Large eddy simulation of turbulent swirl-stabilized flames using the front propagation formulation: impact of the resolved flame thickness

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Guo, Ruochen, Su, Yunde, Jiang, Yuewen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Guo, Ruochen
Su, Yunde
Jiang, Yuewen
author_facet Guo, Ruochen
Su, Yunde
Jiang, Yuewen
contents This work extends the front propagation formulation (FPF) combustion model to large eddy simulation (LES) of swirl-stabilized turbulent premixed flames and investigates the effects of resolved flame thickness on the predicted flame dynamics. The FPF method is designed to mitigate the spurious propagation of under-resolved flames while preserving the reaction characteristics of filtered flame fronts. In this study, the model is extended to account for non-adiabatic effects and is coupled with an improved sub-filter flame speed estimation that resolves the inconsistency arising from heat-release effects on local sub-filter turbulence. The performance of the extended FPF method is validated by LES of the TECFLAM swirl-stabilized burner, where the results agree well with experimental measurements. The simulations reveal that the stretching of vortical structures in the outer shear layer leads to the formation of trapped flame pockets, which are identified as the physical mechanism responsible for the secondary temperature peaks observed in the experiment. The prediction of this phenomenon is shown to be strongly dependent on the resolved flame thickness, when the filter size is used for modeling sub-filter flame wrinklings. Without proper modeling of the chemical steepening effects, the thickness of the resolved flame brush is over-predicted, causing the flame consumption rate to be under-estimated. Consequently, the flame brush detaches from the outer shear layer, resulting in a failure to capture the flame pockets and the associated secondary temperature peaks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_21940
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Large eddy simulation of turbulent swirl-stabilized flames using the front propagation formulation: impact of the resolved flame thickness
Guo, Ruochen
Su, Yunde
Jiang, Yuewen
Fluid Dynamics
This work extends the front propagation formulation (FPF) combustion model to large eddy simulation (LES) of swirl-stabilized turbulent premixed flames and investigates the effects of resolved flame thickness on the predicted flame dynamics. The FPF method is designed to mitigate the spurious propagation of under-resolved flames while preserving the reaction characteristics of filtered flame fronts. In this study, the model is extended to account for non-adiabatic effects and is coupled with an improved sub-filter flame speed estimation that resolves the inconsistency arising from heat-release effects on local sub-filter turbulence. The performance of the extended FPF method is validated by LES of the TECFLAM swirl-stabilized burner, where the results agree well with experimental measurements. The simulations reveal that the stretching of vortical structures in the outer shear layer leads to the formation of trapped flame pockets, which are identified as the physical mechanism responsible for the secondary temperature peaks observed in the experiment. The prediction of this phenomenon is shown to be strongly dependent on the resolved flame thickness, when the filter size is used for modeling sub-filter flame wrinklings. Without proper modeling of the chemical steepening effects, the thickness of the resolved flame brush is over-predicted, causing the flame consumption rate to be under-estimated. Consequently, the flame brush detaches from the outer shear layer, resulting in a failure to capture the flame pockets and the associated secondary temperature peaks.
title Large eddy simulation of turbulent swirl-stabilized flames using the front propagation formulation: impact of the resolved flame thickness
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.21940