Studies on the Mechanism of Ignition and Flameholding by Plasma Jets.

Studies on the mechanism of ignition and flame-holding by upstream-injection plasma jets were conducted for H2 diffusion flames in high speed air streams. The plasma jets were operated with Ar gas involving active species such as O2, N2 and H2, in the range of relatively low power. It was observed that for ignition and flameholding, the concentration of active species in feedstock is more important than plasma jet power. This fact suggests the effectiveness of active species produced by plasma jets, rather than that of plasma-jet thermal energy, and also the importance of radical concentration supplied to the ignition-point of a fuel jet, compared to the total quantity of radicals produced. It was also found that the effectiveness of additives is in the order, O2≥N2>H2, and the results of numerical simulation on combustion-reaction promotion by the radicals added agreed qualitatively with the experimental ones.