Influence of number of step reactions on flame parameters under quenching conditions

Last decade, construction and using of microscale gas-turbines and internal combustion engines is collecting growing attention. However, the flame propagation limitations impede the development of micro and mesoscale combustion devices. Due to its small scale, increasing effect of flame-wall interaction causes a large heat loss and in consequence flame quenching. Both, fundamental experimental work and numerical simulations are conducted in order to overcome quenching issues. The most basic analysis concerns flame behaviour in small scale devices are premixed flame propagation in narrow tubes. There are two possibilities of flame-flow configurations: flame moving in a stationary mixture and a stationary flame in mowing mixture. These configurations have influence on flame shape, flame propagation velocity and quenching diameter. Most of numerical investigation assumes single-step reaction. It means that for flames propagating in propane-air mixtures C3H8 reacts directly with oxygen and leads to CO2 and H2O. This chemical kinetics mechanism omits existence of CO in reaction zone and in combustion products. Therefore it is interesting to use two-step reactions mechanism and compare the results with those obtained from single-step reaction model. The purpose of this analysis is to find influence of number of reaction steps on flame behaviour under quenching conditions for flames propagating in stationary lean propane-air mixtures. Quenching diameter, flame propagation velocity are determined and analyzed.