A new scientific article from Aalto University and Wärtsilä provides important insights into how hydrogen-enriched methane/air flames behave inside narrow crevices, features often present in combustion systems. This work is part of the Hi-EFECTS project and contributes to understanding pollutant formation and flame-wall interactions in detail.
The study, published in journal of Applications in Energy and Combustion Science, was carried out by Vili-Petteri Salomaa, Parsa Tamadonfar, Mahmoud Gadalla (Wärtsilä), Ville Vuorinen, and Ossi Kaario. Link to the paper here.
Using direct numerical simulation, the team examined how parameters such as crevice height, hydrogen content, and equivalence ratio affect flame behavior and emissions. Key observations include:
- Flames with more hydrogen and higher equivalence ratio penetrate deeper into the crevice.
- Increased flame penetration leads to reduced unburned hydrocarbon (uHC) emissions.
- The quenching Peclet number is found to be a reliable predictor of whether a flame can propagate into a crevice.
- CO and NO emissions follow similar reaction pathways regardless of how the flame is quenched.
This work adds to the growing knowledge base of Hi-EFECTS, helping to guide cleaner and more efficient engine design using hydrogen-containing fuels.