Abstract
Influence of fuel concentration gradient was investigated near flame extinction limit in buoyancy-suppressed non-premixed counterflow flame with triple co-flow burner. The use of He curtain flow produced a microgravity level of $10^{-2}-10^{-3}g$ in He-diluted non-premixed counter triple co-flow flame experiments. Flame stability map was presented based on flame extinction and oscillation near extinction limit. The stability map via critical diluent mole fraction with global strain rate was represented by varying outer and inner He-diluted mole fractions. The flame extinction modes could be classified into five: an extinction through the shrinkage of the outmost edge flame forward the flame center with and without self-excitation, respectively ((I) and (II)), an extinction via the rapid expansion of a flame hole while the outmost edge flame is stationary (III), both the outermost and the center edge flames oscillate, and then a donut shaped flame is formed or the flame is entirely extinguished (IV), a shrinkage of the outermost edge flame without self-excitation followed by shrinking or sustain the inner flame (V).
