CROSS FLOW EFFECTS ON THE FLAME HEIGHT OF AN INTERMEDIATE SCALE DIFFUSION FLAME

CROSS FLOW EFFECTS ON THE FLAME HEIGHT OF AN INTERMEDIATE SCALE DIFFUSION FLAME

An experimental study has been conducted at an intermediate scale to study the effect of a cross flow on a purely buoyant fire. Video taping of the flame and post processing of the images by means of a novel technique provide a contour of a mean flame for all cases studied. This flame contour allows the determination of a mean flame length and a mean flame height. The mean flame length and height are recorded as functions of the forced flow velocity. Three dimensional flow patterns are formed in the flame trailing edge affecting both the mean flame length and height. The three dimensional patterns are studied systematically as functions of the cross flow velocity to quantify the effect of confinement on the flame geometry.