167
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Lewis Number Effect on Smoldering Combustion of a Thin Solid

, &
Pages 466-474 | Received 15 May 2013, Accepted 19 Nov 2013, Published online: 23 Apr 2014
 

Abstract

This article presents a simple model to describe the smoldering combustion of a thin solid burning in a narrow gap. Smoldering front under such a condition is unstable because of a similar instability mechanism to gaseous premixed combustion and produces a fingering pattern. In the present model, the Lewis number, defined as the ratio of the solid thermal diffusivity to the oxygen diffusivity, is typically less than 0.1, while the Lewis number of gaseous premixed flame is generally close to unity. It was found that the propagation speed increases with a decrease in the Lewis number, the opposite trend to the one-dimensional propagation. The fingering pattern predicted for = 0.1 shows, similarly to experimental observations, repeated processes of the split of a smoldering front into two branches and the subsequent extinction of one of the split branches.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.