Asymptotic combustion of spherical drops

Abstract

An analysis is made to determine the rates of drop shirnkage and flame movement during the asymptotic combustion of spherical drops controlled by the transport of heat and mass. The effects of unsteady diffusion and radial convection of heat and mass are taken into account. Exact solutions of the equations governing spherically-symmetric transport phenomena are obtained from which the expressions describing the radius time history for the drop and flame surface are determined. The effects of gas inertia, transient terms and radial convection resulting from unequal fluid densities are established and the regions of applicability of previously reported approximate solutions are determined.