Response of a conical, laminar premixed flame to low amplitude acoustic forcing – A comparison between experiment and kinematic theories

This paper presents an experimental study on the dynamics of a ducted, conical, laminar premixed flame subjected to low amplitude acoustic excitation from upstream. The heat release response of the flame to velocity disturbances is investigated through measurement of the so called ‘flame transfer function’ for a wide range of forcing frequencies. The results are compared with those predicted by the existing linear kinematic theories. It is observed that these theories are in general agreement with the experiment, although there exist some disparities. A detailed comparison of the experimental data with the kinematic theories shows that the phase speed of flame disturbances has an essential influence upon the level of agreement between the theory and experiment. The data-set presented in this work complements that reported in an earlier study. In keeping with others, visualisation of the excited flames clearly shows that the flame response includes waves on the flame front which are formed at the base and then convect along the flame.