A mathematical model of the cool-flame oxidation of acetaldehyde

A detailed mathematical model of the non-isothermal oxidation of acetaldehyde has been found to give a realistic simulation of (i) single and multiple cool flames, their limits, amplitudes and induction periods; (ii) two-stage ignition; and (iii) the negative temperature coefficient for the maximum rate of slow combustion. A simplified form of the model, valid over a limited range of conditions, has been subjected to mathematical analysis to provide interpretations of the effects simulated by the detailed model. It is concluded that cool flames are thermokinetic effects often, but not exclusively, of an oscillatory nature, and that a satisfactory account of cool-flame phenomena must necessarily take reactant consumption into account.