(417f) Computational and Experimental Evaluation of a New Jet-Stirred Reactor for Chemical Kinetics Studies

The jet-stirred reactor (JSR) has been widely used to study reaction rates at low Damköhler number for developing detailed chemical kinetic models among combustion community. This work examines the homogeneity of mixing and reaction in traditional JSR designs and numerous other geometries including a recently-proposed Concentric Inlet And Outlet (CIAO) configuration. Computations of passive tracer mixing, 1-step chemistry, and detailed H₂-O₂ chemistry were performed using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) flow and transport models and compared to perfectly-stirred reactor predictions. A Composition Accuracy Index (CAI) was defined to quantify the degree of nonuniformity with the reactors. Computations showed that a modified CIAO configuration exhibits superior CAI values compared to traditional JSR designs and all other configurations tested, for both 1-step and detailed chemistry. Effects of surface reaction were found to be negligible at typical JSR conditions, even in the extreme case of highly reactive catalytic surfaces. A cold-flow mixing experiment supported the proposed efficacy of mixing in CIAO-type chambers.