Technical Paper
Extinction of Methanol and Ethanol Flames in Premixed Flows
2007-01-23
2007-01-0057
Alcohols like methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH) are well known alternative fuels. Ethanol, which replaced MTBE in California, is added to regular gasoline up to 5% without any modifications required to a normal gasoline engine. Recently E85, an ethanol-gasoline mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline derived from crude oil, got attention as an alternative fuel due to high gas prices and environmental acceptance. Therefore, it is important to understand the basics of alcohol combustion. Experimental and numerical studies are conducted on extinction of methanol and ethanol flames in premixed laminar flows. The studies are performed in a counter-flow configuration. The burner used in the experiments is made up of two opposing ducts. Two configurations are considered. In one configuration, a premixed reactant stream made up of vaporized fuel, air, and nitrogen is introduced from one duct and nitrogen from the other.