On self-drifting flame balls Original Research Article

A three-dimensional (3D) reaction–diffusion model for premixed flames with radiative heat losses is studied numerically. In accordance with previous analytical predictions and two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations, it is shown that cellular flames occurring in low Lewis number premixtures can propagate at heat-loss rates greater than the maximum that extinguishes the planar flame. At sufficiently high heat losses, the flame interface breaks up into separate self-drifting flame balls while a significant portion of the fuel remains unconsumed.