Impacts of the Lewis and Markstein numbers on premixed flame acceleration in channels due to wall friction

The effects of flame stretch as well as that of thermal and molecular diffusion on the scenario of flame acceleration in channels are quantified by means of computational and analytical endeavors. The analytical formulation incorporates the internal transport flame properties into the theory of flame acceleration due to wall friction by means of the Markstein number, which characterizes the flame response to curvature and stretch. Being a positive or negative quantity and a function of the thermal-chemical combustion parameters, such as the thermal expansion ratio as well as the Lewis and Zeldovich numbers, the Markstein number either moderates or promotes flame acceleration. While the Markstein number may provide a substantial impact on the flame acceleration rate in narrow channels, this effect diminishes with increase in the channel width. The analytical formulation is accompanied by extensive computational simulations of the reacting flow equations, which clarify the impact of the Lewis number on flame acceleration. It is noted that for Lewis numbers below a certain critical value, at the initial stage of flame acceleration, a globally convex flame front splits into two or more finger-like segments, accompanied by a drastic increase in the flame front surface area and associated enhancement of flame acceleration. Later, however, these segments of the flame front meet, promptly consuming cavities and pockets, which substantially decreases the flame surface area and moderates acceleration. Eventually, this dynamics results in a single, globally convex flame, which keeps accelerating. Overall, the thermal-diffusive effects substantially facilitate flame acceleration, thereby advancing a potential deflagration-to-detonation transition. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.