The Effect of Gravity on Heat Transfer and Species Composition for a Concurrent Flame over a Liquid Surface Subjected to a Low-Speed Flow

Hui Ying Wang; Anh Quan Nguyen; Hui Ying Wang; Anh Quan Nguyen

doi:10.3934/mina.2025005

Metascience in Aerospace

2025, Volume 2, Issue 4: 89-109. doi: 10.3934/mina.2025005

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Research article

The Effect of Gravity on Heat Transfer and Species Composition for a Concurrent Flame over a Liquid Surface Subjected to a Low-Speed Flow

Hui Ying Wang ^,,
Anh Quan Nguyen

Institut Pprime (CNRS-UPR 3346, ENSMA, Poitiers University), BP 40109, Téléport 2, 1 av Clément ADER, 86961 Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex, France

Received: 18 August 2025 Revised: 20 October 2025 Accepted: 20 November 2025 Published: 28 November 2025

In this theoretical study, we dealt with the impact of gravity on flame shape, heat flux, and species composition in laminar diffusion flame subjected to a low-speed flow of 0.2 m/s with an oxygen concentration of 25%. The visible flame length (600℃ contour) over a flat liquid surface in microgravity environments was substantially longer by a factor of 2.5 times than the flame height on Earth. Our results showed that with the presence of a backward-facing step in front of a fire, the flame length in microgravity decreased significantly by a factor of 5 times, which was different from the height of a buoyancy-induced fire. In microgravity, the soot-related radiation was a predominant mode of heat transfer except at the leading edge, resulting in a large and consistent radiative loss fraction above 0.5. The heat feedback from a microgravity flame to the fuel surface was two times smaller than that on Earth and decreased further with the presence of a backward-facing step in front of a fire. These findings implied that at a low-speed flow, there could be a higher toxic emission in microgravity than these on Earth. The longer flame tail and the higher toxic productions in microgravity would have significant implications for spacecraft fire safety.
- microgravity flame,
- buoyancy-induced fire,
- heat flux,
- pyrolysis rate,
- species composition
Citation: Hui Ying Wang, Anh Quan Nguyen. The Effect of Gravity on Heat Transfer and Species Composition for a Concurrent Flame over a Liquid Surface Subjected to a Low-Speed Flow[J]. Metascience in Aerospace, 2025, 2(4): 89-109. doi: 10.3934/mina.2025005

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Abstract

In this theoretical study, we dealt with the impact of gravity on flame shape, heat flux, and species composition in laminar diffusion flame subjected to a low-speed flow of 0.2 m/s with an oxygen concentration of 25%. The visible flame length (600℃ contour) over a flat liquid surface in microgravity environments was substantially longer by a factor of 2.5 times than the flame height on Earth. Our results showed that with the presence of a backward-facing step in front of a fire, the flame length in microgravity decreased significantly by a factor of 5 times, which was different from the height of a buoyancy-induced fire. In microgravity, the soot-related radiation was a predominant mode of heat transfer except at the leading edge, resulting in a large and consistent radiative loss fraction above 0.5. The heat feedback from a microgravity flame to the fuel surface was two times smaller than that on Earth and decreased further with the presence of a backward-facing step in front of a fire. These findings implied that at a low-speed flow, there could be a higher toxic emission in microgravity than these on Earth. The longer flame tail and the higher toxic productions in microgravity would have significant implications for spacecraft fire safety.

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