Effect of hydrogen enrichment and electric field on lean CH₄/air flame propagation at elevated pressure

Electric assisted combustion for hydrogen enriched hydrocarbons may even extend the lean burn limit and provide the further improvement on combustion stability. This study investigates the effect of hydrogen enrichment and DC electric field on lean CH₄/air flame propagation. Electric field inside the chamber was generated by mesh and needle electrodes. Effect of hydrogen enrichment on the ion mole fraction in the flame was discussed based on reaction mechanism included neutral and ion reactions. The flame propagation images, flame displacement speed were used to evaluate the combined influences of hydrogen enrichment and electric field on propagating flame. Results showed that the hydrogen addition would increase positive ions mole fraction and the peak value is mainly determined by H₃O⁺. This would be due to that CH increases with hydrogen fraction, which is the main species in the initial reaction for the ion reactions. Electric field effect about flame propagation was suppressed with hydrogen addition due to the competition between the increment in ion mole fraction and the decrement in flame time. Electric assisted combustion is more evident at leaner conditions and elevated pressure. The ratio of ionic wind velocity to flow velocity may be the determined factor to predict the electric field effect about propagating flame. The tendency based on this ratio is in accordance with the experimental results for various hydrogen fraction and equivalence ratio at elevated pressure.