The flame speed is the measured rate of expansion of the flame front in a combustion reaction. Whereas flame velocity is generally used for a fuel, a related term is explosive velocity, which is the same relationship measured for an explosive. Combustion engineers differentiate between the laminar flame speed and turbulent flame speed. Flame speed is typically measured in m/s, cm/s, etc. The physical phenomena of combustion can be found.
In engines
In an internal combustion engine, the flame speed of a fuel is a property which determines its ability to undergo controlled combustion without detonation. Flame speed is used along with adiabatic flame temperature to help determine the engine's efficiency. According to one source,
"...high flame-speed combustion processes, which closely approximate constant-volume processes, should reflect in high efficiencies."
The flame speeds are not the actual engine flame speeds, A 12:1 compression ratio gasoline engine at 1500 rpm would have a flame speed of about 16.5 m/s, and a similar hydrogen engine yields 48.3 m/s, but such engine flame speeds are also very dependent on stoichiometry
See also
References
- Griffiths, J.F.; Barnard, J.A. (1995). Flame and Combustion. Springer. ISBN 978-94-011-0619-1.
- Jarosinski, J.; Veyssiere, B. (2009). Combustion phenomena: selected mechanisms of flame formation, propagation, and extinction. CRC. ISBN 9780849384097.
- Keating, E.L. (2007). Applied Combustion. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781420017489.
- NASA Technical Note, May 1977, "Emissions and Total Energy Consumption of a Multicylinder Piston Engine Running on Gasoline and a Hydrogen-Gasoline Mixture"
- "Gasoline FAQ - Part 3 of 4Section - 7. What parameters determine octane requirement?".
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