Unexpected Propagation of Ultra-Lean Hydrogen Flames in Narrow Gaps

Fernando Veiga-López, Mike Kuznetsov, Daniel Martínez-Ruiz, Eduardo Fernández-Tarrazo, Joachim Grune, Mario Sánchez-Sanz
2020 Physical Review Letters  
Very lean hydrogen flames were thought to quench in narrow confined geometries. We show for the first time how flames with very low fuel concentration undergo an unprecedented propagation in narrow gaps: H_{2}-air flames can survive very adverse conditions by breaking the reaction front into isolated flame cells that travel steadily in straight lines or split to perform a fractal-like propagation that resembles the pathway of starving fungi or bacteria. The combined effect of hydrogen mass
more » ... sivity and intense heat losses act as the two main mechanisms that explain the experimental observations.
doi:10.1103/physrevlett.124.174501 pmid:32412279 fatcat:6hbixolnuvc7veu5xw4sf643gy