Morphological evolution of soot emissions from a laminar co-flow methane diffusion flame with varying oxygen concentrations

The effects of oxygen-enriched atmosphere on the morphological evolution of soot emitted from a methane co-flow laminar diffusion flame were studied using a 12-μm SiC fiber deposition sampling method combined with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis. The temperature distribution and the soot morphological evolution along the flame radial and axial directions at different oxygen concentrations were systematically investigated. Results showed that the soot morphology was strongly dependent on its position and oxygen concentration in flames. At the same flame height, the soot morphology changed significantly when the oxygen concentration increased from 21% to 31%. The soot generation rate increased rapidly under the elevated oxidative condition, and the position of soot inception was closer to the burner nozzle. As the flame height and oxygen concentration increased, soot particles in the flame centerline were enlarged and evolved to fiber-like depositions. Furthermore, the large clusters of soot particles gradually evolved to even denser spongy and fibrous particles around the flame edges. In addition, unique sponge-like soot deposits were observed for the first time in methane flames.