The differential diffusion effect of the intermediate species on the stability of premixed flames propagating in microchannels

The propagation of premixed flames in adiabatic and non-catalytic planar microchannels subject to an assisted or opposed Poiseuille flow is considered. The diffusive–thermal model and the well-known two-step chain-branching kinetics are used in order to investigate the role of the differential diffusion of the intermediate species on the spatial and temporal flame stability. This numerical study successfully compares steady-state and time-dependent computations to the linear stability analysis of the problem. Results show that for fuel Lewis numbers less than unity, <i>Le</i>_<i>F</i> &lt; 1, and at sufficiently large values of the opposed Poiseuille flow rate, symmetry-breaking bifurcation arises. It is seen that small values of the radical Lewis number, <i>Le</i>_<i>Z</i>, stabilise the flame to symmetric shape solutions, but result in earlier flashback. For very lean flames, the effect of the radical on the flame stabilisation becomes less important due to the small radical concentration typically found in the reaction zone. Cellular flame structures were also identified in this regime. For <i>Le</i>_<i>F</i> &gt; 1, flames propagating in adiabatic channels suffer from oscillatory instabilities. The Poiseuille flow stabilises the flame and the effect of <i>Le</i>_<i>Z</i> is opposite to that found for <i>Le</i>_<i>F</i> &lt; 1. Small values of <i>Le</i>_<i>Z</i> further destabilise the flame to oscillating or pulsating instabilities.