Burke-Schumann

FIGURE 6.9 Flame shapes as predicted by Burke-Schumann theory for cylindrical fuel jet systems (after Burke and Schumann [9]). 

Equation (6.31) shows the same dependence on Q as that developed from the Burke-Schumann approach [Eqs. (6.21)—(6.23)]. For a momentum-controlled fuel jet flame, the diffusion distance is r, the jet port radius and from Eq. (6.30) it is obvious that the time to the flame tip is independent of the fuel volumetric flow rate. For a buoyancy-controlled flame, ts remains proportional to (yF/v) however, since v = (2gyF)1/2,... 

In the present analysis, the outer convective-diffusive zones flanking the reaction zone are treated in the Burke-Schumann limit with Lewis numbers unity. Lewis numbers different from unity are taken into account where reactions occur. These Lewis-number approximations are especially accurate for methane-air flames and would be appreciably poorer if hydrogen or higher hydrocarbons are the fuels. To achieve a formulation that is independent of the flame configuration, the mixture fraction is employed as the independent variable. The connection to physical coordinates is made through the so-called scalar dissipation rate. 

In full-scale Are modeling, a diffusion flame structure is usually assumed. However, in many fire situations, such as underventilated fires, premixed or partially premixed flame theory may be more appropriate. The Burke-Schumann description of the diffusion flames can be used to conveniently represent the transport of gaseous species by a single scalar quantity called mixture fraction. For a simple one-step reaction ... 

The first successful detailed analysis of a diffusion-flame problem was given by Burke and Schumann in 1928 [4]. The Burke-Schumann problem is illustrated in Figure 3.1 fuel (or oxidizer) issues from a cylindrical... 

FIGURE 3.2. Flame shapes for the Burke-Schumann problem (c = ). 

Criteria for the validity of the flame-sheet approximation may be developed by analyzing the structure of the sheet (see Section 3.4). For calculation of flame shapes in the Burke-Schumann problem, the approximation usually is well justified, although uncertainties arise for strongly sooting flames. 

In the Burke-Schumann limit, a flame surface exists where Yp = Yq = 0, and all concentrations and temperatures may be written explicitly in terms of Z. From equation (77) it is seen that at Yp = = 0 the corresponding... 

The temperature may be obtained as a function of Z in the Burke-Schumann limit by use of these results in equation (79) it is found that... 

To obtain boundary conditions for equation (96), matching to the Burke-Schumann solution given by equation (84) may be imposed for 00. As is usually true (Chapter 5), in the first approximation this matching requires the slopes dT/dZ to agree. From equation (84) and the definitions of (p and r], it may be shown that the matching requires dcp/dt] 1... 

For steady-state diffusion flames with thin reaction sheets, it is evident that outside the reaction zone there must be a balance between diffusion and convection, since no other terms occur in the equation for species conservation. Thus these flames consist of convective-diffusive zones separated by thin reaction zones. Since the stretching needed to describe the reaction zone by activation-energy asymptotics increases the magnitude of the diffusion terms with respect to the (less highly differentiated) convection terms, in the first approximation these reaction zones maintain a balance between diffusion and reaction and may be more descriptively termed reactive-diffusive zones. Thus the Burke-Schumann flame consists of two convective-diffusive zones separated by a reactive-diffusive zone. 

In a pioneering paper [3], Roper vastly improved on the Burke-Schumann approach to determine flame heights not only for circular ports, but also for square ports and slot burners. Roper s work is significant because he used the fact that... 

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