Effect of ac electric fields on counterflow diffusion flame of methane

The effect of electric fields on the response of diffusion flames in a counterflow has been investigated experimentally by varying the AC voltage and frequency. The result showed that the flame was stationary with high AC frequency above the threshold frequency, and it increased with the applied voltage and then leveled off at 35 Hz. Below the threshold frequency, however, the flame oscillated with a frequency that was synchronized with the applied AC frequency. This oscillation can be attributed to the ionic wind effect due to the generation of bulk flow, which arises from the momentum transfer by molecular collisions between neutral molecules and ions, where the ions in the reaction zone were accelerated by the Lorentz force. © 2012 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.