The State of the Art of Laminar Burning Velocities of H2-Enriched n-C4H10–Air Mixtures

Abstract

Currently, hydrogen-enriched n-butane blends present a real interest due to their potential to reduce emissions and increase the efficiency of combustion processes, as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines. This paper summarises the recent research on laminar burning velocities of hydrogen-enriched n-C4H10–air mixtures. The laminar burning velocity is a significative parameter that characterises the combustion process of any fuel–air mixture. Accurately measured or computed laminar burning velocities have an important role in the design, testing, and performance of n-C4H10–H2 fuelled devices. With this perspective, a brief review on the influence of hydrogen amount, initial pressure and temperature, and equivalence ratio on the laminar burning velocity of hydrogen-enriched n-C4H10–air mixtures is presented. Hydrogen has a strong influence on the combustion of butane–air mixtures. It was observed that a parabola with a maximum at a value slightly higher than the stoichiometric ratio describes the variation in the laminar burning velocity of hydrogen-enriched n-butane–air mixtures with the equivalence ratio. An increase in initial pressure or hydrogen amount led to an increase in this important combustion parameter, while an increase in initial pressure led to a decrease in laminar burning velocity. Overall, these studies demonstrate that hydrogen addition to n-C4H10–air mixtures can increase the laminar burning velocity and flame temperature and improve flame stability. These findings could be useful for the optimisation of combustion processes, particularly in internal combustion engines and gas turbines. However, the literature shows a paucity of investigations on the laminar burning velocities of hydrogen-enriched n-C4H10–air mixtures at initial temperatures and pressures differing from those in ambient conditions. This suggests that experimental and theoretical investigations of these flames at sub-atmospheric and elevated pressures and temperatures are necessary.