Experimental Investigations on Stabilization Mechanism of Lifted Kerosene Spray Flames

ABSTRACTIn the present work, detailed experimental investigations have been carried out to understand the role of various spray parameters, such as fuel injection pressure, droplet size distribution, and velocity field on the stabilization of lifted spray flames with kerosene fuel. Six full cone pressure swirl nozzles N1–N6 (fuel flow rate, = 1.7–7.08 kg/h at Pinj = 9 bar) are considered for experiments with fuel injection pressure varying from 4–9 bar. The Sauter mean diameter (SMD) has been observed to decrease (58–34 μm) with an increase in fuel injection pressure (4–9 bar). The flame liftoff height of the spray flame increases with an increase in the fuel injection pressure, even though the spray SMD decreases. To understand the role of the various important spray parameters on stabilization of lifted spray flames, particle image velocimetry measurements have been carried out near the flame stabilization zone of the spray. It has been observed that a zone of high velocity is formed near the nozzle exi...