Importance of dissociation equilibrium and variable transport properties on estimation of flame temperature and droplet burning rate

By using droplet combustion in oxidizer-rich environments as a model problem, the present investigation demonstrates both experimentally and theoretically that variable transport properties and flame dissociation are important factors which influence the bulk combustion charateristics, such as the fuel consumption rate and the flame temperature and location. A simplified, internally consistent methodology is proposed for the evaluation of these properties by analyzing the transport aspects of the problem and separately determining the characteristics of the flame in dissociation equilibrium through adiabatic flame temperature calculation, with allowance for the falsification of the oxidizer concentration due to diffusional stratification.