Role of heat transfer in the stabilization of the flame in a closed volume filled with high-porosity medium

The results of modeling of the combustion of a gas-air mixture in a closed volume filled with high-porosity medium have been given. A comparison of the calculation results to experimental data has shown their qualitative agreement. It has been established that a quasistationary regime of propagation of the flame is possible in the case of fairly large relative length of the system and specific surface of the porous medium. Rapid deceleration of the flame is attributed to the decrease in the area of its surface because of the quenching on the reactor walls and the intense heat exchange between the hot combustion products and the porous medium. Stabilization of the flame propagation occurs when the heat release in gaseous combustion and the heat loss during the heat exchange between the combustion products and the porous medium are approximately equal. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.