Droplet ignition and combustion including liquid-phase heating

Abstract

Heating, ignition, and the subsequent combustion of a liquid droplet are studied in a hot stagnant environment. The transient, coupled liquid-gas phase problem of droplet combustion in one dimension is solved numerically. The pressure is assumed to be uniform and constant. This assumption is utilized in a novel way to formulate and solve the continuity equation. It is found that ignition occurs as soon as suitable conditions develop in the neighborhood of the droplet. In fact, the droplet surface heating is intimately connected with ignition. These general conclusions are found to be true for a volatile (n-heptane) as well as for a less volatile fuel (n-hexadecane). It is also found that the radial velocity produced by the evaporation and combustion of the droplet, leads to a local Reynolds number of order one. Hence, convective effects are as important as diffusional effects.