Combustion of Kerosene in Counterflow Diffusion Flames

Abstract

Numerical modeling has become an essential tool in combustion research as a means of predicting combustion performance and pollutant formation, e.g., NO x and soot. In many combustion models the combustion of a commercial fuel such as kerosene has been represented by single-step empirical expressions. To predict kinetically controlled phenomena, a more detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism is required. This paper reports the development of such a mechanism for kerosene, where, for the purposes of modeling, kerosene is assumed to be 89%n-decane and 11% toluene. The mechanism is initially validated against experimental jet stirred reactor and rich premixed e ame studies to yield satisfactory results. The chemical structure of countere ow diffusion e ames is computed using the same mechanism. The effect on the e ame structure of increasing both the pressure and the strain rate is explored. The inclusion of a model for thermal radiation using the optically thin approximation demonstrates the large radiative heat losses encountered as the pressure is increased. The calculations form the foundation ofa e ameletlibraryforthemodelingofturbulentnonpremixed combustion ofkeroseneunderpractical conditions.