Temperature, soot, and OH*/CH* chemiluminescence measurements of partially-premixed CO₂-diluted propane flames on a linear Hencken burner

Recent studies highlight the need for further examination of partially-premixed diffusion flames with applications in modern burner configurations that increasingly rely on technologies such as flue gas recirculation and oxy-fuel combustion, which increase the CO₂ content in the combustion environment. The partially-premixed nature of the linear Hencken burner (LHB) offers a unique platform with many advantages over comparable slot-type or radially-symmetric burner configurations. In this work, partially-premixed laminar propane flames were examined under increasing CO₂ percentages (0 to 50%_v). Prosumer grade digital CMOS cameras were calibrated and used to determine two-dimensional, quantitative measurements of soot, temperature, and OH* and CH* chemiluminescence. Soot values were additionally supported via laser extinction measurements using a 532 nm continuous wavelength laser. The peak soot volume fraction was found to decrease from 318 ppbv for the pure propane case down to 37 ppbv for the 50%_v CO₂ case, while the corresponding temperature decreased from 1876 K down to 1742 K. The data also suggested that soot maturity decreased in conjunction with overall concentration. The regions of peak OH* and CH* concentrations maintained their transverse positions as well as their relative positions with respect to one another for all flame conditions, though moved axial further away from the flame base with increasing CO₂. Additionally, the peak OH* region remained closer to the central flame axis across all conditions, a result that is counter to other studies that examined CO₂ dilution in purely non-premixed flames.