10  kHz simultaneous PIV/PLIF study of the diffusion flame response to periodic acoustic forcing.

Response of a laminar diffusion dimethyl-ether flame forced by an acoustic field is provided. A forcing frequency of 100 Hz, which is chosen based on the typical thermo-acoustic instability frequency in a practical combustor, is applied to the flame at a Reynolds number of 250. The development of the forced vortical structures present in this flame has been investigated utilizing a burst mode laser with a repetition rate of 10 kHz. Flame/vortex interaction is visualized by planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of formaldehyde, which is used to identify the early-stage fuel decomposition in the flame. The flame structure is also correlated with the velocity field, which is obtained utilizing particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). The resulting phase-resolved and time-averaged velocity and vortex images indicate that the amplitude of excitation has pronounced effects on the flame via modifying the local heat release.