Response of a swirl flame to inertial waves

Acoustic waves passing through a swirler generate inertial waves in rotating flow. In the present study, the response of a premixed flame to an inertial wave is scrutinized, with emphasis on the fundamental fluid-dynamic and flame-kinematic interaction mechanism. The analysis relies on linearized reactive flow equations, with a two-part solution strategy implemented in a finite element framework: Firstly, the steady state, low-Mach number, Navier–Stokes equations with Arrhenius type one-step reaction mechanism are solved by Newton’s method. The flame impulse response is then computed by transient solution of the analytically linearized reactive flow equations in the time domain, with mean flow quantities provided by the steady-state solution. The corresponding flame transfer function is retrieved by fitting a finite impulse response model. This approach is validated against experiments for a perfectly premixed, lean, methane-air Bunsen flame, and then applied to a laminar swirling flame. This academic case serves to investigate in a generic manner the impact of an inertial wave on the flame response. The structure of the inertial wave is characterized by modal decomposition. It is shown that axial and radial velocity fluctuations related to the eigenmodes of the inertial wave dominate the flame front modulations. The dispersive nature of the eigenmodes plays an important role in the flame response.