Chinese

Journal of Thermal Science

热科学学报

Journal of Thermal Science >

2025 , Vol. 34 >Issue 5: 1672 - 1691

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-025-2153-y

Extinction Dynamics with the Underlying Physics of Ammonia and Ammonia/Hydrogen Spherical Diffusion Flames in Micro-Gravitational Condition

  • KANG Yinhu ,
  • LIU Junkun ,
  • HUANG Xiaomei ,
  • WU Pengfei ,
  • JIANG Zhijing ,
  • ZHANG Jiuyi ,
  • LU Xiaofeng
Expand
  • 1. Key Laboratory of Low-grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems, Chongqing University, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing 400044, China 
    2. Chongqing Changan Automotive Software Technology Co., Ltd., Chongqing 401120, China 
    3. School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China 
    4. College of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

Online published: 2025-09-01

Supported by

The present research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22178032), the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (Grant No. CSTB2023NSCQ-MSX1045), and National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFB4004404).

Copyright

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Fold

Abstract

The utilization of ammonia as an alternative fuel is of great significance in the carbon neutrality strategy. However, the ammonia flame extinction mechanism induced by growing oscillations with its cramped flammability range, sluggish propagation speed, and poor stability is still not studied in sufficient details. In this paper, the high-fidelity simulations with efficient continuation computation and detailed models are conducted to investigate the ammonia extinction dynamics as a function of hydrogen blending ratio, and to reveal the governing sub-processes in flame extinction and oscillation development. It is found that the extinction and onset of oscillatory instability in the ammonia/hydrogen spherical diffusion flame (SDF) derive from the interaction of competing chemistry with diffusive leakage losses. Chemical oscillations occurring at the maximum temperature iso-contour are primarily responsible for the near-limit flame oscillations. In the rich-side low-temperature region, although the local heat production is inappreciable, the strong diffusive losses with governing, adverse contributions to the ignition chemistry play a leading role in flame extinction. The reactions dominating the extinction limit are also important for the oscillation frequency; the reactions that help to extend the extinction limit also tend to increase the frequency, and vice versa. The extinction limit and frequency depend mainly on the major reactant diffusivities (including NH3, H2, and O2) and heat conduction, while the diffusivities of other radicals and products are fairly unimportant. Hydrogen addition could remarkably extend the steady-state and oscillatory extinction limits of ammonia SDFs, and reduce the oscillation frequency since the imaginary eigenvalue is depressed.

Key words： ammonia; hydrogen; oscillatory extinction; spherical diffusion flame; flammability limit

Cite this article

KANG Yinhu , LIU Junkun , HUANG Xiaomei , WU Pengfei , JIANG Zhijing , ZHANG Jiuyi , LU Xiaofeng . Extinction Dynamics with the Underlying Physics of Ammonia and Ammonia/Hydrogen Spherical Diffusion Flames in Micro-Gravitational Condition[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2025 , 34(5) : 1672 -1691 . DOI: 10.1007/s11630-025-2153-y

References

[1] Jiang C.L., Yin Z., Zhang H.L., et al., Current status and prospects of high-speed direct-drive turbine power
generation technology. Journal of Thermal Science, 2024, 33: 2097–2116. 
[2] Chen H., Li Y., Jiang X.X., et al., Experimental study on gasoline-ammonia combustion characteristics with pre-chamber jet ignition. Journal of the Energy Institute, 2023, 111: 101429. 
[3] Chen S., Yu Z., Wang Y., et al., Experimental investigation of the flame propagation speeds of ammonia/air and ammonia/hydrogen/air mixtures at elevated temperatures. Journal of Thermal Science, 2025. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-025-2110-9. 
[4] Wang S.Y., Cui M.S., Liu P.Z., et al., Flame morphology and characteristic of co-firing ammonia with pulverized coal on a flat flame burner. Journal of Thermal Science, 2024, 33: 1935–1945. 
[5] Um D.H., Joo J.M., Lee S., et al., Combustion stability limits and NOx emissions of nonpremixed ammonia-substituted hydrogen-air flames. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2013, 38(34): 14854– 14865. 
[6] Choi S., Lee S., Kwon O.C., Extinction limits and structure of counterflow nonpremixed hydrogen-doped ammonia/air flames at elevated temperatures. Energy, 2015, 85: 503–510. 
[7] Lee S., Kwon O.C., Effects of ammonia substitution on extinction limits and structure of counterflow nonpremixed hydrogen/air flames. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2011, 36(16): 10117–10128. 
[8] Hashimoto G., Hadi K., Xia Y., et al., Turbulent flame propagation limits of ammonia/methane/air premixed mixture in a constant volume vessel. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2021, 38(4): 5171–5180. 
[9] Tang G., Jin P.F., Bao Y.L., et al., Experimental investigation of premixed combustion limits of hydrogen and methane additives in ammonia. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(39): 20765–20776. 
[10] Khateeb A.A., Guiberti T.F., Wang G.Q., et al., Stability limits and NO emissions of premixed swirl ammonia-air flames enriched with hydrogen or methane at elevated pressures. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(21): 11969–11981. 
[11] Yoo S.W., Christiansen E.W., Law C.K., Oscillatory extinction of spherical diffusion flames: micro-buoyancy experiment and computation. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2002, 29(1): 29–36. 
[12] Sohn C.H., Han H.S., Reuter C.B., et al., Thermo-kinetic dynamics of near-limit cool diffusion flames. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2017, 36(1): 1329–1337. 
[13] Park J.S., Dong J.H., Park J., et al., Edge flame instability in low-strain-rate counterflow diffusion flames. Combustion and Flame, 2006, 146(4): 612–619. 
[14] Zhang Y., Kang Y.H., Lu X.F., et al., Numerical study on oscillatory propagation dynamics and physics near the limits of planar freely propagating premixed flames. Physics of Fluids, 2021, 33: 083602. 
[15] Yang F., Kong W., Pulsating instability in H2-air partially premixed flames. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2015, 35(1): 1057–1064. 
[16] Xiang L.K., Dong W.L., Hu J.L., et al., Numerical study on CH4 laminar premixed flames for combustion characteristics in the oxidant atmospheres of N2/CO2/H2O/Ar-O2. Journal of the Energy Institute, 2020, 93(4): 1278–1287. 
[17] Wu Z.T., Lv J.W., Liu X.Y., et al., Adiabatic laminar burning velocities and NO generation paths of NH3/H2 premixed flames. Journal of the Energy Institute, 2023, 108: 101225. 
[18] Yang K.X., Xu L., Qi D.D., et al., Magnetic field effects on characteristics of counterflow diffusion ethylene flame: An experimental study. Journal of the Energy Institute, 2023, 108: 101231. 
[19] Santa K.J., Chao B.H., Sunderland P.B., et al., Radiative extinction of gaseous spherical diffusion flames in microgravity. Combustion and Flame, 2007, 151(4): 665–675. 
[20] Mills K., Matalon M., Burner-generated spherical diffusion flames. Combustion Science and Technology, 1997, 129(1–6): 295–319. 
[21] Mills K., Matalon M., Extinction of spherical diffusion flames in the presence of radiant loss. Symposium (International) on Combustion, 1998, 27(2): 2535–2541.
[22] Cheatham S., Matalon M., Near-limit oscillations of spherical diffusion flames. AIAA Journal, 1996, 34(7): 1403-1409. 
[23] Sung C.J., Zhu D.L., Law C.K., On micro-buoyancy spherical diffusion flames and a double luminous zone structure of the hydrogen/methane flame. Symposium (International) on Combustion, 1998, 27(2): 2559–   2566. 
[24] Farouk T.I., Dietrich D., Dryer F.L., Three stage cool flame droplet burning behavior of n-alkane droplets at elevated pressure conditions: Hot, warm and cool flame. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2019, 37(3): 3353–3361. 
[25] Alam F.E., Aghdam A.C., Dryer F.L., et al., Oscillatory cool flame combustion behavior of submillimeter sized n-alkane droplet under near limit conditions. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2019, 37(3): 3383–3391. 
[26] Farouk T.I., Dietrich D., Alam F.E., et al., Isolated n-decane droplet combustion-Dual stage and single stage transition to “Cool Flame” droplet burning. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2017, 36(2): 2523–2530. 
[27] Zhang P.Y., Kang Y.H., Zhang Y., et al., Flammability dynamics and oscillation-induced extinction mechanism of dimethyl ether spherical diffusion flame in microgravity. Combustion Theory & Modelling, 2020, 24(6): 1130–1152.
[28] Chen J., Kang Y.H., Zou Y.P., et al., A numerical study on near-limit extinction dynamics of dimethyl ether spherical diffusion flame. Fuel Processing Technology, 2019, 185: 79–90. 
[29] Kee R.J., Rupley F.M., Miller J.A., et al., Chemkin-II: A Fortran chemical kinetics package for the analysis of gas phase chemical kinetics. Report, SAND85- 8240.UC-706, Sandia Natinal Laboratories, New Mexico, 1992.
[30] Johansson R., Leckner B., Andersson K., et al., Account for variations in the H2O to CO2 molar ratio when modelling gaseous radiative heat transfer with the weighted-sum-of-grey-gases model. Combustion and Flame, 2011, 158(5): 893−901.
[31] Nishioka M., Law C.K., Takeno T., A flame-controlling continuation method for generating S-curve responses with detailed chemistry. Combustion and Flame, 1996, 104(3): 328−342. 
[32] Duynslaegher C., Jeanmart H., Vandooren J., Flame structure studies of premixed ammonia/hydrogen/oxygen/ argon flames: Experimental and numerical investigation. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2009, 32(1): 1277–1284. 
[33] Konnov A.A., Implementation of the NCN pathway of prompt-NO formation in the detailed reaction mechanism. Combustion and Flame, 2009, 156(11): 2093–2105. 
[34] Duynslaegher C., Contino F., Vandooren J., et al., Modeling of ammonia combustion at low pressure. Combustion and Flame, 2012, 159(9): 2799–2805. 
[35] Irace P.H., Waddell K.A., Constales D., et al., Critical temperature and reactant mass flux for radiative extinction of ethylene microgravity spherical diffusion flames at 1 bar. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2023, 39(2): 1905–1913. 
[36] Chen J., Envelope X., Experimental and kinetic study on the extinction characteristics of ammonia-dimethyl ether diffusion flame. Fuel, 2023, 334: 126743. 
[37] Xu S., Experimental and kinetic studies of extinction limits of counterflow cool and hot diffusion flames of ammonia/n-dodecane. Combustion and Flame, 2022,  245: 112316. 
[38] Shan R.Q., Lu T.F., Ignition and extinction in perfectly stirred reactors with detailed chemistry. Combustion and Flame, 2012, 159(6): 2069–2076. 
[39] Xu C., Park J.W., Yoo C.S., et al., Identification of premixed flame propagation modes using chemical explosive mode analysis. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2019, 37(2): 2407–2415. 
[40] Kang Y.H., Wang Q., Zhang P.Y., et al., Study on flame structure and extinction mechanism of dimethyl ether spherical diffusion flames. Energy, 2020, 193: 116786. 
[41] Law C.K., Combustion physics, first ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006. 
[42] Li C., Detection of local extinction and re-ignition in non-premixed ethylene-air flames using chemical explosive mode analysis. University of Connecticut, CT, USA, 2015.
[43] Christiansen E.W., Tse S.D., Law C.K., A computational study of oscillatory extinction of spherical diffusion flames. Combustion and Flame, 2003, 134(4): 327–337.
Options
Outlines

/

〈 〉

Wechat

Sponsored by: Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences　Publisher: Science Press

Copyright © 2023 Journal of Thermal Science