The thick flame asymptotic limit and Damköhler’s hypothesis

We derive analytical expressions for the burning rate of a flame propagating in a prescribed steady parallel flow whose scale is much smaller than the laminar flame thickness. In this specific context, the asymptotic results can be viewed as an analytical test of Damköhler’s hypothesis relating to the influence of the small scales in the flow on the flame; the increase in the effective diffusion processes is described. The results are not restricted to the adiabatic equidiffusional case, which is treated first, but address also the influence of non-unit Lewis numbers and volumetric heat losses. In particular, it is shown that non-unit Lewis number effects become insignificant in the asymptotic limit considered. It is also shown that the dependence of the effective propagation speed on the flow is the same as in the adiabatic equidiffusional case, provided it is scaled with the speed of the planar non-adiabatic flame.