Swirl diffusion flame control by the plasma swirler

Abstract

In this paper, the design of plasma swirler is presented in detail. The experiments were carried out to verify the feasibility of using plasma swirler to control diffusion flame. The plasma swirler consists of multiple electrodes with staggered arrangement on both sides of combustor's expansion section. The plasma swirler can enhance combustion stability through ionizing the air to produce active free radical and promoting the swirling air. In the experiments, the flame response to the plasma swirler was examined with OH distribution by planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF). The experimental results showed that the flame reaction zone was broadened with the increase of the plasma exciting, and this demonstrated that the plasma swirler could be used to control diffusion flame. The design of plasma swirler is feasible. plasma swirler, combustion control, swirl diffusion flame Citation: Li G, Shao W W, Xu Y J, et al. Swirl diffusion flame control by the plasma swirler.

The Applications of Plasma Techniques II

“…Inspired by the idea of accelerating the same fluid particles continuously, we designed a plasma swirler with the electrode placed in the streamwise direction [50]. The plasma swirl injector is effective in diffusion and premixed flame control [51,52], and can be integrated into a low swirl injector to control the flame lift off height accurately [53,54]. The electrode of the plasma swirler was optimized as a helical shape to enhance its performance [55].…”

Effects of electrical parameters on the performance of a plasma swirler

“…In a wide context, effective flow and combustion control using DBD plasma can lead to enhanced stability of the flame, as well as improved combustion efficiency and reduced pollutant formation in industrial applications. Recently, we have developed a plasma swirler for active flow and flame control [26][27][28]. Since plasma swirler are relatively new devices, the fundamental characteristics such as the effects of bulk flow velocity, applied voltage amplitude and frequency on the performance of the plasma swirler had not been fully evaluated.…”