The baroclinic effect in combustion

The baroclinic effect is due to the nonalignment of pressure and density gradients, and its result is to induce vorticity production. Because of the steep density gradients and the almost universal presence of ambient pressure signals in combustion systems, the baroclinic effect is a crucial mechanism for the production of turbulence. In this paper, we provide a review of the results of numerical simulations of baroclinic interactions between planar pressure signals and cylindrical laminar flame fronts. In the first section, the evolution of a flame front affected by a single baroclinic impulse is considered. In the second section, we consider the effect of a double baroclinic impulse on a growing flame ball within a shock tube and examine the effect of viscosity on the evolution of the overall burning rate.