Scientist Dr Thomas Kick at the high-pressure burner in the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology, Stuttgart. Here the laminar flame velocity of pre-evaporated liquid fuels such as synthetic kerosene (GtL for instance) is measured at atmospheric pressure.
The skill consists of operating the test facility in such a way that a specific flame shape is guaranteed. Then, the laminar flame velocity can be reliably determined using what is known as the ‘cone method’. This is one of the most important combustion characteristics of a fuel because it largely determines the heat release and thus the design of the combustion chamber.