An asymptotic analysis of spontaneous ignition of hydrogen jets

摘要

Analytical work is presented for the spontaneous ignition of a hydrogen jet emanating from a slot into air. A similarity solution of the flow field was obtained. This was combined with the species and energy conservation equations, which were solved using activation energy asymptotics. Limits of spontaneous ignition were identified as functions of slot width, flow rate, and temperatures of the hydrogen jet and ambient air. Two scenarios are examined: a cool jet flowing into a hot ambient and a hot jet flowing into a cool ambient. For both scenarios, ignition is favored with an increase of either the ambient temperature or the hydrogen supply temperature. Moreover, for the hot ambient scenario, a decrease in fuel Lewis number also promotes ignition. The Lewis number of the oxidizer only has a weak effect on ignition. Because spontaneous ignition is very sensitive to temperature, ignition is predicted to occur near the edge of the jet if the hydrogen is cooler than the air and on the centerline if the hydrogen is hotter than the air.