ON FLAME PROPAGATION ALONG VORTEX TUBES

Analyses of the influence of vortical structures on a two-density fluid indicate a possible motion of the light fluid into the heavy one and vice versa. Various simplifying assumptions including that of an inviscid theory have been made in this report, but the results provide an insight into the fast burning observed along vortex tubes. The analysis is a contribution to our understanding of the hydrodynamics aspect of turbulent combustion; it could also be useful in modeling turbulent premixed combustion. No limits have been placed on the scales of the vortical structures. Our estimates of the induced axial velocities (the burst) are valid for any combination of two fluids (i.e. for any thermal expansion ratio) thereby making them more acceptable than previous estimates by Chomiak [1] and by Daneshyar and Hill [2].