Chemical Reactions in Turbulent Mixing Flows

Abstract

Work is continuing primarily in gas phase turbulent mixing and chemical reactions. The liquid phase work to date is in its final stages of being analyzed and documented for dissemination in the form of archival publications. In the gas phase shear layer work, our investigations are concentrating on shear layer free stream density ratio effects, finite kinetic rate (Damköhler number) effects, and a design effort in support of the planned extension of the work to supersonic flows. In jet flows, progress has been made in the gas phase laser Rayleigh scattering techniques developed for conserved scalar measurements down to diffusion space and time scales. A new technique has been developed under joint support with the Gas Research Institute that permits the imaging of soot sheets in turbulent flames and is being used to describe the combustion flame sheets in methane flames. Theoretical work in progress is addressing the finite chemical rate problem as well as the diffusion-limited shear layer mixing problem. Advances in our data acquisition capabilities during the last year are permitting higher temporal resolution measurements to be taken with digital image arrays.