A Nonlinear Wave Equation in Nonadiabatic Flame Propagation

We derive a nonlinear wave equation from the diffusional thermal model of gaseous combustion to describe the evolution of a flame front. The equation arises as a long wave theory, for values of the volumetric heat loss in a neighborhood of the extinction point (beyond which planar uniformly propagating flames cease to exist), and for Lewis numbers near the critical value beyond which uniformly propagating planar flames lose stability via a degenerate Hopf bifurcation. Analysis of the equation suggests the possibility of a singularity developing in finite time.