This award supports a two year collaborative research project between Professor Jayavant Gore of Purdue University and Professor Tadao Takeno of Nagoya University in Japan. The researchers will be undertaking a study of the effects of thermal radiation on detailed flame chemistry. They will investigate the effect of radiative heat loss from CO2, H20, CO, and CH4 on the detailed chemical structure and pollutant emissions of two dimensional, axisymmetric laminar diffusion flames. Permanent blue flames formed by the combustion of methane with air will be studied to avoid the complexity of soot chemistry. Methane is selected as the fuel because reliable detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms are now available. The specific objectives of the research are: 1) to find the effects of radiation induced temperature and composition changes on the rates of each of the elementary reaction steps in GRIMECH for a one dimensional opposed-flow flame and a two dimensional axisymmetric flame; and 2) design and conduct an experiment involving measurements of flame structure and pollutant emission index properties, with and without an incident radiation field designed for reducing the effects of radiation heat loss.
This project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. The U.S. researchers' expertise is in the area of flames and radiation-chemistry interactions and the Japanese have expertise in chemistry-flame structure interactions. Results of the research could lead to improved methods of pollutant formation control. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. ***
