| The problem of smoldering combustion in porous fuel beds is very complicated both chemically and thermophysically. Usually, this flameless combustion process occurs at relatively low temperatures and propagates at low velocities. A one-dimensional transient model of smoldering has been developed and used to build a body of knowledge about the quantitative interactions among the numerous model parameters. Two different smoldering configurations were examined, reverse and forward. In reverse smoldering, the reaction movement is in the opposite direction of the air flow. In forward smoldering, the reaction movement is in the same direction as the air flow. The numerical model was also used to examine possible extinction mechanisms including convection heat transfer, the endothermic pyrolysis reaction, and limiting kinetics. In addition, a criterion for extinction in terms of a smoldering Damkohler number was developed. |
