Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “FLAMES”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Microgravity Flame Spread in Exploration Atmospheres: Pressure, Oxygen, and Velocity Effects on Opposed and Concurrent Flame Spread

Microgravity tests of flammability and flame spread were performed in a low-speed flow tunnel to simulate spacecraft ventilation flows. Three thin fuels were tested for flammability (Ultem 1000 (General Electric Company), 10 mil film, Nomex (Dupont) HT90-40, and Mylar G (Dupont) and one fuel for flame spread testing (Kimwipes (Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.). The 1g Upward Limiting Oxygen Index (ULOI) and 1g Maximum Oxygen Concentration (MOC) are found to be greater than those in 0g, by up to 4% oxygen mole fraction, meaning that the fuels burned in 0g at lower oxygen concentrations than they did using the NASA Standard 6001 Test 1 protocol. Flame spread tests with Kimwipes were used to develop correlations that capture the effects of flow velocity, oxygen concentration, and pressure on flame spread rate. These correlations were used to determine that over virtually the entire range of spacecraft atmospheres and flow conditions, the opposed spread is faster, especially for normoxic atmospheres. The correlations were also compared with 1g MOC for various materials as a function of pressure and oxygen. The lines of constant opposed flow agreed best with the 1g MOC trends, which indicates that Test 1 limits are essentially dictated by the critical heat flux for ignition. Further evaluation of these and other materials is continuing to better understand the 0g flammability of materials and its effect on the oxygen margin of safety.

Olson, Sandra L.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Determining Flame Temperature By Broadband Two Color Pyrometry in A Flame Spreading Over A Thin Solid in Microgravity

Fire spread inside a spacecraft is a constant concern in space travel. Understanding how the fire grows and spreads, and how it can potentially be extinguished is critical for planning future missions. The conditions inside a spacecraft can greatly vary from those encountered on earth, including microgravity, low velocity flows, reduced ambient pressure and high oxygen, and thus affecting the combustion processes. In microgravity, the contributions of thermal radiation from gaseous species and soot can play a critical role in the spread of a flame and the problem has not been fully understood yet. The overall objective of this work is to address this by studying the soot temperature of microgravity flames spreading over a thin solid in microgravity. The experiments presented here were performed as part of the NASA project Saffire IV, conducted in orbit on board the Cygnus resupply vehicle before it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The fuel considered is a thin fabric made of cotton and fiberglass (Sibal) exposed to a forced flow of 20 cm/s in a concurrent flow configuration. Reconstruction of the flame temperature fields is extracted from two color broadband emission pyrometry (B2CP) as the flame propagates over the solid fuel. A methodology, relevant assumptions and its applicability to other microgravity experiments are discussed here. The data obtained shows that the technique provides an acceptable average temperature around ~1300 K, which remains relatively constant during the spread with an error value smaller than 117 K. The data presented in this work provides a methodology that could be applied to other microgravity experiments to be performed by NASA. It is expected that the results will provide insight for what is to be expected in different conditions relevant for fire safety in future space facilities.

fire↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Speed OH-PLIF Diagnostics of Flame Flashback in Low Swirl Hydrogen-Enriched Flames

Hydrogen-enrichment is a potential strategy to reduce carbon emissions for the development of next-generation lean premixed combustors. However, the higher flashback propensity with hydrogen enrichment owing to the faster chemical kinetics is one of the key challenges in existing natural gas turbine combustors. The fundamentals of stabilized flame dynamics and flashback events in a premixed low swirl burner (LSB) configuration are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based high-speed hydroxyl radical planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF). Swirlers with two different turning angles, 26 and 33 and three different center-body hole diameters, 1.08, 1.12 and 1.16 mm with measured swirl numbers varying from 0.43 to 0.49 are tested in this study at atmospheric temperature and pressure inlet conditions. The inlet conditions are varied systematically with respect to pre-mixer velocities (V), flame equivalence ratio (ϕ) and hydrogen content (X_(H_2 )) for 50%-90% (H2, by mole) H2/ CH4 reactant mixtures and OH-PLIF characterization is performed in a stable flame at 20 kHz repetition rate. An increase in flashback propensity is observed with increasing ϕ, X_(H_2 ) and decreasing V via detailed investigation of flame lift-off length (L) above the burner rim.

Parajuli, Pradeep↗
NASA NTRS1954

Prediction of flame velocities of hydrocarbon flames

The laminar-flame-velocity data previously reported by the Lewis Laboratory are surveyed with respect to the correspondence between experimental flame velocities and values predicted by semitheoretical and empirical methods. The combustible mixture variables covered are hydrocarbon structure (56 hydrocarbons), equivalence ratio of fuel-air mixture, mole fraction of oxygen in the primary oxygen-nitrogen mixture (0.17 to 0.50), and initial mixture temperature (200 degrees to 615 degrees k). The semitheoretical method of prediction considered are based on three approximate theoretical equations for flame velocity: the Semenov equation, the Tanford-Pease equation, and the Manson equation.

Dugger, Gordon L↗
NASA NTRS2009

Refractory Materials for Flame Deflector Protection System Corrosion Control: Flame Deflector Protection System Life Cycle Cost Analysis Report

A 20-year life cycle cost analysis was performed to compare the operational life cycle cost, processing/turnaround timelines, and operations manpower inspection/repair/refurbishment requirements for corrosion protection of the Kennedy Space Center launch pad flame deflector associated with the existing cast-in-place materials and a newer advanced refractory ceramic material. The analysis compared the estimated costs of(1) continuing to use of the current refractory material without any changes; (2) completely reconstructing the flame trench using the current refractory material; and (3) completely reconstructing the flame trench with a new high-performance refractory material. Cost estimates were based on an analysis of the amount of damage that occurs after each launch and an estimate of the average repair cost. Alternative 3 was found to save $32M compared to alternative 1 and $17M compared to alternative 2 over a 20-year life cycle.

Calle, Luz Marina↗
NASA NTRS1952

An active particle diffusion theory of flame quenching for laminar flames / Dorothy M. Simon and Frank E. Belles

An equation for quenching distance based on the destruction of chain carriers by the surface is derived. The equation expresses the quenching distance in terms of the diffusion coefficients and partial pressures of the chain carriers and gas phase molecules, the efficiency of the surface as a chain breaker, the total pressure of the mixture, and a constant which depends on the geometry of the quenching surface. Quenching distances measured by flashback for propane-air flames are shown to be consistent with the mechanism. The derived equation is used with the lean inflammability limit and a rate constant calculated from burning velocity data to estimate quenching distances for propane-air (hydrocarbon lean) flames satisfactorily.

Simon, Dorothy M↗
NASA NTRS1995

Triple flames in microgravity flame spread

The purpose of this project is to examine in detail the influence of the triple flame structure on the flame spread problem. It is with an eye to the practical implications that this fundamental research project must be carried out. The microgravity configuration is preferable because buoyancy-induced stratification and vorticity generation are suppressed. A more convincing case can be made for comparing our predictions, which are zero-g, and any projected experiments. Our research into the basic aspects will employ two models. In one, flows of fuel and oxidizer from the lower wall are not considered. In the other, a convective flow is allowed. The non-flow model allows us to develop combined analytical and numerical solution methods that may be used in the more complicated convective-flow model.

Wichman, Indrek S.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Emissions in short-gated ns/ps/fs-LIBS for fuel-to-air ratio measurements in methane-air flames

A study of short-gated 10 nanosecond (ns), 100 picosecond (ps), and 100 femtosecond (fs) laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was conducted for fuel-to-air ratio (FAR) measurements in an atmospheric Hencken flame. The intent of the work is to understand which emission lines are available near the optical range in each pulse width regime and which emission ratios may be favorable for generating equivalence ratio calibration curves. The emission spectra in the range of 550–800 nm for ns-LIBS and ps-LIBS are mostly similar with slightly elevated atomic oxygen lines by ps-LIBS. Spectra from fs-LIBS show the lowest continuum background and prominent individual atomic lines, though have significantly weaker ionic emission from nitrogen. A qualitative explanation based on assumed local thermodynamic equilibrium and electron temperatures calculated by the N I I ( 565 n m ) and N I I ( 594 n m ) emissions is presented. In studying line emission ratios for FAR calculation, it is found that H α <#comment/> ( 656 n m ) / N I I ( 568 n m ) is best for FAR measurements with ns-LIBS and remains viable for ps-LIBS, while H α <#comment/> ( 656 n m ) / O I ( 777 n m ) is optimal for the ps-LIBS and fs-LIBS cases. Due to low continuum background and short time delay for spectra collection, fs-LIBS is very promising for high-speed FAR measurements using short-gated LIBS.

Gragston, Mark (ORCID:0000000324698995)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interactions between Surface Chemistry and Gas-Phase Combustion: New Optical Tools for Probing Flame-Wall Interactions and the Heterogeneous Chemistry of Soot Growth and Oxidation in Flame. Final report

Some of the most stubborn and technologically critical problems in combustion are dominated by heterogeneous processes. While purely gas-phase combustion systems have been the subject of intense theoretical and experimental study, combustion phenomena occurring at interfaces are far less understood. This is partly caused by the lack of experimental approaches capable of probing locations very close to an interface, especially in the hostile environment of combustion. For laser-based optical techniques, measurements taken near interfaces are often complicated by laser scattering from the surface interfering with relatively weak signals. Further, for measurements intended to probe molecular species adsorbed at the interface between a gas-phase combustion reaction and a condensed phase material, signals are generally overwhelmed by contributions from the bulk phases, causing the small contribution from the interfacial molecular species to be undetectable. Our goal in this project has been to develop new optical tools for imaging chemical species, temperature, and surface species at and near surfaces or interfaces of relevance to combustion. We have placed focus on the development and refinement of ultrafast techniques such as femtosecond coherent Raman imaging and femtosecond/picosecond sum-frequency generation (SFG) scattering, as well as the models used to simulate such spectra under differing conditions of pressure and chemical speciation. The two physical phenomena initially targeted for study in this project were flamewall interactions, and the growth of particulates in flames.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗