Nonlinear dynamics and intermittency in a turbulent reacting wake with density ratio as bifurcation parameter

The flame or flow behavior of a turbulent reacting wake is known to be fundamentally different at high and low values of flame density ratio (ρ_{u}/ρ_{b}), as the flow transitions from globally stable to unstable. This paper analyzes the nonlinear dynamics present in a bluff-body stabilized flame, and identifies the transition characteristics in the wake as ρ_{u}/ρ_{b} is varied over a Reynolds number (based on the bluff-body lip velocity) range of 1000-3300. Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of the experimentally obtained time series of the flame edge fluctuations reveals that the time series is highly aperiodic at high values of ρ_{u}/ρ_{b} and transitions to increasingly correlated or nearly periodic behavior at low values. From the RQA of the transverse velocity time series, we observe that periodicity in the flame oscillations are related to periodicity in the flow. Therefore, we hypothesize that this transition from aperiodic to nearly periodic behavior in the flame edge time series is a manifestation of the transition in the flow from globally stable, convective instability to global instability as ρ_{u}/ρ_{b} decreases. The recurrence analysis further reveals that the transition in periodicity is not a sudden shift; rather it occurs through an intermittent regime present at low and intermediate ρ_{u}/ρ_{b}. During intermittency, the flow behavior switches between aperiodic oscillations, reminiscent of a globally stable, convective instability, and periodic oscillations, reminiscent of a global instability. Analysis of the distribution of the lengths of the periodic regions in the intermittent time series and the first return map indicate the presence of type-II intermittency.