Advanced flame imaging diagnostics with applications to gas furnace engineering

The aim of the project is to use advanced laser imaging of turbulent flames to improve the understanding of flame dynamics with particular application to gas furnaces. The experimental results will be used for validation of computational models developed by a post-graduate researcher working on a linked project running in parallel.

Gas furnaces are commonly used for the heat treatment of metal parts for use in a variety of industries (aerospace, automotive, marine). Both the quality of the treated material and the furnace efficiency depend strongly on the flow, temperature, and species concentration fields.
Improved understanding of the flame behaviour is therefore essential to optimise furnace operation and minimise harmful emissions. This project will involve close collaboration with the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) at Strathclyde.

Experiments will be performed on a lab-scale burner generating turbulent flames that mimic the properties of the burners in the AFRC gas furnace, but with reduced dimensions and well-defined boundary conditions. Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) imaging will be used to measure intermediate concentrations including OH and CH2O, which serve as markers for flame-front location as well as flame temperature and heat-release rate. Additionally, optical flame-emission techniques will be used to study the furnace flames directly by using a high-speed camera will be equipped with filters to selectively image specific flame radicals.