Laminar burning velocity measurements of ethanol+air and methanol+air flames at atmospheric and elevated pressures using a new Heat Flux setup

A new setup for burning velocity measurements of liquid fuels at elevated pressures using the Heat Flux method has been constructed. The burner design has been improved comparing to previous studies in this and other laboratories. Laminar burning velocities were determined experimentally for ethanol+air and methanol+air mixtures over a range of conditions including equivalence ratio (0.8 to 1.3), inlet gas temperature (318–338 K), and pressure (1–5 bar). Experimental uncertainties have been determined and analyzed. The overall accuracy of the burning velocity, S_L, was evaluated to be better than ±1 cm/s for atmospheric pressure and ±1.5 cm/s at elevated pressure conditions. Experimental results at 1 atm are in good agreement with recent literature data. To compare the present measurements with the literature data often obtained at other initial temperatures and pressures, an empirical expression S_L = S_L⁰ (T/T⁰)^α (p/p⁰)^β, which correlates the burning velocity at a specific temperature, T, and pressure, p, with that at standard conditions indicated by superscripts 0, was implemented. At a fixed temperature, pressure dependence at each equivalence ratio can be analyzed. It was found that power exponents β derived in the present work and from the literature data possess large scattering. The best agreement was found between the present results and experimental literature data from spherical flames using non-linear stretch correction models. Burning velocities at atmospheric as well as elevated pressures and power exponents β have been also compared with kinetic modeling results using several detailed kinetic mechanisms, showing a fair to a good agreement. As the new results are accurate and free from stretch effects, they form a new source of reliable data for validation of the reaction mechanisms.