Abstract

An unsteady flamelet progress variable (UFPV) model is evaluated for modeling autoignition and flame lift-off in diesel jets. Changes in injection pressure, orifice diameter, ambient temperature, density, and O2 concentration are considered. In implementing the model in a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) code, a look-up table of reaction source terms is generated as a function of mixture fraction Z, stoichiometric scalar dissipation rate vst and progress variable Cst by solving the unsteady flamelet equations. It is assumed that the probability density functions (pdfs) of Z, vst, and Cst are statistically independent, and presumed functions are employed for the pdfs. Comparisons with experimental results show that the model is able to predict ignition delay and flame lift-off with reasonable accuracy in the RANS simulations. The quantitative agreement between computed and measured results depends on the definitions employed to quantify autoignition time and lift-off height, but, in general, the agreement is within 25%.