Hraiech, I., et al.

: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2

THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10 1

COMBUSTION OF HYTHANE DILUTED WITH CO2

by

Ibtissem HRAIECH a,b*, Jean-Charles SAUTET b,

Sebastien YON b, and Abdallah MHIMID a
a
LESTE, National Engineering School of Monastir (ENIM), University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
b
CORIA UMR6614 – CNRS, University at INSA Rouen, Saint Etienne of Rouvray, France

Original scientific paper

DOI: 10.2298/TSCI120119100H

With increasing concern about energy shortage and environmental protection, im-
proving engine fuel economy and reducing exhaust emissions have become major
research topics in combustion and engine development. Hythane (a blend of hydro-
gen H2 and natural gas NG) has generated a significant interest as an alternative
fuel for the future. This paper describes an experimental study of the effects of CO2
addition on the stability of a turbulent jet diffusion NG-H2 flame. The mole fraction
of hydrogen (% H2) in NG-H2 mixture was varied from 0% to 50%. The equivalence
ratio of the hythane/CO2/air mixture was kept at stoichiometry. The results show
that the lift-off height increases with the addition of CO2 at various % H2 content in
hythane. However, we observe that with 20% H2, we can obtain a stable flame di-
luted with 40% CO2, while for 0% H2, the flame is blown out above 20% CO2. This
means that the limits of flame blowing out are pushed with the additions of H2.
Moreover, the results show that for %H2 content in NG-H2 fuel up to 10%, the addi-
tion of CO2 could produce lifted flame if the % CO2 is low. At higher % CO2 dilu-
tion, flame would remain attached until blow-out. This is mainly due to the fact that
the dilution leads to ejection velocities very high but reactivity of the mixture does
not change so the flame tends to stretch.
Keywords: hythane, hydrogen enrichment of natural gas flames, CO2 dilution,
flame stability

Introduction
There is growing worldwide interest to move towards a hydrogen-based economy due
to many potential advantages of hydrogen fuel over conventional fossil fuels. A part from being
environmentally clean, hydrogen represents potentially an unlimited source of energy because it
can be produced from abundant sources, it can be readily formed through water electrolysis, as
well as from fossil fuels through partial oxidation and reforming. In addition, it has higher en-
ergy per unit mass (about 2.6 times that of gasoline), and superior characteristics than hydrocar-
bon fuels such as wider flammability limits, very low density, higher molecular diffusivity,
higher flame speed, and low ignition energy [1, 2].
However, due to its high flammability and low volumetric energy density, many im-
portant issues pertaining to hydrogen safety and storage are still being addressed. Numerous ef-
forts are currently underway focusing on the use of hydrogen in various propulsion and energy

* Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected]

 Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
2 THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

applications, including fuel cells and hydrogen based IC engines [3-5]. In this context, blending
hydrogen with hydrocarbon fuels also represents a promising approach to increase the use of hy-
drogen, and improve the emission and performance of various combustion systems [1, 6, 7].
Hythane (a blend of hydrogen, H2 and natural gas, NG) is expected to play an impor-
tant role in future energy production. The researchers are interested only recently on the com-
bustion of natural gas/hydrogen mixture. Only a few studies have been published on this sub-
ject. As methane is the main component of natural gas, the literature on the study of
methane/hydrogen mixtures will be expanded. The mixture (80% methane/20% hydrogen) is
the most studied because it is close to the industrial Hythane.
Auto-ignition times of methane/hydrogen mixture were measured by varying pressure,
equivalence ratio and temperature, in rapid compression machine and shock tube [8-10]. Huang et
al. [8] have measured, in shock tube, the auto-ignition times of two mixtures stoichiometric of
methane/(15 or 35 mol%)H2/air at 16 and 40 atm, and between 1000 and 1300 K. The effect of hy-
drogen is very visible at high temperature, for example, the auto-ignition delays of the mixture
CH4/35% H2 at 1300 K and 40 atm are reduced by a factor of 1.5 compared to self-ignition delays
of methane. The same trend is observed at 16 atm with a wide effect of hydrogen. In contrast, the
promoting effect of hydrogen seems to decrease when increasing pressure or decreasing tempera-
ture (T < 1200 K). This effect is very light on the ignition of the mixture CH4/H2 and similar under
these conditions.
Hadj Ali [9] has measured, in shock tube, the auto-ignition times of CH4/10% H2 mix-
tures for equivalence ratios of 0.5 and 1, at 14 atm , and for temperatures between 1250 and 2000 K.
An important effect of equivalence ratio for CH4/10% H2 mixture is observed at 1625 K but not at
1777 K.
Recently, Gersen et al. [10] have measured the auto-ignition times of CH4/H2 mixtures
in a rapid compression machine. The auto-ignition times were measured for equivalence ratios
of 1.0 and 0.5 at 10 and 69 atm, at temperatures of 950-1060 K after compression and fractions
of hydrogen of 0, 10, 20, 50, and 100% in the fuel. For mixtures of hydrogen content less than
20% of the fuel, the effect of hydrogen on the auto-ignition times is low, but the auto-ignition
time increases if the hydrogen fraction is above 50%. In addition, at high temperatures, the ef-
fect of hydrogen is more pronounced at low temperature and high pressure. Surprisingly, equiv-
alence ratio does not seem to have any effect on the time of auto-ignition, in fact, the same val-
ues are found for lean and stoichiometric mixtures of 50% H2/50% CH4.
Lift-off and blow-out stability parameters have significant meaning in the diffusion
flame modeling and also have strong implication in safety consideration and hazard assessment.
Therefore study of effects of various additives on the stability of natural gas/hydrogen jet flames
require further investigations. A brief overview is given here on the main results obtained re-
garding H2-diluted and CO2-diluted flames properties.
Choudhuri and Gollahalli [11] performed an experimental investigation on turbulent
NG-H2 jet diffusion flame and observed a continuous reduction in the flame length, a reduction
in the soot concentration and emission index of CO (EICO), but an increase in EINO with hy-
drogen addition.
Ilbas et al. [12] studied experimentally the effect of hydrogen enrichment on the natu-
ral gas laminar flame properties. They stated that increasing the hydrogen concentrations in
mixture causes an increase in the resultant burning velocity and also widening the flammability
limits. Kumar and Mishra [13] investigated experimentally a laminar LPG-H2 jet diffusion
flame. They performed that a subsequent reduction in the flame length was observed for the high
Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10 3

hydrogen concentrations. El -Ghafour et al. [14] investigated experimentally the effect of hy-
drogen addition on combustion characteristics of NG-H2 hybrid fuel turbulent diffusion flame at
a fixed Reynolds number (4000). They found that the addition of hydrogen sustains a progres-
sive improvement in flame stability and reduction in flame length for relatively high hydrogen
concentrations. On other side, their results shows an increase in NO and CO concentration. Yon
and Sautet [15] studied experimentally the influence of hydrogen addition and the equivalence
ratio on the structure of a turbulent diffusion oxy-flame of hythane (NG-H2). They confirmed
that, in oxy-fuel burner, hydrogen addition and a lean condition (f < 1) allows an early combus-
tion, a better flame stability and an amount decrease of fuel consumption.
The effects of CO2 addition on the burning velocity have been explored to discuss the
validity domain of detailed kinetic mechanisms. However, existing studies are limited to highly
diluted oxy-fuel mixtures or to air-fuel mixtures in which small CO2 quantities are added. The
chemical effect of CO2 replacement of N2 in air on the burning velocity of CH4 and H2 flames
was numerically investigated. The relative importance of the chemical effect of CO2 on the
burning velocity increases as more CO 2 is added to replace N 2 in air [16].
Mazas et al. [17] investigated experimentally and numerically the effect of CO2 and
H2O (steam) additions on laminar flame speed of oxygen-enriched methane flames at atmo-
spheric pressure. They found that for a same molar fraction of H2O or CO2 in the mixture, the
flame temperature is lower for CO2 addition than for H2O addition, consequently, they showed a
slight underestimation of the flame speed of CH4/O2 diluted with CO2 and H2O, and this differ-
ence reduces for higher dilution rates.
Dally et al. [18] shown experimentally and numerically that CO2 addition in a non-pre-
mixed methane/air flame reduced flame temperature by decreasing reactant concentration in-
side the reaction zone.
The influence on soot formation of CO2 addition in diffusion flames was studied ex-
perimentally [19-21] and numerically [22, 23]. It was found that the soot volume fraction were
abruptly decreases by CO2 addition to the co-flow air. This suppression of soot formation re-
sulted from the short residence time in the inception region.
It was shown that CO2 dilution thermally and chemically limits the formation of soot
precursors due to the decrease of H radicals consumed in the reaction CO 2 + H ® CO + OH.
Guo et al. [24] investigated experimentally the effects of different additives to air on
the lift-off of a laminar CH4/air diffusion flame. Results show that the addition of CO2 causes
flame lift-off due to the dilution, thermal and chemical effects, with the dilution effect being the
most significant one, followed by the thermal effect. All these effects tend to reduce combustion
intensity and cause flame to be lifted. The radiation and transport property effects are negligible.
Min et al. [25] focused on the effect of CO2 addition to the air on the transition from an
attached flame to a lifted flame issued from a coaxial non-premixed methane-air jet. They found
experimentally that the CO2 is the best destabilize among the diluents, because all the three ef-
fects (dilution > thermal > chemistry) contribute to induce loss of flame stability (CO2 has the
strongest ability to break flame stability, followed by N 2, then by Ar).
From the presented brief analysis it is clear that, despite numerous investigations of the
effects of various additives on the stability of hydrogen jet flames, further investigations are re-
quired. Therefore, the present study aims to determine experimentally fundamental combustion
characteristics of a turbulent jet diffusion NG-H 2 flames diluted with CO2.
 Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
4 THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

Experimental set-up and

measurement techniques
Experimental set-up
Figure 1 presents a sketch of the experimental
apparatus used in the study. The experimental device
consists of a 15 kW power burner powered by natu-
ral gas added to hydrogen and CO2. A cylindrical
burner, of internal diameter 6 mm, brings the mix-
ture CH4/H2/CO2 into the ambient air.
The natural gas used has a mass density of
0.83 kg/m3 and a volume composition of 85% CH4,
9% C2H6, 3% C3H8, 2% N2, 1% CO2, and traces of
higher hydrocarbon species.
The following table presents the characteris-
Figure 1. Sketch of the burner tics of gas used.

Natural gas Hydrogen

Inferior calorific value PCI [kJkg–1] 45·103 119·103
Flammability limits in air [vol.%] 5-15 4-74.15
–1]
Laminar flame speed [cms 43.4 170

The chemical equation for combustion of hythane diluted with CO2 in air is:
. CH 4 + 009
hGN [085 . C 2 H 6 + 003
. C 3 H 8 + 001
. CO 2 + 002
. N2]+
+ a H 2 H 2 + bCO2 + (166
. hGN + 05
. )(O 2 + 3.76N 2 ) ® (109
. hGN + 1) H 2O +
with . hGN + 188
+ (628 . ) N 2 + 112
. hGN CO 2 + 001
. hGN CO 2 + bCO2
80% < hGN <100%: percentage of natural gas in the fuel (hythane),
0 < a H 2 < 20%: percentage of hydrogen in the fuel (hythane), and
0 < bCO2 < 50%: percentage of CO 2 in the mixture (GN + H2 + CO2).
The regulation of natural gas flow rate is done by a mass flow regulator and the carbon
dioxide and hydrogen flow rates are regulated by sonic nozzles and pressure regulator.
The study has been carried out according to the percentage of hydrogen (% H2 between 0
and 20%) in the fuel mixture (NG + H2) in order to conserve the flame power of 15 kW. The fuel
volumetric flow rate is then Qvfuel = QvGN + QvH2. Then CO2 is introduced in the fuel mixture to
study the effect of CO2 dilution. The percentage of CO2 (% CO2) in the mixture (NG + H2 + CO2)
varies from 0% (no dilution) to 50%. The CO2 flow rate is QvCO2 and the total flow rate is Qtot =
=mQvfuel + QvCO2.
Table1 summarizes the different parameters of the experiment according to the per-
centage of H2 in the fuel mixture and the percentage of CO2 in the total jet, such as the volumet-
ric flow rates of the natural gas, hydrogen and CO2, the exit jet bulk velocity and the jet
Reynolds number.
Study of OH radical emission
The structure of the lift-off height is studied by collection of OH* radical emission on
main band (0-0) to at 306.4 nm. The wavelength range of OH* emission is located between 280
Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10 5

Table 1. Gas flow rates, exit velocities of the jet (natural gas, H 2, and CO2), jet Reynolds number
and Schmidt number according to the percentage of H 2 in the fuel mixture and the percentage of CO 2
in the total jet
Jet flame mixture
Fuel mixture
Exit
Jet Jet %H2 %NG
%NG %H2 QvNG QvH2 Qvfuel %CO Q Qtot veloc-
2 vCO2 Reynolds Schmidt [total [total
[fuel] [fuel] [lmin–1] [lmin–1] [lmin–1] –1
[lmin ] ity U0
number number mixture] mixture]
[ms–1]
0 0 24 14.2 6312 0.8 0 100
10 2.6 26.7 15.7 9005 0.86 0 90
20 6 30.1 17.7 10741 0.91 0 80
100 0 24.09 0 24.09
30 10.3 34.4 20.3 12968 1.04 0 70
40 16 40.1 23.6 15937 1.11 0 60
50 24 48.2 28.4 20095 1.25 0 50
0 0 24.9 14.7 7518 0.75 5 95
10 2.7 27.7 16.3 8959 0.78 4.5 85.5
20 6.2 31.2 18.4 10769 0.83 4 76
95 5 23.73 1.25 24.98
30 10.7 35.7 21 13118 0.9 3.5 66.5
40 16.6 41.6 24.5 16298 1 3 57
50 24.9 49.9 29.4 20848 1.13 2.5 47.5
0 0 25.9 15.3 7422 0.71 10 90
10 2.8 28.8 16.9 8914 0.73 9 81
20 6.4 32.4 19.1 10804 0.77 8 72
90 10 23.34 2.59 25.94
30 11.1 37 21.8 13289 0.83 7 63
40 17.3 43.2 25.4 16712 0.92 6 54
50 25.9 51.8 30.5 21733 0.95 5 45
0 0 26.9 15.9 7322 0.67 15 85
10 2.9 29.9 17.6 8868 0.69 13.5 76.5
20 6.7 33.7 19.8 10847 0.73 12 68
85 15 22.92 4.046 26.97
30 11.5 38.5 22.7 13486 0.79 10.5 59.5
40 17.9 44.9 26.5 17192 0.84 9 51
50 26.9 53.9 31.8 22784 0.9 0.075 42.5
0 0 28.1 16.5 7205 0.65 0.2 80
10 3.1 31.2 18.4 8822 0.68 0.18 72
20 7 35.1 20.7 10899 0.7 0.16 64
80 20 22.47 5.61 28.09
30 12 40.1 23.6 13713 0.76 0.14 56
40 18.7 46.8 27.6 17753 0.8 0.12 48
50 28.1 56.1 33.1 24052 0.86 0.1 40
 Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
6 THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

and 310 nm, which implies the filtration of incident radiation of flame to collect the radical
emission. The results coming from this technique enable to visualize the lift-off height as well as
the flame front fluctuations and the flame length.
In order to visualize the OH* radical, the recording set-up is made up of an intensified
CCD camera (512 ´ 512 pixel2, 14 bit dynamic range, FlameStar Lavision), an objective (UV-
Nikkor, Nikon) with a focal of 45 mm, and a glass filter (UG11, Melles Griot) with 3 mm thick-
ness to filter out the flame radiation (transmittance coefficient greater than 0.1 between 275 and
375 nm). To obtain a reasonable and workable signal, it is possible to control the camera gain,
fixed to 250, as well as the duration of the intensification door, varying according to the configu-
ration from 100 to 250 µs. Indeed the OH* production at the bottom of flame deeply depends on
the configuration and involves to modify these parameters according to the configuration. From
the recording of 500 instantaneous images, a statistical processing enables to obtain the mean
position of the lift-off height, allowing the characterization of the stability criterion.
To determine the lift-off position, it is necessary to binarize the images and then to de-
tect the contour.
The binarization threshold permits to eliminate the picture noise but requires precau-
tions to not affect the image signal. Then the lift-off position is defined as the nearest point from
the burner where the OH* signal appears. The mean image is calculated in each point from 500
instantaneous images. The averaged binary image can also be obtained. Figure 2 illustrates an
example of image statistical processing of the OH* emission in the lift-off zone.
Results and discussion

Figure 2. Statistical processing of the OH* emission in the lift-off zone; (a) instantaneous image;
(b) instantaneous binary image, (c) average image of 500 instantaneous images, and (d) binary
image of the average (for color image see journal web-site)

Flame lift-off position and flame fluctuations

Study of the flame lift-off position
The study of the flame lift-off position is carried out by collecting the OH* radical
emission. Figure 3 shows an example of the average image from 500 instantaneous images.
From the average OH* field, the flame lift-off position is studied according to hydrogen volume
fraction and the dilution of CO 2.
Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10 7

Figure 4 illustrates the variation of the

lift-off height of the flame with the % CO2
added at various % H2 content in the hythane.
From this figure it can be seen that the lift-off
height increases with the addition of CO2. The
lift-off height passes from 0 mm to 90 mm when
20% of CO2 is added in stoichiometric condi-
tion and is hooked to the burner when adding
the hydrogen.
This is due to the fact that the addition of
CO2 causes the flame lift-off through the fol-
lowing three paths: dilution effect because of Figure 3. Images of OH chemiluminescence on
reduction in the concentration of the reactive the base of the flame (for color image see journal
species, the drop in turn causes a reduction in web-site)
the reaction rate, while decreasing the the flame
velocity which weakens the flame stability;
thermal effect because of the change in flame
temperature, CO2 addition implies a drop of lo-
cal flame temperature; and the direct chemical
effect because of the participation of the addi-
tive in chemical reactions related to soot forma-
tion and oxidation. Reaction CO2 + CH ® HCO
+ CO was found to be responsible for the chemi-
cal effects of carbon dioxide addition, Liu et al.
[22] investigated numerically the chemical ef-
fects of carbon dioxide addition on both the fuel
Figure 4. Flame lift-off height against CO
side and the oxidizer side of a diffusion flame. concentrations at various percentages of H2
2
They performed that reactions CO2 + H ® CO +
OH and CO2 + CH ® HCO + CO were found to
be responsible for the chemical effects of CO2 addition. The chemical effects of CO2 addition on
the fuel side are small but become significant when introduced on the oxidizer side.
Guo and Smallwood [23] paid particular attention to soot formation in an ethylene/air
flame. For this purpose, some simulations were carried out with CO2, whereas other calculations
were made with a chemically inert species (FCO2), with the same physical properties as CO2.
Comparison between results obtained with CO2 and FCO2 indicated the following reactions:
CO2 + H ® CO + OH in the air stream, and CO2 + CH ® HCO + CO in the fuel stream were en-
hanced by adding CO2. The dilution effect is most significant, followed by the thermal effect,
relatively; the chemical effects of CO 2 addition on the fuel side are small.
As soon as one H2 is added, the flame hangs on the burner whatever the dilution of
CO2, in fact the addition of hydrogen promotes mixing and allows the attachment to burner rim
due to its high molecular diffusivity and its high reactivity. The high molecular diffusivity of hy-
drogen increases the mixing between fuels and air. Thanks to the hydrogen addition, the species
react more quickly in the mixture. Moreover it can be noted that with 20% H2, the configurations
are stable even when the jets are diluted with CO2 concentration of 30% while for 0% H2 flame
is blown over 20% CO2. This means that the limits of flame blowing are pushed with the addi-
tion of H2. Indeed the addition of hydrogen increases the burning rate and the difference in den-
sity in the jet and allows the attachment of the rim of the burner flame.
 Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
8 THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

Fluctuations in the bottom region of the flame

The knowledge of the fluctuations of the lift-off heights permits to understand the sta-
bility phenomenon of flame lift-off position due to the wide flammability limits of hydrogen.
From the RMS of the lift-off heights according to
the hydrogen volume fraction and the CO2 dilution
(fig. 5), it is possible to deduce the evolution of the
combustion stability in the base of flame. Figure 5
shows that fluctuations of the lift-off heights de-
crease with the growth of hydrogen fraction. The
addition of hydrogen within natural gas permits to
ameliorate the flame stability due to the extension
of the flammability limit and the high reactivity of
hydrogen. Figure 5 reveals that the diluted com-
bustion with CO2 increases the fluctuation of the
Figure 5. RMS of the flame lift-off height lift-off heights. For example, the RMS passes from
according to hydrogen volume fraction and 0 mm to 14 mm when 20% of CO2 is added at
CO2 dilution
stoichiometric conditions.
Study of the flame length
The flame length, Lf, defined as the height of
the conical reaction zone was measured by collect-
ing the OH* radical emission. Figures 6 and 7 il-
lustrate, respectively, the variation of the flame
length and his standard deviation with the % CO2
(vol.) added. From fig. 6, it can be seen that the
flame length decreases as the hydrogen content in-
creases in the NG-H2 hybrid fuel. This can be at-
Figure 6. The height of the flame diluted with tributed to the increase in the radical pool that ac-
CO2 at various % H2 companies the H2 addition, such H and OH
radicals, which consequently enhances the com-
bustion rate and thereby reduces the overall flame length. In addition, the hydrogen low molecu-
lar weight and rapid radical molecular diffusion causes an increase in the flame width, which is
conversely proportional to the flame length. For example in the configuration when 0% of CO2
is added to (NG/H2), the normalized visible flame length (Lf/Di) passes from 123 to 113 when
20% of H2 is added to NG/H2).
This result depicts a good agreement with the
available data in the existing literature [11] for
NG-H2 hybrid fuel. They confirmed a reduction in
the NG-H2 turbulent flame length with hydrogen
addition, the normalized visible flame length
(Lf/Di) decreases as hydrogen content increases in
the mixture; it passes from 230 to 200 when 20%
of H2 is added to NG/H2.
Also, it can be noticed from fig. 6 that the
flame length increases with the mole fraction of
Figure 7. RMS of the flame height according CO2 added to NG-H2 hybrid fuel for that same %
to hydrogen volume fraction and CO2
dilution H2 content in fuel. For % H2 content in NG-H2 hy-
Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10 9

brid fuel up to 10% CO2 additions could produce lifted flame if the CO2 concentration is high.
At higher CO2 concentration, flame would remain attached until blow-out. This is mainly due to
the fact that the addition of CO2 causes the elongation of the flame through thermal effect be-
cause of the decrease in temperature which leads a reduction in the reaction rate and thus de-
creases the turbulent flame speed which increases the length of the flame, and dilution effect by
reducing the reactivity of the mixture and thus the turbulent flame speed as well the elongation
of the flame.
From fig. 7, it can be seen that fluctuations of the flame length decrease with the
growth of hydrogen fraction. The addition of hydrogen favors the fluctuation reduction. Also, it
can be noticed from fig. 7 that the fluctuations of the flame length increases with the mole frac-
tion of CO2 added to NG-H2 hybrid fuel for that same % H2 content in fuel. For example, in the
configuration where 5% of hydrogen is added to the natural gas, the RMS passes from 51 mm
for 0% of CO2, to 64 mm when the percentage of CO2 is 20%.
Conclusions
This study focused on the combustion of hythane diluted with CO2, the jet being com-
posed of a mixture in variable proportions of natural gas, hydrogen, and CO2. This experiment
was performed on a cylindrical burner generating a 15 kW turbulent flame in ambient air.
This experimental study consisted mainly of studying the flame lift-off position and
the structure of the flame according to the addition of hydrogen in the hybrid fuel and especially
the effect of dilution with CO2. By direct OH* imaging, the overall behavior of the flame has
been investigated.
· The technique of chemiluminescence of OH* centered on the initial zone of the flame was
used to assess the evolution of attachment heights based on the percentage of hydrogen and
CO2. The study showed the improvement of flame stability with the addition of hydrogen in
natural gas. Indeed, experimental measurements have shown that the addition of hydrogen
increases the fuel jet velocity as well as the molecular diffusivity, promotes mixing of
reactants and ameliorates the flame stability.
· With the OH* chemiluminescence, the study of fluctuations in the bottom region of the
flame shows an increase of the lift-off height stability according to the two parameters. The
reasons are the same as the previous.
· The second part also by collection of the emission of the OH* radical centered on the final
zone of the flame was used to assess changes in the average length of the flame based on the
percentage of hydrogen and CO2 dilution. The study showed that dilution tends to grow the
length of the flame and that the addition of hydrogen increases the reactivity of the mixture
and therefore the turbulent flame speed which decreases the length of the flame.
· With the chemiluminescence, the study of fluctuations of the base of the flame shows an
increase of the fluctuations of the length of the flame according to the two parameters. The
reasons are the same as the previous.
Acknowledgment
This work has been supported by the international program PHC UTIQUE 12G1125.
References
[1] Choudhuri, A. R., Gollahalli, S. R., Combustion Characteristics of Hydrogen-Hydrocarbon Hybrid Fuels,
J. I. Hydrogen Energy, 25 (2000), 5, pp. 451-462
[2] Cozzi, F., Coghe, A., Behavior of Hydrogen-Enriched Non-Premixed Swirled Natural Gas Flames, J. I.
Hydrogen Energy, 31 (2006), 6, pp. 669-677
 Hraiech, I., et al.: Combustion of Hythane Diluted with CO2
10 THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2015, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

[3] Heffel, J. W., NOx Emission and Performance Data for a Hydrogen Fuelled Internal Combustion Engine at
1500 rpm using Exhaust Gas Recirculation, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 28 (2003), 8, pp. 901-908
[4] Kabat, D. M., Heffel, J. W., Durability Implications of Neat Hydrogen under Sonic Flow Conditions on
Pulse-width Modulated Injectors, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 27 (2002), 10, pp. 1093-1102
[5] Heffel, J. W., NOx Emission and Performance Data for a Hydrogen Fuelled Internal Combustion Engine at
3000 rpm using Exhaust Gas Recirculation, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 28 (2003), 11, pp. 1285-1292
[6] Kumar, M. S., et al., Use of Hydrogen to Enhance the Performance of a Vegetable Oil Fuelled Compres-
sion Ignition Engine, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 28 (2003),10, pp. 1143-54
[7] Al-Baghdadi, M. A. S., Hydrogen-Ethanol Blending as an Alternative Fuel of Spark Ignition Engines, Re-
newable Energy, 28 (2003), 9, pp.1471-1478
[8] Huang, J., et al., Experimental and Kinetic Study of Shock Initiated Ignition Homogeneous Methane-Hy-
drogen-Air Mixtures at Engine-Relevant Conditions, Int. J. of Chemical Kinetics, 38 (2006), 4, pp.
221-233
[9] Hadj Ali, K., A Kinetic Study of the Oxidation of Low Self-Ignition Homogeneous Gaseous Medium and
Ultra Poor of Alternative Fuels from Biomass, Ph. D. thesis , University of Science and Technology of
Lille, France, 2007
[10] Gersen, S., et al., Ignition Properties of Methane/Hydrogen Mixtures in Rapid Compression Machine, Int.
J. Hydrogen Energy, 33 (2008), 7, pp. 1957-1964
[11] Choudhuri, A. R., Gollahalli, S. R., Characteristics of Hydrogen Hydrocarbon Composite Fuel Turbulent
Jet Flames, I. J. Hydrogen Energy, 28 (2003), 5, pp. 445-454
[12] Ilbas, M., et al., Laminar Burning Velocities of Hydrogen-Air and Hydrogen-Methane-Air Mixtures: an
Experimental Study, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 31 (2006), 12, pp. 1768-1779
[13] Kumar, P., Mishra, D. P., Experimental Investigation of Laminar LPG-H2 Jet Diffusion Flame, Int. J. Hy-
drogen Energy, 33 (2008), 13, pp. 225-31
[14] El-Ghafour, S. A. A., et al., Combustion Characteristics of Natural As-Hydrogen Hybrid Fuel Turbulent
Diffusion Flame, J. I. Hydrogen Energy, 35 (2010), 6, pp. 2556-2565
[15] Yon, S., Sautet, J. C., Flame Lift-Off Height, Velocity Flow and Mixing of Hythane in Oxy-Combustion in
a Burner with Two Separated Jets, Applied Thermal Engineering, 32 (2012), 1, pp. 83-92
[16] Liu, F. S., et al., The Chemical Effect of CO2 Replacement of N2 in Air on the Burning Velocity of CH4 and
H2 Premixed Flames, Combustion and Flame,133 (2003), 4, pp. 495-497
[17] Mazas, A. N., et al., Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Laminar Flame Speed of CH4/O2
Mixtures Diluted with CO2 and H2O, Proceedings, ASME Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea and Air
GT2010, Glasgow, UK, 2010
[18] Dally, B. B., et al., Effect of Fuel Mixture on Moderate and Intense Low Oxygen Dilution Combustion,
Combustion and Flame, 137 (2004), pp. 418-431
[19] Du, D. X., et al., Soot Formation in Strained Diffusion Fames with Gaseous Additives, Combustion and
Flame, 102 (1995), 1-2, pp. 11-20
[20] Zhang, C., et al., Sooting Structure of Methane Counter Flow Diffusion Flames with Preheated Reactants
and Dilution by Products of Combustion, 24th Symposium on Combustion, Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia, 1992, Proceedings, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Penn. USA, 1993, Vol. 1, pp.
1049-1057
[21] Oh, K. C., Shin, H. D., The Effect of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Concentration on Soot Formation in
Nonpremixed Flames, Fuel, 85 (2006), 5-6, pp. 615-624
[22] Liu, F. S., et al., The Chemical Effects of Carbon Dioxide as an Additive in an Ethylene Diffusion Flame:
Implications for Soot and NOx Formation, Combustion and Flame, 125 (2001), pp. 778-787
[23] Guo, H. S., Smallwood, G. J., A Numerical Study on the Influence of CO2 Addition on Soot Formation in
an Ethylene/Air Diffusion Flame, Combustion Science and Technology, 180 (2008), 10-11, pp. 1695-1708
[24] Guo, H., et al., A Numerical Study on the Effects of CO2/N2/Ar Addition on Liftoff of a Laminar CH4/Air
Diffusion Flame, Proceedings, 22nd International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reac-
tive Systems, Minsk, Belarus, 2009
[25] Min, J., et al., Impact of CO2, N2 or Ar Diluted in Air on the Length and Lifting Behavior of a Laminar Dif-
fusion Flame, 33rd Symposium on Combustion, Beijing, China, 2010, Proceedings, The Combustion Insti-
tute, Pittsburgh, Penn., USA, 2011, 33, pp. 1071-1079
Paper submitted: October 19, 2012
Paper revised: July 2, 2013
Paper accepted: July 10, 2013