Planar Imaging of Vortex Dynamics in Flames

The interaction between the fluid dynamics and the combustion process in an annular diffusion flame was studied experimentally using the Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) technique. The local temperature and OH radical fluorescence signals were mapped in the entire flame cross section. The flame was forced at different instability frequencies, thus enabling the study of the evolution and interaction of large-scale structures in the flame shear layer. The present study of the effect of fluid dynamics on combustion is part of a more comprehensive program aimed at understanding and controlling the effect of heat release, density variations, and reaction parameters on the shear layer evolution.