Abstract
•A flame index based on the subgrid mixing information of the Lagrangian particles.•Identification of premixed, partially premixed, nonpremixed, and extinction combustion mode accordingly.•A consistent index to model the mixing rate in partially premixed flames for the transported PDF method.
We propose a new flame index for the transported probability density function (PDF) method. The flame index uses mixing flux projections of Lagrangian particles on mixture fraction and progress variable directions as the metrics to identify the combustion mode, with the Burke-Schumann solution as a reference. A priori validation of the flame index is conducted with a series of constructed turbulent partially premixed reactors. It indicates that the proposed flame index is able to identify the combustion mode based on the subgrid mixing information. The flame index is then applied the large eddy simulation/PDF datasets of turbulent partially premixed jet flames. Results show that the flame index separate different combustion modes and extinction correctly. The proposed flame index provides a promising tool to analyze and model the partially premixed flames adaptively.