On the tulip flame formation: the effect of pressure waves

Abstract

The effects of pressure waves on the tulip flame formation in closed and semi-open tubes were studied using numerical simulations of the fully compressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled to a detailed chemical model for stoichiometric hydrogen air mixture. Rarefaction waves generated by the decelerating flame are shown to be the primary physical process leading to the flame front inversion and the tulip flame formation for spark and for planar ignited flames in closed tubes. In the case of a spark ignited flame, the first rarefaction wave is generated by the flame, which is decelerating due to the reduction in flame surface area as the flame skirt touches the tube walls. Flame collisions with pressure waves in a closed tube result in additional deceleration stages and rarefaction waves that shorten the time of the tulip flame formation.