Ignition, liftoff, and extinction of gaseous diffusion flames

Abstract

This review uses as a vehicular example the jet-flame configuration to examine some phenomena that emerge in nonpremixed gaseous combustion as a result of the interaction between the temperature-sensitive chemical reaction, typical of combustion, and the convective and diffusive transport. These include diffusion-controlled flames, edge flames and their role in flame attachment, triple flames and their role as ignition fronts, and strain-induced extinction, including flame-vortex interactions. The aim is to give an overall view of the fluid dynamics of nonpremixed combustion and to review the most relevant contributions.