Numerical Simulation of Ignition of Premixed Air/Fuel Mixtures by Microwave Streamer Discharge

A subcritical microwave streamer discharge is used to initiate ignition of premixed air/fuel mixture. The streamer is arising on the internal surface of the dielectric tube using a passive vibrator in a single-pulse regime at atmospheric pressure and temperature. The propagation speed of the combustion front in the quartz cylindrical tube filled by the air/propane mixture is analyzed numerically. The performed studies showed that the streamer discharge, which creates a multitude of ignition points, provides practically instantaneous ignition of the mixture in the entire volume of the tube, where the streamers reach. The results of numerical simulation are compared with the experimental data. Increasing the length of streamer discharge leads to increasing the flame propagation speed.