ABSTRACT
The conventional practice in most analytical formulations of combustion processes is to neglect buoyancy-driven convection. The one-step approximation is a very poor approximation for methane combustion; however, many aspects of the dynamics of methane flames have been adequately studied using the single reaction alone. An example for ascertaining flame propagation speed and flammability limits with the aid of the energy conservation equation alone is given in reference and is outlined here. Flames spreading over fuel surfaces is a crucial issue in fires both on earth and in space. The flame spread model analyzed in here included a forced gas phase flow, while other studies included buoyancy-driven gas phase flow; in both models the gas phase velocity was large compared to the spread rate. Low-gravity experiments have been conducted in order to study flame spreading without the added complications due to the heat and mass transports associated with buoyancy-induced flows.
