Seepage gas combustion

Abstract

Seepage gas combustion is defined as the propagation of a region of gaseous exothermic reaction in an inert porous medium, as the gaseous reactants seep into the region of chemical transformation. Such combustion is heterogeneous because of the active participation of two phases (a solid porous medium and a reacting gas) in the propagation of the combustion waves. The study of these waves revealed the existence of two subsonic steady-state combustion regimes, one with low propagation velocity and one with high propagation velocity. In this paper the theoretical study of seepage gas combustion is based on a system of one-dimensional equations describing the propagation of heat in the inert medium and the gas, the mass transfer of the deficient component, and the conservation of the total amount of matter, together with the equation of state of an ideal gas. The parameters of seepage combustion, including the stationary and velocity of the combustion wave, the wave structure, and the wave propagation mechanism and limits, were derived for both velocity regimes. Supersonic regimes in porous media were also analyzed.