Control of confined nonpremixed flames using a microjet

Industrial burners, such as those used in materials processing furnaces, require precise control over the flame length, width, overall shape and other physical flame attributes. The mechanism used to control the flame topology should be relatively simple, safe, and devoid of an emissions penalty. We have explored the feasibility of hydrodynamic control of confined nonpremixed flames by injecting air through a high-momentum microjet. An innovative strategy for the control of flame shape and luminosity is demonstrated based on a high-momentum coaxial microjet injected along the center of a confined nonpremixed flame burning in a coflowing oxidizer stream. The introduction of the microjet shortens a nonpremixed flame and reduces the amplitude of the buoyancy-induced flickering. For a microjet-assisted flame, the flame length is more sensitive to the fuel flowrate than for laminar or turbulent nonpremixed flames. This provides greater flexibility for the dynamic control of their flame lengths.Measurements of NOx and CO emissions show that the method is robust. Effective flame control without an emissions penalty is possible over a large range of microjet velocities that significantly alter the flame shape. Since the influence of the microjet is primarily of a hydrodynamic nature, inert microjet fluids like recirculated exhaust gas can also be used in practical devices.