Abstract

The application of Lean Prevaporized Premixed (LPP) combustion as a concept for future low emission aero engines and liquid fueled stationary gas turbines is impaired by operational disadvantages, i.e. flashback. Information on the laminar flame speed in mixtures of vaporized aviation fuel and air at elevated temperatures is a prerequisite for the prediction of flashback. Furthermore the laminar flame speed is a central element in combustion theory as a reference value in the normalization of many combustion phenomena and for the validation of numerical simulations.
In the literature flame speeds of gaseous and single-component liquid fuels, mainly alcohols and alkanes up to n-heptane and iso-octane, have been published. Most of the measurements are of limited use with respect to the high preheating temperatures and the fuels used in gas turbines. Therefore an experimental study to measure the laminar flame speed of kerosene air mixtures has been conducted within the framework of the investigation of flashback in lean premixed prevaporized combustion.