Effect of heat loss on laminar flamelet species concentration

The effects of heat loss on the structure of laminar flamelets, which are the constitutive elements of turbulent flames under the most common operating conditions, are investigated for typical aeronautical gas-turbine operating conditions at take-off. The magnitude of heat loss is quantified via the “enthalpy defect” measured with respect to an adiabatic flame. A procedure to generate laminar flamelets with an assigned enthalpy defect at the boundaries is devised and applied to nonpremixed propane/air flames, as propane reproduces the essential features of higher hydrocarbon combustion. It is found, contrary to commonly held beliefs, that the enthalpy defect has a significant effect on the concentration not only of minor species, but also of main reaction products. Such effects are found in general to be more pronounced for fuel-rich conditions. An impact is anticipated on the formation rate of nitric oxides. The effects of scalar dissipation rate are also discussed.