The Derivation and Numerical Solution of the Equations for Zero Mach Number Combustion

We present a limiting system of equations to describe combustion processes at low Mach number in either confined or unbounded regions and numerically solve these equations for the case of a flame propagating in a closed vessel. This system allows for large heat release, substantial temperature and density variations, and substantial interaction with the hydrodynamic flow field, including the effects of turbulence. This limiting system is much simpler than the complete system of equations of compressible reacting gas flow since the detailed effects of acoustic waves have been removed. Using a combination of random vortex techniques and flame propagation algorithms specially designed for turbulent combustion, we describe a numerical method to solve these zero Mach number equations. We use this method to analyze the competing effects of viscosity, exothermicity, boundary conditions and pressure on the rate of combustion for a flame propagating in a swirling flow inside a square.