Autoignition delay modulation by high-frequency thermoacoustic oscillations in reheat flames

This paper investigates the sensitivity of the autoignition delay in reheat flames to acoustic pulsations associated with high-frequency transverse thermoacoustic oscillations. A reduced order model for the response of purely autoignition-stabilised flames to acoustic disturbances is compared with experimental observations. The experiments identified periodic flame motion associated with high-amplitude transverse limit-cycle oscillations in an atmospheric pressure reheat combustor. This flame motion was assumed to be the result of a superposition of two flame-acoustic coupling mechanisms: autoignition delay modulation by the oscillating acoustic field and displacement and deformation of the flame by the acoustic velocity. The reduced order model coupled to reaction kinetics calculations reveals that a significant portion of the observed flame motion can be attributed to autoignition delay modulation. The ignition position responds instantaneously to the acoustic pressure at the time of ignition, as observed experimentally. The model also provides insight into the importance of the history of acoustic disturbances experienced by the fuel-air mixture prior to ignition. Due to the high-frequency nature of the instability, a fluid particle can experience multiple oscillation cycles before ignition. The ignition delay responds in-phase with the net-acoustic perturbation experienced by a fluid particle between injection and ignition. These findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms of the flame motion observed in experiments and provide useful insight into the importance of autoignition delay modulation as a driving mechanism of high-frequency thermoacoustic instabilities in reheat flames.